Abstract: Methods and systems for managing communications is disclosed. A host device and a management controller may communicate via memory mapped communications using shared memory. To improve the security of the memory mapped communications, access requests for shared memory may be monitored. Access controls for the shared memory may be put in place to reduce the likelihood of data being made unavailable before it is processed. The access controls may be lifted when the data stored in shared memory has been read by to complete the memory mapped communications.

Abstract: An information handling system includes an embedded controller configured to transmit an error code to a pre-extensible firmware interface initialization module. A graphics font manager may generate a glyphs database during a boot process. If the error code is associated with a no power-on self-test, no video condition, then the pre-extensible firmware interface initialization module may retrieve information associated with the error code transmitted by the embedded controller, and locate the glyphs database generated by the graphics font manager from the non-volatile storage device.

Abstract: Methods and systems for managing the operation of data processing systems are disclosed. A data processing system may include a computing device that may enter various operating states by performing various types of startups. Performance of some startups may be restricted by use of passwords or other security information. The data processing systems may host management controllers that may bypass the restrictions on the startups. Prior to doing so, the management controllers may verify that the requests to perform the startups are from trusted entities, or should be performed for other reasons.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, a communications port communicatively coupled to the processor, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) comprising boot firmware configured to be executed by the processor of the information handling system when the information handling system is booted and/or powered on, and configured to initialize information handling resources of the information handling system and/or initialize interoperation of the information handling system with other information handling systems, the BIOS further configured to: responsive to a failure to complete a phase of execution of the BIOS, create a virtual disk on the memory such that the virtual disk is mountable as a volume by a second information handling system coupled to the information handling system via the communications port, and store telemetry information relevant to the failure to the virtual disk.

Abstract: Methods and systems for managing the operation of data processing systems are disclosed. A data processing system may include a computing device that may enter various operating states by performing various types of startups. Performance of some startups may be restricted by use of passwords or other security information. The data processing systems may host management controllers that may bypass the restrictions on the startups. Prior to doing so, the management controllers may verify that the requests to perform the startups are from trusted entities, or should be performed for other reasons.

Abstract: A method may include, in an operating system executing on an information handling system, obtaining information regarding basic input/output system (BIOS) configuration security controls, evaluating the BIOS configuration security controls to determine if the BIOS configuration security controls satisfy a standard for performing a BIOS-managed BIOS firmware update, and if the BIOS configuration security controls fail to satisfy the standard for performing the BIOS-managed BIOS firmware update, configuring the BIOS configuration security controls to enforce a secure BIOS update policy on a subsequent boot of the information handling system and triggering a warm reboot of the information handling system.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for transitioning an information handling system (IHS) to a predetermined operating state is disclosed. During the transition, the IHS may obtain data from a variety of sources which may subject it to compromise. To reduce the likelihood that the IHS is compromised, the IHS may evaluate its environment and its own operation to determine its security state. Depending on its security state, the IHS may perform various actions to reduce the likelihood of it being compromised through its transition process.

Abstract: A basic input output system (BIOS) of an information handling system may access a first list indicating one or more activation statuses of one or more BIOS firmware modules. The BIOS may determine a BIOS firmware module of the one or more BIOS firmware modules to load based, at least in part, on the first list. The BIOS may load the determined BIOS firmware module during booting of the information handling system.

Abstract: Managing firmware updates of an information handling system (IHS), including performing, at a first time, a calibration and configuration of a firmware update risk model, including: identifying predictor data associated with a plurality of IHS; training, based on the predictor data, the firmware update risk model, including generating a configuration policy including configuration rules, the configuration rules for performing computer-implemented actions responsive to a firmware update; receiving, at a second time, the firmware update at a particular IHS, and in response: identifying particular predictor data of the particular IHS; in response to identifying the particular predicator data of the particular IHS, i) accessing the firmware update risk model including the configuration policy, ii) identifying one or more of the configuration rules based on the identified particular predicator data, and iii) applying the one or more configuration rules to perform computer-implemented actions responsive to receivin

Abstract: An information handling system may include at least one processor, a physical storage resource, and a non-volatile memory other than the physical storage resource. The at least one processor may be configured to execute instructions for: storing learned profile data at the physical storage resource; in response to detection of a catastrophic event, copying the learned profile data from the physical storage resource to the non-volatile memory; and subsequent to a remediation event for the catastrophic event, restoring the learned profile data from the non-volatile memory.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a battery configured to provide electrical energy to components of the information handling system, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) communicatively coupled to the processor and embodied by executable instructions embodied in non-transitory computer readable media, the instructions configured to, when executed by the processor, in response to one of execution of a BIOS managed operation or a request for execution of the BIOS managed operation: determine an energy requirement for execution of the BIOS managed operation; determine an energy capacity of the battery; determine if the energy capacity is sufficient to satisfy the energy requirement; and limit one or more features of the BIOS managed operation in response to the energy capacity being insufficient to satisfy the energy requirement.

