Abstract: A processor includes a logic to determine an error condition reported in an error bank. The error bank is communicatively coupled to the processor and is associated with logical processors of the processor. The processor includes another logic to generate an interrupt indicating the error condition. The processor includes yet another logic to selectively send the interrupt to a single one of the logical processors associated with the error bank.

Abstract: An event management resource monitors a processor environment. In response to detecting occurrence of a trigger event in the processor environment, the event management resource initiates a transfer of processor cache data from volatile storage in the processor environment to non-volatile memory. The event management resource can be configured to produce status information associated with the transfer of cache data to a respective non-volatile memory resource. The event management resource stores the status information in a non-volatile storage resource for later retrieval. Accordingly, status information associated with the event causing the transfer is available for analysis on subsequent power up or reboot of a respective computer system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for initiating secure operations in a microprocessor system are described. In one embodiment, a system includes a processor to execute a secured enter instruction, and a chipset to cause the system to enter a quiescent state during execution of the secured enter instruction.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus related to constructing a persistent file system from scattered persistent regions are described. In one embodiment, stored information in a storage unit corresponds to one or more persistent memory regions that are scattered amongst one or more non-volatile memory devices. The one or more persistent memory regions are byte addressable. Also, the one or more persistent memory regions are used to form a virtual contiguous region. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: Techniques for providing security for a computing device are described herein. In one example, a maintenance issue for the computing device is detected. Additionally: a maintenance credential proximate the computing: device can be detected. Furthermore, an alarm system within the computing device can be disabled in response to detecting an authorized maintenance credential.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for detecting and correcting instruction fetch errors within a processor core. For example, in one embodiment, an instruction processing apparatus for detecting and recovering from instruction fetch errors comprises, the instruction processing apparatus performing the operations of: detecting an error associated with an instruction in response to an instruction fetch operation; and determining if the instruction is from a speculative access, wherein if the instruction is not from a speculative access, then responsively performing one or more operations to ensure that the error does not corrupt an architectural state of the processor core.

Abstract: A system and method are described for intelligently flushing data from a processor cache. For example, a system according to one embodiment of the invention comprises: a processor having a cache from which data is flushed, the data associated with a particular system address range; and a PCM memory controller for managing access to data stored in a PCM memory device corresponding to the particular system address range; the processor determining whether memory flush hints are enabled for the specified system address range, wherein if memory flush hints are enabled for the specified system address range then the processor sending a memory flush hint to a PCM memory controller of the PCM memory device and wherein the PCM memory controller uses the memory flush hint to determine whether to save the flushed data to the PCM memory device.

Abstract: Technologies for system management interrupt (“SMI”) handling include a number of processor cores configured to enter a system management mode (“SMM”) in response to detecting an SMI. The first processor core to enter SMM and acquire a master thread lock sets an in-progress flag and executes a master SMI handler without waiting for other processor cores to enter SMM. Other processor cores execute a subordinate SMI handler. The master SMI handler may direct the subordinate SMI handlers to handle core-specific SMIs. The multi-core processor may set an SMI service pending flag in response to detecting the SMI, which is cleared by the processor core that acquires the master thread lock. A processor core entering SMM may immediately resume normal execution upon determining the in-progress flag is not set and the service pending flag is not set, to detect and mitigate spurious SMIs. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: When a processing system boots, it may retrieve an encrypted version of a cryptographic key from nonvolatile memory to a processing unit, which may decrypt the cryptographic key. The processing system may also retrieve a predetermined authentication code for software of the processing system, and the processing system may use the cryptographic key to compute a current authentication code for the software. The processing system may then determine whether the software should be trusted, by comparing the predetermined authentication code with the current authentication code. In various embodiments, the processing unit may use a key stored in nonvolatile storage of the processing unit to decrypt the encrypted version of the cryptographic key, a hashed message authentication code (HMAC) may be used as the authentication code, and/or the software to be authenticated may be boot firmware, a virtual machine monitor (VMM), or other software. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Various embodiments are described herein. Some embodiments include an Operating System and a platform. The platform includes a processor having an error register. The Operating System can write to the error register only via the platform in a secure manner (for example, using platform firmware). Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for detecting and correcting data fetch errors within a processor core. For example, one embodiment of an instruction processing apparatus for detecting and recovering from data fetch errors comprises: at least one processor core having a plurality of instruction processing stages including a data fetch stage and a retirement stage; and error processing logic in communication with the processing stages to perform the operations of: detecting an error associated with data in response to a data fetch operation performed by the data fetch stage; and responsively performing one or more operations to ensure that the error does not corrupt an architectural state of the processor core within the retirement stage.

Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments, memory modules containing phase change memory elements may be organized so that each memory integrated circuit includes both data and error correcting code. As a result of including the error correcting code in each integrated circuit, extra accesses of the memory module to extract the error correcting code can be avoided, improving the performance of the overall memory module in some embodiments.

Abstract: Technologies to generate an error record are described herein. A method includes performing a scan of one or more error logs to identify a source of data in response to an attempt to access the data, determining whether an amount of time to complete the scan will exceed a threshold value, and generating a notice that the error record will be deferred based on the determination. A system includes a data collector to scan one or more error logs to identify a source of data in response to an attempt to access the data, a controller to determine whether an amount of time to scan the error logs to identify the source of data will exceed a threshold value, and a signal generator to generate a signal indicating that the error record is to be deferred based on the determination.

Abstract: Embodiments of an invention for signaling software recoverable errors are disclosed. In one embodiment, a processor includes a first unit, a programmable indicator, and a second unit. The first unit is to detect a poison error. The programmable indicator is to indicate whether the poison error is signaled as a machine check error or as one of a fault and a system management interrupt. The second unit is to signal the poison error as one of a fault and a system management error responsive to the programmable indicator.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods associated with memory allocations for virtual machines are disclosed. In embodiments, an apparatus may include a processor; a plurality of memory modules; and a memory controller configured to provide a layout of the memory modules. The apparatus may further include a VMM configured to be operated by the processor to manage execution of a VM by the processor including selective allocation of the memory modules to the VM using the layout of the memory modules provided to the VMM by the memory controller. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: A method is described that includes deciding to enter a lower power state, and, shutting down a memory channel in a computer system in response where thereafter other memory channels in the computer system remain active so that computer remains operative while the memory channel is shutdown.

Abstract: A system and method are described for integrating a memory and storage hierarchy including a non-volatile memory tier within a computer system. In one embodiment, PCMS memory devices are used as one tier in the hierarchy, sometimes referred to as “far memory.” Higher performance memory devices such as DRAM placed in front of the far memory and are used to mask some of the performance limitations of the far memory. These higher performance memory devices are referred to as “near memory.

Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and systems for reconfiguring a secure system are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a configuration storage location, a lock, and lock override logic. The configuration storage location is to store information to configure the apparatus. The lock is to prevent writes to the configuration storage location. The lock override logic is to allow instructions executed from sub-operating mode code to override the lock.

Abstract: Embodiments of a hardware processor including a plurality of machine state registers (MSRs) are described. At least one of the MSRs includes an erroring logical processing (ELP) bit which when set, indicates that a particular thread executing on the hardware processor caused an error.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a processor that has an on-die storage such as a static random access memory to store an architectural state of one or more threads that are swapped out of architectural state storage of the processor on entry to a system management mode (SMM). In this way communication of this state information to a system management memory can be avoided, reducing latency associated with entry into SMM. Embodiments may also enable the processor to update a status of executing agents that are either in a long instruction flow or in a system management interrupt (SMI) blocked state, in order to provide an indication to agents inside the SMM. Other embodiments are described and claimed.