Abstract: Buyer-driven methods of purchasing a motor vehicle include one or more buyers, each buyer composing a buyer-specific offer to purchase a motor vehicle and optionally motor vehicle-related services. Each offer is based on an individual buyer willing price that is based on an individual buyer perceived value of the motor vehicle and related services, and one or more buyer-specific conditions imposed on purchasing a motor vehicle within the set of motor vehicles. Buyers register with, and communicating their respective buyer-specific offer to, a website hosted by a computer server, the website accessible by network-connected devices of the buyers. One or more website-registered sellers communicate their respective seller conditions to the website, and software in a system server filters the buyer-specific offers. The sellers may accept, decline, or make alternative responses to the website, which ranks the seller response for buyers.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to facilitate fast restarts in processor systems are disclosed. An example processor restart method disclosed herein includes recording a log of pre-boot initialization actions, and replaying a portion of the log during subsequent processor restarts to shorten pre-boot initialization time. The example processor restart method disclosed herein may further include creating a log index table for easier referral to portions of the log, storing the log and the log index table in non-volatile memory, using the log index table to reorder the replaying of the log, and reordering the replay of the log to initialize the video graphics adapter earlier in a processor restart sequence.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a technique to process an input/output (I/O) transaction. An emulated device driver in a guest partition interacts with a virtual machine (VM) manager in processing an input/output (I/O) transaction on behalf of an application via an operating system (OS). The I/O transaction is between the application and a device. A device emulator in a service partition communicatively coupled to the emulated device driver interacts with the VM manager in processing the I/O transaction on behalf of a device specific driver via the OS. The device specific driver interfaces to the device.

Abstract: A data processing system features a processor, random access memory (RAM), flash memory, a disk drive, an operating system (OS), and platform software. The platform software is capable of intercepting an attempt by the OS to read a storage location of the disk drive during a process of transitioning the data processing system from an inactive mode to an active mode. In response to intercepting the attempt by the OS to read the disk drive, the platform software may automatically determine whether the storage location for the read corresponds to a disk area reserved for power state transition data. If the storage location corresponds to the area reserved for power state transition data, the platform software may automatically read data from the flash memory instead of the disk drive, and pass that data to the OS. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: When transitioning from sleep mode to active mode, a processing system loads first stage resume content and second stage resume content into a volatile memory of the processing system. The first stage resume content may contain contextual data for a first program that was in use before the processing system transitioned to sleep mode. The second stage resume content may contain contextual data for another program that was in use before the processing system transitioned to sleep mode. The processing system may provide a user interface for the first program before all of the second stage resume content has been loaded into the volatile memory. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: During a process of transitioning a processing system from sleep mode to active mode, system firmware of the processing system may automatically determine whether an initialization task has been assigned to a component other than system firmware, based on data obtained from a resume descriptor stored in nonvolatile storage of the processing system. The system firmware may skip the initialization task if the initialization task has been assigned to a component other than the system firmware. For example, in one embodiment, the system firmware may determine whether the resume descriptor identifies one or more memory ranges. If so, the system firmware may forego initialization of at least one memory range identified in the resume descriptor when initializing a random access memory (RAM) of the processing system. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and system enable a virtual and a non-virtual component to be bundled together in a single binary. According to an embodiment of the present invention, an operating system may boot directly on host hardware or on a virtual machine manager. If the operating system boots directly on host hardware, the binary is capable of executing the non-virtual (“physical”) component code in the binary. If, on the other hand, the operating system boots onto a virtual machine manager, the binary is further capable of executing the virtual component code in the binary. In one embodiment, the virtual component may be para-virtualized, i.e., the component may be aware that it is running in a virtual environment.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves saving limited context information when transitioning between virtual machines. A predetermined set of instructions and events cause a trap. A bit or flag is set to indicate that the event has occurred within a virtual machine. The virtual machine monitor determines whether specific register sets must be saved or restored upon a context switch, based on whether the flag has been set. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and system enable bi-directional communications between a virtual machine monitor (“VMM”) and an Advanced Configuration & Power Interface (“ACPI”) compliant guest operating system. In one embodiment, a virtual machine (“VM”) may be designated as the owner of the host platform (“Policy VM”). The Policy VM may communicate with the VMM to control all configuration and power management decisions on the platform.

