Embedded controller based NVMe key management service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12450071-B2
Application number	US-202418421137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2024
Priority date	Jan 24, 2024
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A firmware management operation. The firmware management operation includes providing an information handling system with a distributed BIOS, the distributed BIOS including a BIOS component and a BIOS variable; identifying a processor environment installed on an information handling system from a plurality of processor environments; performing a firmware key management operation, the firmware key management operation managing a key when performing a distributed firmware management operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implementable method for performing a firmware management operation, comprising:
providing an information handling system with a distributed BIOS, the distributed BIOS including a BIOS component and a BIOS variable;
identifying a processor environment installed on an information handling system from a plurality of processor environments;
performing a firmware key management operation, the firmware key management operation managing a key when performing a distributed firmware management operation; and wherein
the firmware key management operation uses a replay protected memory block service to enable secure read and write operations with an associated boot partition; and,
the replay protected memory block service enables write protection of the associated boot partition during operating system runtime.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the firmware key management operation manages a BIOS key.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the information handing system includes an embedded controller; and,
the embedded controller is implemented to provide a root of trust function when performing the firmware key management operation.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the embedded controller stores the key; and,
the embedded controller communicates with a non-volatile memory using the key.

5. A system comprising:
a processor;
a data bus coupled to the processor; and
a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium being coupled to the data bus, the computer program code interacting with a plurality of computer operations and comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for:
providing an information handling system with a distributed BIOS, the distributed BIOS including a BIOS component and a BIOS variable;
identifying a processor environment installed on an information handling system from a plurality of processor environments;
performing a firmware key management operation, the firmware key management operation managing a key when performing a distributed firmware management operation; and wherein
the firmware key management operation uses a replay protected memory block service to enable secure read and write operations with an associated boot partition; and,
the replay protected memory block service enables write protection of the associated boot partition during operating system runtime.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the firmware key management operation manages a BIOS key.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the information handing system includes an embedded controller; and,
the embedded controller is implemented to provide a root of trust function when performing the firmware key management operation.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein:
the embedded controller stores the key; and,
the embedded controller communicates with a non-volatile memory using the key.

9. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for:
providing an information handling system with a distributed BIOS, the distributed BIOS including a BIOS component and a BIOS variable;
identifying a processor environment installed on an information handling system from a plurality of processor environments;
performing a firmware key management operation, the firmware key management operation managing a key when performing a distributed firmware management operation; and wherein
the firmware key management operation uses a replay protected memory block service to enable secure read and write operations with an associated boot partition; and,
the replay protected memory block service enables write protection of the associated boot partition during operating system runtime.

10. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the firmware key management operation manages a BIOS key.

11. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the information handing system includes an embedded controller; and,
the embedded controller is implemented to provide a root of trust function when performing the firmware key management operation.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein:
the embedded controller stores the key; and,
the embedded controller communicates with a non-volatile memory using the key.

13. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the computer executable instructions are deployable to a client system from a server system at a remote location.

14. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein:
the computer executable instructions are provided by a service provider to a user on an on-demand basis.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Moorthy Gowtham
• Suryanarayana Shekar Babu
• Kumar Ranjan

Classifications

• G06F9/4401 Primary

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