Abstract: An information handling system may include at least one processor, a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), a physical information handling resource, and a computer-readable medium having instructions thereon that are executable by the at least one processor for: executing an operating system (OS) that includes a BIOS Data Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) Table (BDAT) driver; executing at least one virtual machine (VM) that includes a virtual BDAT driver; detecting an event notification generated by the physical information handling resource; and transmitting, to the VM, information regarding the event notification via the BDAT driver and the virtual BDAT driver.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a physical storage resource having a portion thereof that includes files that are usable during boot of the information handling system; at least one processor; and a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) including instructions that are executable by the at least one processor for: during a boot process, determining whether any of a plurality of BIOS events have taken place during a previous boot process, wherein the plurality of BIOS events are indicative of malicious behavior during the previous boot process; and in response to a determination that at least a predetermined number of the plurality of BIOS events have taken place during the previous boot process, carrying out a remedial action during the boot process.

Abstract: An information handling system may include memory circuitry comprising a BIOS and a database including a first set of one or more cryptographic keys usable to authenticate code executable by the BIOS; and a physical storage medium other than the memory circuitry, wherein the physical storage medium includes a custom database including a second set of one or more cryptographic keys usable to authenticate code executable by the BIOS. The information handling system is configured to load a BIOS extension into the BIOS by: determining that the first set of one or more cryptographic keys does not include any key usable to authenticate the BIOS extension; determining that the second set of one or more cryptographic keys includes a particular key usable to authenticate the BIOS extension; authenticating the BIOS extension via the particular key; and in response to the authenticating, loading and executing the BIOS extension.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a power subsystem for supplying electrical energy to components of the information handling system, a power delivery interface configured to enable the power subsystem to draw power from a device external to the information handling system and communicatively coupled to the power delivery interface, a processor communicatively coupled to the power delivery interface, and a software service embodied in non-transitory computer-readable media and configured to, when read and executed by the processor, detect a configuration and context of the information handling system and in response to a request to perform a firmware update to the device, orchestrate power events of the information handling system and installation of the firmware update to the device based on the configuration and the context.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor and a basic input/output system communicatively coupled to the processor and embodied by executable instructions embodied in non-transitory computer readable media, the instructions configured to, when executed by the processor: identify, for a firmware image, a secure boot certificate; identify, for the secure boot certificate, a certificate use policy; determine whether the certificate use policy permits verification of the firmware image using the secure boot certificate; and allow the firmware image to be verified with the secure boot certificate if the certificate use policy permits verification of the firmware image using the secure boot certificate.

Abstract: Managing firmware updates of an information handling system (IHS), including performing, at a first time, a calibration and configuration of a firmware update risk model, including: identifying predictor data associated with a plurality of IHS; training, based on the predictor data, the firmware update risk model, including generating a configuration policy including configuration rules, the configuration rules for performing computer-implemented actions responsive to a firmware update; receiving, at a second time, the firmware update at a particular IHS, and in response: identifying particular predictor data of the particular IHS; in response to identifying the particular predicator data of the particular IHS, i) accessing the firmware update risk model including the configuration policy, ii) identifying one or more of the configuration rules based on the identified particular predicator data, and iii) applying the one or more configuration rules to perform computer-implemented actions responsive to receivin

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs encoded on computer storage medium, for identifying, during a particular boot of an information handling system, basic input/output system (BIOS)-level events, each BIOS-level event associated with a different BIOS log event source; for each BIOS-level event: creating, by a respective driver computing module associated with the BIOS-level event, event data for the BIOS-level event; calling, by the respective driver computing module associated with the BIOS-level event, a dispatcher protocol to provide the event data associated with the respective driver computing module to a dispatcher computing module; placing, by the dispatcher computing module, each of the event data in a temporary data store, wherein each of the event data is unaltered; and creating, by the dispatcher computing module, a database log of the event data, including aggregating each of the event data to generate a sequence of events related to the particular boot of the IHS.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a display device communicatively coupled to the processor, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to cause the processor to, during a pre-boot environment of the information handling system, collect contextual information regarding the information handling system, based on the contextual information, determine whether to enable soft keyboard functionality, and responsive to a determination to enable soft keyboard functionality, cause display of soft keyboard functionality to the display device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for providing a verbalized diagnostic message to a user of an information handling system includes: determining, by an embedded controller, an error associated with the information handling system; accessing, by the embedded controller, a memory device of the information handling system, the memory device storing a plurality of diagnostic files; selecting, by the embedded controller, a diagnostic file from the plurality of diagnostic files, the diagnostic file indicating the error associated with the information handling system; generating, by the embedded controller, the verbalized diagnostic message; sending, by the embedded controller, the verbalized diagnostic message to an audio device of the information handling system in an embedded controller audio stream; and presenting, by the audio device, the verbalized diagnostic message to the user via one or more speakers of the information handling system.