Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture to perform a pseudo-S3 protocol to update firmware and/or activate new firmware with a warm reset are disclosed. An example apparatus includes an advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) to: initiate a pseudo-sleep event in response to identifying a firmware update; and assert a power button event, the power button event to cause an operating system (OS) to prepare to enter into a sleep state; a basic input/output system (BIOS) to: initiate a warm reset in response to the OS preparing to enter the sleep state, the warm reset to update firmware according to the firmware update; and transmit a wake vector to the OS to continue operation.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for seamless system management mode (SMM) code injection. A code injection listener is installed in BIOS during booting of the computer system or platform. During operating system (OS) runtime operation a secure execution mode code injection image comprising injected code is received and delivered to the BIOS. The processor execution mode is switched to a secure execution mode such as SMM, and while in the secure execution mode the injected code is accessed and executed on the processor to effect one or more changes such as patching processor microcode, a profile or policy reconfiguration, and a security fix. The solution enables platform changes to be effected during OS runtime without having to reboot the system.

Abstract: Mechanisms for Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chaining and unified FPGA views to a composed system hosts and associated methods, apparatus, systems and software A rack is populated with pooled system drawers including pooled compute drawers and pooled FPGA drawers communicatively coupled via input-output (IO) cables. The FPGA resources in the pooled system drawers are enumerated, identifying a location of type of each FPGA and whether it is a chainable FPGA. Intra-drawer chaining mechanisms are identified for the chainable FPGAs in each pooled compute and pooled FPGA drawer. Inter-drawer chaining mechanism are also identified for chaining FPGAs in separate pooled system drawers. The enumerated FPGA and chaining mechanism data is aggregated to generate a unified system view of the FPGA resources and their chaining mechanisms. Based on available compute nodes and FPGAs in the unified system view, new compute nodes are composed using chained FPGAs.

Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms for a processor to efficiently identify a circuit resource as being a source of data poisoning. In an embodiment, metadata is communicated, in association with a communication of poisoned data to which the metadata pertains, to a first circuit block of a processor. The metadata indicates a poisoned state of the data, wherein the metadata identifies a second circuit block—which is included in or coupled to the processor—as being a poisoner of the data. Based on the metadata, the first circuit block generates a fault message which identifies the second circuit block as the poisoner of the data. In another embodiment, the processor further comprises the second circuit block, which poisons the data (based on the detection of an error condition) by providing in the metadata a unique identifier which is assigned to the second circuit block.

Abstract: Mechanisms for Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chaining and unified FPGA views to a composed system hosts and associated methods, apparatus, systems and software A rack is populated with pooled system drawers including pooled compute drawers and pooled FPGA drawers communicatively coupled via input-output (IO) cables. The FPGA resources in the pooled system drawers are enumerated, identifying a location of type of each FPGA and whether it is a chainable FPGA. Intra-drawer chaining mechanisms are identified for the chainable FPGAs in each pooled compute and pooled FPGA drawer. Inter-drawer chaining mechanism are also identified for chaining FPGAs in separate pooled system drawers. The enumerated FPGA and chaining mechanism data is aggregated to generate a unified system view of the FPGA resources and their chaining mechanisms. Based on available compute nodes and FPGAs in the unified system view, new compute nodes are composed using chained FPGAs.

Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms for a processor to efficiently identify a circuit resource as being a source of data poisoning. In an embodiment, metadata is communicated, in association with a communication of poisoned data to which the metadata pertains, to a first circuit block of a processor. The metadata indicates a poisoned state of the data, wherein the metadata identifies a second circuit block—which is included in or coupled to the processor—as being a poisoner of the data. Based on the metadata, the first circuit block generates a fault message which identifies the second circuit block as the poisoner of the data. In another embodiment, the processor further comprises the second circuit block, which poisons the data (based on the detection of an error condition) by providing in the metadata a unique identifier which is assigned to the second circuit block.

Abstract: Technologies for lifecycle management include multiple computing devices in communication with a lifecycle management server. On boot, a computing device loads a lightweight firmware boot environment. The lightweight firmware boot environment connects to the lifecycle management server and downloads one or more firmware images for controllers of the computing device. The controllers may include baseboard management controllers, network interface controllers, solid-state drive controllers, or other controllers. The lifecycle management server may select firmware images and/or versions of firmware images based on the controllers or the computing device. The computing device installs each firmware image to a controller memory device coupled to a controller, and in use, each controller accesses the firmware image in the controller memory device. The controller memory device may be a DRAM device or a high-performance byte-addressable non-volatile memory. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for accessing a non-volatile memory (NVM) device in a computer system that includes at least one host processor and at least one memory bus. The NVM device is communicably coupleable to the memory bus through an NVM device controller, thereby allowing the host processor to access persistent data storable within the NVM device by issuing one or more memory load/store commands to the NVM device controller over the memory bus. Because the NVM device controller includes at least one block window or aperture that defines at least one address range for accessing the persistent data storable within the NVM device, the computer system can exploit the full capacity of the NVM device without being unduly constrained by physical addressing limits imposed by the host processor, or by limits imposed by an operating system executed by the host processor.

