CPU stepping and processor firmware matching mechanism
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorGeorge Thangadurai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for validating a processor firmware (“PF”) are disclosed. In one embodiment, at least one version of Processor Firmware (“PF”) is identified. After identification, the PF is compared with a version of PF that is required by a processor, to determine whether the PF is compatible with the processor. If the version of PF is incompatible with the version of PF required by the processor, the current execution is suspended and a new version of PF is obtained. When the new version of PF is received, the system is initialized.
Claims24
A method for validating processor firmware (“PF”) comprising:
- identifying at least one version of PF;
- identifying at least one version of PF required by at least one processor;
- comparing the version of PF with the version of PF required by the processor to determine whether the PF is compatible with the processor;
- suspending current execution when the PF is incompatible with the processor;
- obtaining a new version of PF;
- and
- initializing the system in response to the new version of PF.
A processing system comprising:
- a processor;
- a memory, coupled to the processor, having stored therein a processor firmware (“PF”) and a system firmware (“SF”), when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform:
- identifying at least one version of PF;
- identifying at least one version of PF required by at least one processor;
- comparing the version of PF with the minimal version of PF required by the processor to determine whether the version of PF is compatible with the processor;
- suspending current execution when the version of PF is incompatible with the minimal version of PF required by the processor;
- obtaining a new version of PF;
- initializing the system in response to the new version of PF;
- and
- issuing a message of failure to find a compatible version of PF when a compatible version of PF is not found.
An article of manufacture for use in a digital processing system for storing a processor firmware (“PF”) layer, the article of manufacture comprising a machine readable medium having machine readable program code embodied in the medium, the program code comprising:
- identifying at least one version of PF;
- identifying at least one version of PF required by at least one processor;
- comparing the version of PF with the minimal version of PF required by the processor to determine whether the version of PF is compatible with the processor;
- suspending current execution when the version of PF is incompatible with the minimal version of PF required by the processor;
- obtaining a new version of PF;
- initializing the system in response to the new version of PF;
- and
- issuing a notice of failure to find a compatible version of PF when a compatible version of PF is not found.
An apparatus for validating processor;
- firmware (“PF”) comprising:
- means for identifying at least one version of PF;
- means for identifying at least one version of PF required by at least one processor;
- means for comparing the version of PF with the minimal version of PF required by the processor to determine whether the version of PF is compatible with the processor;
- means for suspending current execution when the version of PF is incompatible with the minimal version of PF required by the processor;
- means for obtaining a new version of PF;
- means for initializing the system in response to the new version of PF;
- and
- means for issuing a notification of failure to find a compatible version of PF when a compatible version of PF is not found.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.