Selective power management for pre-boot firmware updates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9996142-B2
Application number	US-201314915353-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2013
Priority date	Oct 31, 2013
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

Technologies for updating firmware in a pre-boot environment include a mobile computing device having a firmware environment and an operating system. In the pre-boot environment, the mobile computing device extracts a firmware update from a capsule previously generated by the operating system and determines a power consumption setting for a hardware component as a function of the firmware update. The mobile computing device configures the hardware component based on the power consumption setting and applies the firmware update in response to configuring the hardware component. The firmware update may include a firmware driver executable in the firmware environment. The hardware component may include a peripheral device or a device controller of the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device may determine a power policy as a function of the firmware update, and determine the power consumption setting as a function of the power policy. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile computing device for updating firmware in a pre-boot environment, the mobile computing device comprising:
a capsule management module to extract a firmware update from a capsule previously generated by an operating system of the mobile computing device;
a power management module to:
determine a power consumption setting for a hardware component of the mobile computing device as a function of the firmware update; and
reduce a power consumption of the hardware component relative to a fully operational state of the hardware component based on the power consumption setting; and

an update module to apply the firmware update in response to configuration of the hardware component based on the power consumption setting.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein to determine the power consumption setting comprises to:
determine a power policy of the mobile computing device as a function of the firmware update, the power policy to define power levels of a plurality of hardware components of the mobile computing device; and
determine the hardware component and the power consumption setting as a function of the power policy.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein:
to apply the firmware update comprises to apply the firmware update to another hardware component of the mobile computing device different from the hardware component.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein:
the capsule management module is further to extract a second firmware update from the capsule;
the power management module is further to:
determine a second power consumption setting for a second hardware component of the mobile computing device as a function of the second firmware update; and
configure the second hardware component based on the second power consumption setting; and

the update module is further to apply the second firmware update in response to configuration of the second hardware component based on the second power consumption setting.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 4 , wherein to determine the second power consumption setting comprises to:
determine a second power policy of the mobile computing device as a function of the second firmware update; and
determine the second hardware component and the second power consumption setting as a function of the second power policy.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 4 , wherein:
the second hardware component comprises the hardware component; and
the second power consumption setting is different from the power consumption setting.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-boot environment comprises the capsule management module, the power management module, and the update module.

8. A method for updating firmware of a mobile computing device in a pre-boot environment, the method comprising:
extracting, by the mobile computing device, a firmware update from a capsule previously generated by an operating system of the mobile computing device;
determining, by the mobile computing device, a power consumption setting for a hardware component of the mobile computing device as a function of the firmware update;
reducing, by the mobile computing device, a power consumption of the hardware component relative to a fully operational state of the hardware component based on the power consumption setting; and
applying, by the mobile computing device, the firmware update in response to configuring the hardware component based on the power consumption setting.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the power consumption setting comprises:
determining a power policy of the mobile computing device as a function of the firmware update, the power policy defining power levels of a plurality of hardware components of the mobile computing device; and
determining the hardware component and the power consumption setting as a function of the power policy.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
applying the firmware update comprises applying the firmware update to another hardware component of the mobile computing device different from the hardware component.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
extracting, by the mobile computing device, a second firmware update from the capsule;
determining, by the mobile computing device, a second power consumption setting for a second hardware component of the mobile computing device as a function of the second firmware update;
configuring, by the mobile computing device, the second hardware component based on the second power consumption setting; and
applying, by the mobile computing device, the second firmware update in response to configuring the second hardware component based on the second power consumption setting.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the second hardware component comprises the hardware component; and
the second power consumption setting is different from the power consumption setting.

13. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed cause a mobile computing device to:
extract a firmware update from a capsule previously generated by an operating system of the mobile computing device;
determine a power consumption setting for a hardware component of the mobile computing device as a function of the firmware update;
reduce a power consumption of the hardware component relative to a fully operational state of the hardware component based on the power consumption setting; and
apply the firmware update in response to configuring the hardware component based on the power consumption setting.

14. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein to determine the power consumption setting comprises to:
determine a power policy of the mobile computing device as a function of the firmware update, the power policy defining power levels of a plurality of hardware components of the mobile computing device; and
determine the hardware component and the power consumption setting as a function of the power policy.

15. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein:
to apply the firmware update comprises to apply the firmware update to another hardware component of the mobile computing device different from the hardware component.

16. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed cause the mobile computing device to:
extract a second firmware update from the capsule;
determine a second power consumption setting for a second hardware component of the mobile computing device as a function of the second firmware update;
configure the second hardware component based on the second power consumption setting; and
apply the second firmware update in response to configuring the second hardware component based on the second power consumption setting.

17. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein to determine the second power consumption setting comprises to:
determine a second power policy of the mobile computing device as a function of the second firmware update; and
determine the second hardware component and the second power consumption setting as a function of the second power policy.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 16 , wherein:
the second hardware component comprises the hardware component; and
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Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Bulusu Mallik
• Zimmer Vincent J
• Ganesan Krishna Kumar

Classifications

• G06F8/67

  Physics · mapped topic

• Y02B60/183

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G06F9/4411

  Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers · CPC title

• G06F8/665

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F1/3287 Primary

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title