# US 11,907,071 B2 · Storage failover protocol for secure and seamless extended firmware load > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,907,071 B2 - Document ID: US11907071B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/739,687 - Filed: 2022-05-09 - Published: 2023-11-09 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-05-09 - Assignees: Dell Products L.P. - Applicants: Dell Products L.P. - Inventors: Shekar Babu Suryanarayana; Karunakar Poosapalli - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11907071B2 ## CPC - G06F 11/1417: {Boot up procedures} - G06F 9/4401: Bootstrapping (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) - G06F 9/4416: {Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]} - G06F 21/572: {Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]} - G06F 2201/805: Real-time - G06F 2221/033: Test or assess software - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An information handling system may include a processor and first non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored thereon a basic input/output system (BIOS) core comprising BIOS core firmware sufficient to execute features of a BIOS of the information handling system to a particular portion of BIOS execution and an extension agent. The extension agent may be configured to identify and enumerate a firmware volume of a second non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored thereon a BIOS extension comprising BIOS extension firmware for executing completion of BIOS execution from the particular portion of BIOS execution and in response to unavailability of the firmware volume of the second non-transitory computer-readable media, failover to and recover the BIOS extension from extended firmware information stored on a networked storage resource communicatively coupled to the information handling system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information handling system comprising: a processor; and first non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored thereon a basic input/output system (BIOS) core comprising: BIOS core firmware sufficient to execute features of a BIOS of the information handling system to a particular portion of BIOS execution, wherein the particular portion of BIOS execution includes a security (SEC) phase and a pre-extensible firmware interface (PEI) phase; and an extension agent configured to: identify and enumerate a firmware volume of a second non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored thereon a BIOS extension comprising BIOS extension firmware for executing completion of BIOS execution from the particular portion of BIOS execution, wherein completion of the BIOS includes a executing driver execution environment (DXE) phase; and in response to unavailability of the firmware volume of the second non-transitory computer-readable media, failover to and recover the BIOS extension from extended firmware information stored on a networked storage resource communicatively coupled to the information handling system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the extension agent is further configured to verify that the extended firmware information stored on the networked storage resource is trusted. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the first non-transitory computer-readable media is integral to a System Peripheral Interface flash storage device. ### Claim 4 A method comprising, in an information handling system comprising a processor and first non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored thereon a basic input/output system (BIOS) core comprising BIOS core firmware sufficient to execute features of a BIOS of the information handling system to a particular portion of BIOS execution, wherein the particular portion of BIOS execution includes a security (SEC) phase and a pre-extensible firmware interface (PEI) phase: identifying and enumerating, with an extension agent embodied on the first non-transitory computer-readable media, a firmware volume of a second non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored thereon a BIOS extension comprising BIOS extension firmware for executing completion of BIOS execution from the particular portion of BIOS execution, wherein executing completion of the BIOS includes a driver execution environment (DXE) phase; and in response to unavailability of the firmware volume of the second non-transitory computer-readable media, failing over to and recovering from, with the extension agent, the BIOS extension from extended firmware information stored on a networked storage resource communicatively coupled to the information handling system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising verifying, with the extension agent, that the extended firmware information stored on the networked storage resource is trusted. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the first non-transitory computer-readable media is integral to a System Peripheral Interface flash storage device. ### Claim 7 An article of manufacture comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and computer-executable instructions carried on the computer-readable medium, the instructions readable by a processor, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the processor to, in an information handling system comprising first non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored thereon a basic input/output system (BIOS) core comprising BIOS core firmware sufficient to execute features of a BIOS of the information handling system to a particular portion of BIOS execution, wherein the particular portion of BIOS execution includes a security (SEC) phase and a pre-extensible firmware interface (PEI) phase: identify and enumerate, with an extension agent embodied on the first non-transitory computer-readable media, a firmware volume of a second non-transitory computer-readable media communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored thereon a BIOS extension comprising BIOS extension firmware for executing completion of BIOS execution from the particular portion of BIOS execution, wherein executing completion of the BIOS includes a driver execution environment (DXE) phase; and in response to unavailability of the firmware volume of the second non-transitory computer-readable media, failover to and recover from, with the extension agent, the BIOS extension from extended firmware information stored on a networked storage resource communicatively coupled to the information handling system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The article of claim 7, the instructions for further causing the process to verify, with the extension agent, that the extended firmware information stored on the networked storage resource is trusted. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The article of claim 7, wherein the first non-transitory computer-readable media is integral to a System Peripheral Interface flash storage device.