Apparatus and method for providing one time programmable memory features in a hypervisor of a computing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021342092-A1
Application number	US-201817266901-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 8, 2018
Priority date	Aug 8, 2018
Publication date	Nov 4, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus that includes a processor and a memory. The processor and the memory are configured to provide a first software process configured to execute at a first privilege level; and a second software process configured to execute at a second privilege level, wherein the first privilege level is more restrictive than the second privilege level. The processor is configured to, initialize, at the first privilege level, a memory pool within the memory, allocate, at the first privilege level, a block of memory, send a request to write protect the block of memory to the second software process, and to write protect, at the second privilege level, the allocated block of memory.

First claim

1 - 13 . (canceled)

14 . An electronic device, comprising:
a non-transitory memory comprising instructions; and a processor coupled to the non-transitory memory, the instructions being executed by the processor to cause the electronic device to: provide a first software process configured to execute at a first privilege level; provide a second software process configured to execute at a second privilege level, wherein the first privilege level is more restrictive than the second privilege level; initialize, at the first privilege level, a memory pool within the memory; allocate, at the first privilege level, a block of memory; send a request to write protect the block of memory to the second software process; and write protect, at the second privilege level, the allocated block of memory.

15 . The electronic device of claim 14 , the instructions further cause the electronic device to:
receive within the first software process a memory allocation request, wherein the memory allocation request is sent by a software application, and wherein the software application is executing at the first privilege level or at a privilege level that is more restrictive than the first privilege level.

16 . The electronic device of claim 14 , the instructions further cause the electronic device to:
receive within the first process a request to write data to the allocated block of memory; and write, at the first privilege level, the data to the allocated block of memory.

17 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the first software process comprises a kernel, the second software process comprises a hypervisor, and the instructions further cause the electronic device to:
execute the kernel at the first privilege level and execute the hypervisor at the second privilege level.

18 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the first software process comprises a kernel, the second software process comprises a secure execution environment, and the instructions further cause the electronic device to:
execute the kernel at the first privilege level and execute the secure execution environment at the second privilege level.

19 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the electronic device comprises a mobile communication device.

20 . A method comprising:
executing a first software process at a first privilege level and a second software process at a second privilege level; initializing, at the first privilege level, a memory pool; allocating, at the first privilege level, a block of memory; and write protecting, at the second privilege level, the block of memory, wherein the first privilege level is more restrictive than the second privilege level.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving within the first software process a memory allocation request from a third software process, wherein the third software process is executing at the first privilege level or at a privilege level that is more restrictive than the first privilege level.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving within the first software process a request to write data to the allocated block of memory; and writing, at the first privilege level, the data to the allocated block of memory.

23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the first process comprises a kernel, and the second process comprises a hypervisor.

24 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the first software process comprises a kernel, and the second software process comprises a secure execution environment.

25 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the method is performed within a mobile communication device.

26 . A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:
executing a first software process at a first privilege level and a second software process at a second privilege level; initializing, at the first privilege level, a memory pool; allocating, at the first privilege level, a block of memory; and write protecting, at the second privilege level, the block of memory, wherein the first privilege level is more restrictive than the second privilege level.

27 . The computer program product of claim 26 , the computer program product further comprises computer instructions for:
receiving within the first software process a memory allocation request from a third software process, wherein the third software process is executing at the first privilege level or at a privilege level that is more restrictive than the first privilege level.

28 . The computer program product of claim 26 , the computer program product further comprises computer instructions for:
receiving within the first software process a request to write data to the allocated block of memory; and writing, at the first privilege level, the data to the allocated block of memory.

29 . The computer program product of claim 26 , wherein the first process comprises a kernel, and the second process comprises a hypervisor.

30 . The computer program product of claim 26 , wherein the first software process comprises a kernel, and the second software process comprises a secure execution environment.

31 . The computer program product of claim 27 , wherein the first process comprises a kernel, and the second process comprises a hypervisor.

Assignees

• Liming Wu
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wu Liming
• Wang Kui
• Denis-Courmont Rémi Robert Michel
• Stoppa Igor

Classifications

• G06F3/0604

  Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management · CPC title

• G06F12/1441 Primary

  for a range · CPC title

• G06F3/0673

  Single storage device · CPC title

• G06F21/31

  User authentication · CPC title

• G06F2212/152

  Virtualized environment, e.g. logically partitioned system · CPC title