Abstract: A computer system is rebooted upon crash without running platform firmware and without retrieving all of the modules included in a boot image from an external source and reloading them into system memory. The reboot process includes the steps of stopping and resetting all of the processing units, except one of the processing units that detected the crash event, selecting the one processing unit to execute a reboot operation, and executing the reboot operation to reboot the computer system.

Abstract: A computer system is securely booted by executing a boot firmware to locate a boot loader and verify the boot loader using a first key that is associated with the boot firmware. Upon verifying the boot loader, computer system executes the boot loader to verify a system software kernel and a secure boot verifier using a second key that is associated with the boot loader. The secure boot verifier is then executed to verify the remaining executable software modules to be loaded during boot using a third key that is associated with the secure boot verifier. During boot, state data files of the computer system are mounted in a namespace that is isolated from the namespaces in which the executable software modules are mounted.

Abstract: In a computer-implemented method for automated provisioning a certificate in a computing system a certificate signing request is accessed from a computing node by a centralized management tool of the computing system. The certificate signing request is provided to a certificate authority by the centralized management tool. A signed certificate is accessed from the certificate authority for the computing node. The signed certificate is provided to the computing node, by the centralized management tool, such that there is automated provisioning of the signed certificate at the computing node to establish trust of the computing node in the computing system.

Abstract: Hardware management systems for disaggregated rack architectures in virtual server rack deployments are disclosed herein. An example apparatus to manage disaggregated physical hardware resources in a physical rack includes a hardware management system to discover disaggregated physical hardware resources in the physical rack and generate a listing of the disaggregated physical hardware resources, and a physical resource manager to generate a composed resource based on resources from the listing of the disaggregated physical hardware resources, the hardware management system to manage the composed resource.

Abstract: The approaches described herein implement execution of a user space operation from a kernel context. A thread, executing on a computing device, initializes a second kernel stack based on a first kernel stack. The computing device executes an operating system having a user space and a kernel space. The thread, executing in kernel space, performs a non-blocking call (e.g., an upcall) to execute an upcall function in user space, such as filtering input/output (I/O) requests. The upcall function may further call other user space functions or system calls. The system calls are performed using the second kernel stack. Upon termination of the upcall function, the thread continues execution on the first kernel stack in kernel space. For example, the thread handles the filtered I/O commands.

Abstract: In a computer-implemented method for automated monitoring certificate expiration, automatically periodically accessing a plurality of computing nodes in a computing system for certificate expiration of a certificate of the plurality of computing nodes. The automatically periodically accessing is provided by a central management tool of the computing system. Automatically determining the certificate of the plurality of computing nodes has an impending certificate expiration by the central management tool of said computing system. In response to the determining, automatically generating an alert, by the central management tool, that indicates the impending certificate expiration of the certificate.

Abstract: In a computer-implemented method for automated provisioning a certificate in a computing system a certificate signing request is accessed from a computing node by a centralized management tool of the computing system. The certificate signing request is provided to a certificate authority by the centralized management tool. A signed certificate is accessed from the certificate authority for the computing node. The signed certificate is provided to the computing node, by the centralized management tool, such that there is automated provisioning of the signed certificate at the computing node to establish trust of the computing node in the computing system.

Abstract: A file descriptor data structure is configured as a hierarchy of tables. File descriptors are stored as entries in tables that are at the bottom of the hierarchy. When a request to add a file descriptor is received and there are no more entries remaining in the file descriptor tables, the file descriptor data structure is extended by obtaining a lock on a variable containing a maximum number of file descriptors, adding the file descriptor to a new file descriptor table, updating entries in existing upper level tables of the hierarchy so that they point to the new file descriptor table, updating the variable containing the maximum number of file descriptors, and releasing the lock.

Abstract: A hypervisor exchange, e.g., an upgrade, can include consolidating resident virtual machines into a single host virtual machine, exchanging an old hypervisor with a new (upgraded) hypervisor, and disassociating the virtual resident virtual machines by migrating them to the new hypervisor. The consolidating can involve migrating the resident virtual machines from the old hypervisor to a guest hypervisor on the host virtual machine. The exchange can involve: 1) suspending the host virtual machine before the exchange; and 2) resuming the host virtual machine after the exchange; or migrating the host virtual machine from a partition including the old hypervisor to a partition hosting the new hypervisor. Either way, an exchange (upgrade) is achieve without requiring a bandwidth consuming migration over a network to a standby machine.