Abstract: A lightweight virtual machine monitor (“LVMM”) allocates devices on a virtual host. In one embodiment, the LVMM identifies a primary and a secondary VM on the virtual host. The LVMM may expose various devices on the virtual host directly to the primary VM and provide these devices as virtual devices to the secondary partition.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to facilitate fast restarts in processor systems are disclosed. An example processor restart method disclosed herein includes recording a log of pre-boot initialization actions, and replaying a portion of the log during subsequent processor restarts to shorten pre-boot initialization time. The example processor restart method disclosed herein may further include creating a log index table for easier referral to portions of the log, storing the log and the log index table in non-volatile memory, using the log index table to reorder the replaying of the log, and reordering the replay of the log to initialize the video graphics adapter earlier in a processor restart sequence.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system and program for effecting a processor operating mode change to execute device code. A processor receives a call while the processor is operating in a first mode, wherein the call is made to effect execution of device code to control a device. The processor determines whether the call is intended to change a processor operating mode from the first mode to a second mode. The state of the processor is selectively changed to a second mode in which the processor executes second mode instructions loaded in a protected section of memory inaccessible to an operating system in response to determining that the call is intended to change the processor operating mode. The second mode instructions execute the device code to control the device.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide for emulating a host architecture in guest firmware. One aspect of the systems and methods comprises determining whether an emulated instruction would cause a transition into a legacy mode. A current execution context is converted into a legacy mode context, and the firmware emulator proceeds to a group of legacy mode instructions in a native mode for the processor. The firmware emulator detects an end instruction and converts the legacy context back to the guest firmware context.

Abstract: A method and related apparatuses facilitate the compression of firmware modules that follow a portable executable (PE) format. An example method includes an operation of storing a firmware module in memory, wherein the firmware module follows a PE format, thus having subdivisions that include an MS-DOS header. The method also includes an operation of flattening the firmware module by replacing existing content within at least one field within the MS-DOS header with fill data that is more compressible than the existing content. For example, fill data may be loaded into an MS-DOS stub field within the MS-DOS header. Alternatively, the method may flatten the firmware module by ensuring that fill data occupies all fields within the MS-DOS header except for an lfanew field and an e-magic field. In some embodiments, additional or alternative operations to flatten the firmware module may be performed, such as loading fill data into one or more fields within an optional file header of the firmware module.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to execute a pre-boot application within an emulated pre-boot environment to test functionality of the pre-boot application. The emulated pre-boot environment is executed within a user mode of an operating system (“OS”) during an OS runtime of the processing system. The pre-boot application interacts with a hardware device of the processing system via a kernel proxy agent. The kernel proxy agent executes in a kernel mode of the OS.

Abstract: A method and system to utilize platform-based optimization routines by a computer system. An application executing on the computer system initializes a user library bound to the application. The user library requests that an optimized library be copied into the user space of the computer system. The optimized library includes functions optimized for the hardware configuration of the computer system and is advertised by the firmware of the computer system. The entry points of the optimized functions are exported to the application, the optimized functions corresponding to non-optimized functions of the application. In one embodiment, the optimized library is validated before being copied into user space.

Abstract: A method and data processing apparatus for lending money, utilizing the benefits of an interest rate yield curve to provide additional benefits to borrowers without increasing borrower debt levels or cash flow costs. By bundling additional benefits with simplicity and convenience, the present invention delivers significant extra value to a borrower. In other words, the benefits to a borrower are “turbocharged.

Abstract: A reconfigurable communications module for power distribution and control apparatus is taught. Briefly stated, a communication module is rack insertable into a voltage regulator controller and has disposed therein a microprocessor board for communicating with host power distribution control apparatus and which also communicates with a transceiver board. The transceiver board may be one of several types of boards which provide a physical link with other equipment. Such boards may, for example, include a fiber optic, an RF based board, or a wire based board which is interchangeable in the communications module thereby allowing reconfiguration of the communication module to different media.

Abstract: A low voltage AC electric power monitoring system includes a processor which samples the current and circuit breaker system includes a processor which samples each of the current components at seventeen samples per cycle to obtain current samples representing a single period of the AC power signal. The processor samples the voltage component at different points in the voltage cycle over several cycles to obtain voltage samples representing a single period of the AC power signal.

Abstract: A low voltage AC electric power monitoring system includes a processor which samples the current and circuit breaker system includes a processor which samples each of the current components at seventeen samples per cycle to obtain current samples representing a single period of the AC power signal. The processor samples the voltage component at different points in the voltage cycle over several cycles to obtain voltage samples representing a single period of the AC power signal.