Self-measuring nonvolatile memory device systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10176328-B2
Application number	US-201715401929-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2017
Priority date	Nov 20, 2014
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

One embodiment describes a computing system that includes a boot device. The boot device includes nonvolatile memory that stores startup routine instructions and a first pointer, in which the first pointer identifies a first one or more memory addresses in the nonvolatile memory where at least a portion of the startup routine instructions are stored, and a microcontroller that retrieves the startup routine instructions from the nonvolatile memory using the first pointer and determines whether the startup routine instructions are corrupted before executing any portion of the startup routine instructions. The computing system further includes a central processor communicatively coupled to the boot device, in which the central processor executes the startup routine instructions to initialize the computing system when the microcontroller determines that the startup routine instructions are not corrupted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium that stores instructions executable by one or more processors of a computing system, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to:
update, using the one or more processors, startup routine instructions stored in nonvolatile memory of a boot device;
determine, using the one or more processors, a first pointer update instruction that instructs the boot device to update a first pointer to identify at least a first portion of the startup routine instructions in the nonvolatile memory after the startup routine instructions are updated;
determine, using the one or more processors, a first signature by performing a cryptographic hash on the first pointer update instruction; and
communicate, using the one or more processors, the first signature along with the first pointer update instruction to the boot device to enable the boot device to update the first pointer only after the boot device verifies the first pointer update instruction based at least in part on the first signature.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to update the startup routine instructions comprise instructions to:
fix a bug in the startup routine instructions;
adjust functionality provided by executing the startup routine instructions; or
both.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to determine the first pointer update instruction comprises instructions to:
determine a starting memory address in the nonvolatile memory where the first portion of the startup routine instructions is stored;
determine number of contiguous memory address in the nonvolatile memory used to store the first portion of the startup routine instructions; and
determine the first pointer update instruction to instruct the boot device to:
adjust an address parameter of the first pointer based at least in part on the starting memory address;
adjust a size parameter of the first pointer based at least in part on the number of contiguous memory addresses; or
both.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , comprising instructions to:
determine, using the one or more processors, a second pointer update instruction that instructs the boot device to update a second pointer to identify a second portion of the startup routine instructions in the nonvolatile memory after the startup routine instructions are updated;
determine, using the one or more processors, a second signature by performing the cryptographic hash on the second pointer update instruction; and
communicate, using the one or more processors, the second signature along with the second pointer update instruction to the boot device to enable the boot device to update the second pointer only after the boot device verifies the second pointer update instruction based at least in part on the second signature.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , comprising instructions to:
determine, using the one or more processors, a start pointer update instruction that instructs the boot device to initialize pointer updating;
determine, using the one or more processors, a second signature by performing the cryptographic hash on the start pointer update instruction; and
communicate, using the one or more processors, the second signature along with the start pointer update instruction to the boot device before the first pointer update instruction to enable the boot device to update the first pointer only after the boot device verifies the start pointer update instruction based at least in part on the second signature.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 , comprising instructions to:
determine, using the one or more processors, a finish pointer update instruction that instructs the boot device to finalize pointer updating;
determine, using the one or more processors, a second signature by performing the cryptographic hash on the finish pointer update instruction; and
communicate, using the one or more processors, the second signature along with the finish pointer update instruction to the boot device after the first pointer update instruction to enable the boot device to restore the first pointer to a previous version when the boot device is unable to verify the finish pointer update based at least in part on the second signature.

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Dover Lance Walker

Classifications

• G06F9/4406

  Loading of operating system · CPC title

• G06F21/575 Primary

  Secure boot · CPC title

• H04L9/3236

  using cryptographic hash functions · CPC title

• H04L9/3247

  involving digital signatures · CPC title

• G06F2221/034

  Test or assess a computer or a system · CPC title