Device recovery using activation of bios recovery image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12468602-B2
Application number	US-202318122998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2023
Priority date	Mar 17, 2023
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

Techniques are provided for device recovery using activation of a basic input/output system (BIOS) recovery image. One method comprises receiving an activation signal to initiate a recovery of a BIOS; obtaining, responsive to the activation signal, a BIOS recovery image from a recovery chip; updating a BIOS chip comprising the BIOS using the obtained BIOS recovery image; and initiating a boot process using the updated at least one BIOS chip. The activation signal may be received in response to a user physically activating a BIOS recovery activator (e.g., during an execution of a boot process). The activation signal may be received during an execution of a boot process for the at least one processing device and/or responsive to a failure occurring during the boot process for the at least one processing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
receiving an activation signal to initiate a recovery of a basic input/output system (BIOS) of a given processing device, wherein the activation signal is received in response to a user activating a BIOS recovery activator; obtaining, responsive to the activation signal, a BIOS recovery image from a recovery chip physically within the given processing device; updating, by a BIOS recovery system, at least one BIOS chip comprising the BIOS of the given processing device using the obtained BIOS recovery image, wherein a one-way circuit between the recovery chip and the BIOS recovery system prevents the BIOS recovery image from being modified on the recovery chip, and wherein the one-way circuit comprises a one-way diode; and initiating a boot process of the given processing device using the updated at least one BIOS chip; wherein the method is performed by the at least one processing device, wherein the at least one processing device comprises a processor coupled to a memory.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the activation signal is received in response to a user physically activating the BIOS recovery activator.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the activation signal is received from the user responsive to the user physically activating the BIOS recovery activator during an execution of a boot process for the given processing device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the BIOS recovery image is stored on the recovery chip in an immutable manner.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the BIOS recovery image is stored on the recovery chip at a time of manufacture of at least one motherboard comprising the at least one BIOS chip.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the activation signal is received one or more of during an execution of a boot process for the given processing device and responsive to a failure occurring during the boot process for the given processing device.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the updating the at least one BIOS chip using the BIOS recovery image is only performed in a direction from the recovery chip to the at least one BIOS chip.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, prior to receiving the activation signal, the at least one BIOS chip comprises a production version of the BIOS and wherein the recovery chip comprises a BIOS recovery image corresponding to a manufacturing version of the BIOS.

9 . An apparatus comprising:
at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory; the at least one processing device being configured to implement the following steps: receiving an activation signal to initiate a recovery of a basic input/output system (BIOS) of a given processing device, wherein the activation signal is received in response to a user activating a BIOS recovery activator; obtaining, responsive to the activation signal, a BIOS recovery image from a recovery chip physically within the given processing device; updating, by a BIOS recovery system, at least one BIOS chip comprising the BIOS of the given processing device using the obtained BIOS recovery image, wherein a one-way circuit between the recovery chip and the BIOS recovery system prevents the BIOS recovery image from being modified on the recovery chip, and wherein the one-way circuit comprises a one-way diode; and initiating a boot process of the given processing device using the updated at least one BIOS chip.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the activation signal is received in response to a user physically activating the BIOS recovery activator.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the BIOS recovery image is stored on the recovery chip at a time of manufacture of at least one motherboard comprising the at least one BIOS chip.

12 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the activation signal is received one or more of during an execution of a boot process for the given processing device and responsive to a failure occurring during the boot process for the given processing device.

13 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the updating the at least one BIOS chip using the BIOS recovery image is only performed in a direction from the recovery chip to the at least one BIOS chip.

14 . A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs,
wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device causes the at least one processing device to perform the following steps: receiving an activation signal to initiate a recovery of a basic input/output system (BIOS) of a given processing device, wherein the activation signal is received in response to a user activating a BIOS recovery activator; obtaining, responsive to the activation signal, a BIOS recovery image from a recovery chip physically within the given processing device; updating, by a BIOS recovery system, at least one BIOS chip comprising the BIOS of the given processing device using the obtained BIOS recovery image, wherein a one-way circuit between the recovery chip and the BIOS recovery system prevents the BIOS recovery image from being modified on the recovery chip, and wherein the one-way circuit comprises a one-way diode; and initiating a boot process of the given processing device using the updated at least one BIOS chip.

15 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the activation signal is received in response to a user physically activating the BIOS recovery activator.

16 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the BIOS recovery image is stored on the recovery chip in an immutable manner.

17 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the BIOS recovery image is stored on the recovery chip in an immutable manner.

18 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the BIOS recovery image is stored on the recovery chip at a time of manufacture of at least one motherboard comprising the at least one BIOS chip.

19 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the activation signal is received one or more of during an execution of a boot process for the given processing device and responsive to a failure occurring during the boot process for the given processing device.

20 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the updating the at least one BIOS chip using the BIOS recovery image is only performed in a direction from the recovery chip to the at least one BIOS chip.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Shachar Tomer
• Buchman Ophir
• Gehtman Yevgeni

Classifications

• G06F21/572

  Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS] · CPC title

• G06F8/654 Primary

  using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories · CPC title

• G06F11/1417 Primary

  Boot up procedures · CPC title

• G06F11/1433

  during software upgrading · CPC title