Hardware and Software Association and Authentication
AssigneeCavium, Inc.
InventorsRichard E. Kessler, Muhammad Raghib Hussain, Ethan Frederick Robbins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Authentication and association of hardware and software is accomplished by loading a secure code from an external memory at startup time and authenticating the program code using an authentication key. Access to full hardware and software functionality may be obtained upon authentication of the secure code. However, if the authentication of the secure code fails, an unsecure code that provides limited functionality to hardware and software resources is executed.
Claims66
A method for authenticating and associating a secure code with an equipment, the method comprising:
- loading the secure code from an external memory at startup time;
- and
- authenticating the secure code using an authentication key associated with the equipment and in an event authentication of the secure code fails, executing an unsecure code.
An apparatus for authenticating and associating a secure code with an equipment, the apparatus comprising:
- a loader that loads the secure code from an external memory at startup time;
- and
- an authenticator that authenticates the secure code using an authentication key associated with the equipment and in an event authentication of the secure code fails, executes an unsecure code.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.