Method for converting device tree data into ACPI data for edge device operating in a network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11263019-B2
Application number	US-201916521434-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2019
Priority date	Jul 24, 2019
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A method for generating boot tables for a device having access to device information. It is determined whether there exists at least one system boot table stored in a memory. If it is determined that a system boot table does not exist, the device information is retrieved, and the device information is converted to at least one boot table. The converting includes generating a first boot table by populating the first boot table with information of components of the device that have a correspondence to a computer system boot information standard. The generating also includes generating a second boot table for another component of the device that does not have a correspondence to the computer system boot information standard, by creating an entry in the second boot table that is populated with an identifier used to find a compatible component defined in the computer system boot standard.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating boot tables for a first device, the first device having access to device information that describes a relationship of one or more components of the first device, the method comprising:
determining, by a bootloader of system software installed on the first device, whether there exists at least one system boot table stored in a memory of the first device by firmware of the first device;
if it is determined by the bootloader that there does not exist at least one system boot table stored in the memory of the first device by the firmware, retrieving the device information from the first device by the bootloader; and
converting, by the bootloader, the device information to at least one system boot table, the converting comprising:
generating a first system boot table by populating the first system boot table with information associated with one of more components of the first device that have a one-to-one correspondence to a computer system boot information standard; and
generating a second system boot table for at least one other component of the first device that does not have a one-to-one correspondence to the computer system boot information standard, by creating an entry in the second system boot table that is populated with an identifier that is used to find a compatible component defined in the computer system boot standard.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first system boot table and the second system boot table are utilized by the system software executing on the first device to enable communications between the first device and a second device after booting of the first device has completed.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the entry created in the second system boot table is further populated with byte code that contains a property of said at least one other component of the first device.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein, during booting, the compatible component is determined based on the identifier and the property of said at least one other component of the first device.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second system boot table is generated to have another entry for another component of the first device that does not have a one-to-one correspondence to the computer system boot information standard, and wherein said another entry is populated with said identifier.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the computer system boot information standard comprises Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI).

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first device comprises a system-on-chip (SoC) device.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for causing a processor of a machine to perform a method of generating boot tables for a first device, the first device having access to device information that describes a relationship of one or more components of the first device, wherein the method comprises:
determining, by a bootloader of system software installed on the first device, whether there exists at least one system boot table stored in a memory of the first device by firmware of the first device;
if it is determined by the bootloader that there does not exist at least one system boot table stored in the memory of the first device by the firmware, retrieving the device information from the first device by the bootloader; and
converting the device information to at least one system boot table, the converting comprising:
generating a first system boot table by populating the first system boot table with information associated with one of more components of the first device that have a one-to-one correspondence to a computer system boot information standard; and
generating a second system boot table for at least one other component of the first device that does not have a one-to-one correspondence to the computer system boot information standard, by creating an entry in the second system boot table that is populated with an identifier that is used to find a compatible component defined in the computer system boot standard.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 , wherein the first system boot table and the second system boot table are utilized by the system software executing on the first device to enable communications between the first device and a second device after booting of the first device has completed.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 , wherein the entry created in the second system boot table is further populated with byte code that contains a property of said at least one other component of the first device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10 , wherein, during booting, the compatible component is determined based on the identifier and the property of said at least one other component of the first device.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 , wherein the second system boot table is generated to have another entry for another component of the first device that does not have a one-to-one correspondence to the computer system boot information standard, and wherein said another entry is populated with said identifier.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8 , wherein the computer system boot information standard comprises Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI).

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the first device comprises a system-on-chip (SoC) device.

15. A computer system, comprising:
a system memory which includes memory regions for storing a program and device information of a first device; and
the program configured to carry out the steps of:
determining, by a bootloader of system software installed on the first device, whether there exists at least one system boot table stored in the system memory by firmware of the first device;
if it is determined by the bootloader that there does not exist at least one system boot table stored in the system memory by the firmware, retrieving the device information from the first device by the bootloader; and

converting the device information to at least one system boot table, the converting comprising:
generating a first system boot table by populating the first system boot table with information associated with one of more components of the first device that have a one-to-one correspondence to a computer system boot information standard; and
generating a second system boot table for at least one other component of the first device that does not have a one-to-one correspondence to the computer system boot information standard, by creating an entry in the second system boot table that is populated with an identifier that is used to find a compatible component defined in the computer system boot standard.

16. The computer system according to claim 15 , wherein the first system boot table and the second system boot table are utilized by the system software executing on the first device to enable communications between the first device and a second device after booting of the first device has completed.

17. The computer system according to claim 15 , wherein the entry created in the second system boot table is further populated with byte code that contains a property of said at least one other component of the first device.

18. The computer system according to claim 17 , wherein, during booting, the compatible component is determined based on

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Warkentin Andrei
• Laplace Cyprien
• Li Ye
• Fainkichen Alexander
• Duchesne Regis

Classifications

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• G06F9/4401 Primary

  Bootstrapping (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F16/2282

  Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof · CPC title