Data exchange between a runtime environment and a computer firmware in a multi-processor computing system

A method for exchanging data between a runtime environment application program and a firmware program executing in a system management mode (SMM) on a computer system having two or more processors, the method comprising:

• storing, by way of the application program, an input parameter for the firmware program in a register of a first of the two or more processors;
• initiating an SMI by writing to a system management interrupt (SMI) port, by way of the application program, a function identifier that identifies the firmware program as a handler of the SMI;
• in response to the initiation of the SMI, executing a SMM dispatcher program in the SMM to save the contents of one or more registers for each of the processors;
• identifying, by way of the SMM dispatcher program, the processor that generated the SMI by searching the saved contents of the registers for the data identifying the first processor as generating the SMI;
• providing, by way of the SMM dispatcher program, a table that includes the saved contents of the registers for each of the processors, data identifying the first processor as generating the SMI, and a GUID;
• and
• searching the table, by way of a SMM handler program executing within the SMM, to obtain the input parameter.

A method for exchanging data between a runtime environment application program and a firmware program executing in a system management mode (SMM) on a computer system having two or more processors, the method comprising:

• storing an input parameter for the firmware program in a register of a first one of the processors;
• specifying the firmware program as a handler for a system management interrupt (SMI) and generating a SMI by way of the first processor;
• in response to the SMI, identifying from within a firmware environment the processor that generated the SMI by searching saved data containing the stored contents of one or more registers of the processors for the identifying data;
• in response to locating the identifying data, installing a table in the SMM comprising data identifying the processor that generated the SMI, the contents of the registers of the processors, and a globally unique identifier (GUID);
• calling the firmware program;
• locating the table utilizing the GUID;
• searching the contents of the registers of the processors included in the table for the input parameter;
• and
• utilizing the input parameter to perform a function by way of the firmware program.