Abstract: An “old” hypervisor is upgraded to or otherwise replaced by a “new” hypervisor without migrating virtual machines to a standby computer. The old hypervisor partitions the computer that it controls between a source partition and a target partition. The hypervisor and its virtual machines initially run on the source partition, while a new hypervisor is installed on the target partition. The virtual machines are migrated to the new hypervisor without physically moving the in-memory virtual-machine data. Instead, the old hypervisor sends memory pointers, and the new hypervisor claims the respective memory locations storing the virtual-machine data. After all virtual machines are migrated, the old hypervisor bequeaths the hypervisor memory and a last processor that the old hypervisor requires to run. The new hypervisor claims the bequeathed processor and hypervisor memory after the old hypervisor terminates to complete the upgrade/exchange.

Abstract: In a process for hot-swapping operating systems, an original operating system (OS) instance is executing on and controlling hardware of a computer. The original OS instance generates updated launch code that defines a division of the hardware into a source logical partition and a target logical partition. The original OS instance quiesces processes hardware of the target logical partition so that the original OS instance and an application running thereon are contained by the source logical partition. The original OS instance launches the updated OS instance so that it executes on the target logical partition. The application is moved from the source logical partition to the target logical partition. The original OS instance terminates. The updated OS instance claims hardware freed by the termination.

Abstract: A computer system mechanism is provided that restricts execution of binaries, such as applications, kernel modules, shared libraries, on the computing system to only those that have been installed by an approved mechanism. The approved mechanism acts as a single entry point on the computing for installing new binaries. Any change in file content or metadata taints an executable file and prevents execution by the kernel. Files copied over and not installed via, the approved mechanism will not be executed.

Abstract: The approaches described herein implement execution of a user space operation from a kernel context. A thread, executing on a computing device, initializes a second kernel stack based on a first kernel stack. The computing device executes an operating system having a user space and a kernel space. The thread, executing in kernel space, performs a non-blocking call (e.g., an upcall) to execute an upcall function in user space, such as filtering input/output (I/O) requests. The upcall function may further call other user space functions or system calls. The system calls are performed using the second kernel stack. Upon termination of the upcall function, the thread continues execution on the first kernel stack in kernel space. For example, the thread handles the filtered I/O commands.

Abstract: The approaches described herein implement synchronous execution of a user space operation from a kernel context. A thread, executing on a computing device, initializes a second kernel stack based on a first kernel stack. The computing device executes an operating system having a user space and a kernel space. The thread, executing in kernel space, performs a non-blocking call (e.g., an upcall) to execute an upcall function in user space. The upcall function may further call other user space functions or system calls. The system calls are performed using the second kernel stack. Upon termination of the upcall function, the thread continues execution on the first kernel stack.

Abstract: A computer system mechanism is provided that restricts execution of binaries, such as applications, kernel modules, shared libraries, on the computing system to only those that have been installed by an approved mechanism. The approved mechanism acts as a single entry point on the computing for installing new binaries. Any change in file content or metadata taints an executable file and prevents execution by the kernel. Files copied over and not installed via, the approved mechanism will not be executed.

Abstract: A trusted virtualization platform protects sensitive customer data during operation of virtual machines in a multi-tenant cloud computing center. The trusted virtualization platform limits administrator access to the data and state of the virtual machines running thereon, reports any changes made thereto, and requires keys provided by the customer or a trusted third party of the customer to perform management operations on the virtual machines. By requiring cloud computing centers to use such trusted virtualization platforms, customers uploading their virtual machines into the cloud computing center can be assured that cloud administrators will not be able to access or tamper with their private data. Furthermore, customers can directly audit all important state or configuration changes for their virtual machines as the trusted virtualization platform can be configured to report all such changes according to a security policy set by the customer.

Abstract: A trusted virtualization platform protects sensitive customer data during operation of virtual machines in a multi-tenant cloud computing center. The trusted virtualization platform limits administrator access to the data and state of the virtual machines running thereon, reports any changes made thereto, and requires keys provided by the customer or a trusted third party of the customer to perform management operations on the virtual machines. By requiring cloud computing centers to use such trusted virtualization platforms, customers uploading their virtual machines into the cloud computing center can be assured that cloud administrators will not be able to access or tamper with their private data. Furthermore, customers can directly audit all important state or configuration changes for their virtual machines as the trusted virtualization platform can be configured to report all such changes according to a security policy set by the customer.