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: Apparatus, systems, and methods to implement a secure data partition in memory systems are described. In one example, a controller comprises logic to receive, in a system management mode mailbox, a memory partition creation request from a system management mode interface, wherein the memory partition creation request comprises at least one characteristic of a memory partition, authenticate the partition creation request and create a memory partition in a memory coupled to the controller in accordance with the at least one characteristic. Other examples are also disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a computing device may include a control unit. The control unit may acquire a request from a central processing unit (CPU), contained in the computing device, that may be executing a basic input/output system (BIOS) associated with the computing device. The request may include a request for a value that may represent a maximum authorized storage size for a storage contained in the computing device. The control unit may generate the value and send the value to the CPU. The CPU may generate a system address map based on the value. The CPU may send the system address map to the control unit which may acquire the system address map and configure an address decoder, contained in the computing device, based on the acquired system address map.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a computing device may include a control unit. The control unit may acquire a request from a central processing unit (CPU), contained in the computing device, that may be executing a basic input/output system (BIOS) associated with the computing device. The request may include a request for a value that may represent a maximum authorized storage size for a storage contained in the computing device. The control unit may generate the value and send the value to the CPU. The CPU may generate a system address map based on the value. The CPU may send the system address map to the control unit which may acquire the system address map and configure an address decoder, contained in the computing device, based on the acquired system address map.

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: Multiple initialization techniques for system and component in a point-to-point architecture are discussed. Consequently, the techniques allow for flexible system/socket layer parameters to be tailored to the needs of the platform, such as, desktop, mobile, small server, large server, etc., as well as the component types such as IA32/IPF processors, memory controllers, IO Hubs, etc. Furthermore, the techniques facilitate powering up with the correct set of POC values, hence, it avoids multiple warm resets and improves boot time. In one embodiment, registers to hold new values, such as, Configuration Values Driven during Reset (CVDR), and Configuration Values Captured during Reset (CVCR) may be eliminated. For example, the POC values could be from the following: Platform Input Clock to Core Clock Ratio, Enable/disable LT, Configurable Restart, Burn In Initialization Mode, Disable Hyper Threading, System BSP Socket Indication, and Platform Topology Index.

Abstract: A method is described in which, in response to notice of a configuration event yet to happen within a network that is part of a link-based computing system, a component within said link based computing system: a) identifies networking configuration information changes to be made by components within the link-based computing system; and, b) sends instances of program code to each one of the components. Each instance of program code is to be executed by a specific component that it was sent to. Each instance of program code is customized to implement the particular one or more networking configuration information changes to be made at the specific component it was sent to.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for dynamically discovering a topology of a system having a plurality of point-to-point (PTP) links via a routine that communicates a link exchanged parameter with at least one component coupled to a system bootstrap processor (SBSP), sets a minimal set of routing infrastructure information based on the communication, and determines presence of a neighboring component to a target component based on a communication from the SBSP to the target component using the minimal set of routing infrastructure information. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Various embodiments described herein include one or more of systems, methods, firmware, and software to synchronize system information between processors during system boot in a links-based multi-processor system. Some embodiments synchronize data block by block through memory rather than piece by piece through registers by allowing a System Bootstrap Processor (“SBSP”) to directly access synchronization data in local memory of each of one or more Application Processors. These and other embodiments are described in greater detail below.

Abstract: Multiple initialization techniques for system and component in a point-to-point architecture are discussed. Consequently, the techniques allow for flexible system/socket layer parameters to be tailored to the needs of the platform, such as, desktop, mobile, small server, large server, etc., as well as the component types such as IA32/IPF processors, memory controllers, IO Hubs, etc. Furthermore, the techniques facilitate powering up with the correct set of POC values, hence, it avoids multiple warm resets and improves boot time. In one embodiment, registers to hold new values, such as, Configuration Values Driven during Reset (CVDR), and Configuration Values Captured during Reset (CVCR) may be eliminated. For example, the POC values could be from the following: Platform Input Clock to Core Clock Ratio, Enable/disable LT, Configurable Restart, Burn In Initialization Mode, Disable Hyper Threading, System BSP Socket Indication, and Platform Topology Index.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to change a configuration of a processor system are disclosed. An example disclosed method calculates system configuration data during a non-quiesce state of a processing system, stores information based on the calculated system configuration data in a data buffer during the non-quiesce state of the processing system, and extracts information from the data buffer to update the configuration of the processing system while the processing system is in a quiesce state.

Abstract: Multiple initialization techniques for system and component in a point-to-point architecture are discussed. Consequently, the techniques allow for flexible system/socket layer parameters to be tailored to the needs of the platform, such as, desktop, mobile, small server, large server, etc., as well as the component types such as IA32/IPF processors, memory controllers, IO Hubs, etc. Furthermore, the techniques facilitate powering up with the correct set of POC values, hence, it avoids multiple warm resets and improves boot time. In one embodiment, registers to hold new values, such as, Configuration Values Driven during Reset (CVDR), and Configuration Values Captured during Reset (CVCR) may be eliminated. For example, the POC values could be from the following: Platform Input Clock to Core Clock Ratio, Enable/disable LT, Configurable Restart, Burn In Initialization Mode, Disable Hyper Threading, System BSP Socket Indication, and Platform Topology Index.