Abstract:
Re-purposing a computer from one operating system to another is both simplified and made less susceptible to error by moving original system firmware to a backup location and then installing both new firmware and the new operating system in one process. Because the original firmware is maintained and accessible, should the new firmware, for example, a BIOS, fail, the original firmware can be restored and the process restarted. To assist in the seamless change from one operating system to another, an inventory of computer assets may be used to built an installation program and removable memory for use in the upgrade.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    In a managed environment, for example, a corporate network, updating systems to a new version of an operating system or new version of an application is often accomplished by creating and copying an “image” of all the data on in a system disk. The image may be used to re-write all the data on a system disk of the target machine. Special remote management software may be used to support the replacement process, although, in many cases, the physical disk drive of the target system may be removed and installed in a host system to accomplish the upgrade. After the system disk is rewritten, it may be re-installed in the target system and rebooting using the newly installed software. 
         [0002]    However, to re-purpose a computer, e.g. change from one operating system to another, more may be required than just changing operating system software on a hard disk. Often, new firmware corresponding to a new operating system may be required for components with their own programming stored in separate non-volatile memories. For example, a basic input/output system (BIOS) and boot loader may be stored in a BIOS chip or option ROM may require changes or replacement. In addition, peripheral components such as an input/output (I/O) interface or removable disk player/burner may also require updates to perform optimally, or at all, with a new operating system. Orchestrating these steps even for an experienced computer management team can be a challenge. To further complicate matters, special software tools may be required to re-write firmware for some components, e.g. a DVD burner. These tools may only be required long enough to perform the update and are likely to be specific to a particular device manufacturer. For a professional the process is tedious. For an individual without special training, the process may be a roll of the dice, with the result of a misstep being a non-operational mix of old and new firmware and software. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    A process for reliably re-purposing a computer involves taking an inventory of a computer and preparing a custom installation program for coordinating both firmware and software installation. The installation program incorporates special firmware installation tools, if required, and performs all the steps required to both update firmware as required and install new software, such as an operating system. The installation program may also include test utilities to confirm successful progress through stages of the installation process. The installation program and all related components, e.g. firmware, software, and installation tools may be written to a removable memory, such as a universal serial bus removable drive. 
         [0004]    The removable memory may also include a boot program. The target computer may boot from the removable drive to provide a known environment supporting the remainder of the installation process. To provide the ability to recover from errors, a backup of current firmware is made prior to overwriting it with new firmware. If an error occurs, operation can be directed to the backup copy to allow restoration of the system. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an electronic device in the form of a computer suitable for converting from one system to another; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a method of preparing a memory for use in converting a device from one system to another; and 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of memory showing various data and executable programs. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0008]    Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this disclosure. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims. 
         [0009]    It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘______’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term by limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph. 
         [0010]    Much of the inventive functionality and many of the inventive principles are best implemented with or in software programs or instructions and integrated circuits (ICs) such as application specific ICs. It is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation. Therefore, in the interest of brevity and minimization of any risk of obscuring the principles and concepts in accordance to the present invention, further discussion of such software and ICs, if any, will be limited to the essentials with respect to the principles and concepts of the preferred embodiments. 
         [0011]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary system for implementing the claimed method and apparatus includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer  110 . Components shown in dashed outline are not technically part of the computer  110 , but are used to illustrate the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 . Components of computer  110  may include, but are not limited to, a processor  120 , a system memory  130 , a memory/graphics interface  121 , also known as a Northbridge chip, and an I/O interface  122 , also known as a Southbridge chip. The system memory  130  and a graphics processor  190  may be coupled to the memory/graphics interface  121 . A monitor  191  or other graphic output device may be coupled to the graphics processor  190 . 
         [0012]    A series of system busses may couple various system components including a high speed system bus  123  between the processor  120 , the memory/graphics interface  121  and the I/O interface  122 , a front-side bus  124  between the memory/graphics interface  121  and the system memory  130 , and an advanced graphics processing (AGP) bus  125  between the memory/graphics interface  121  and the graphics processor  190 . The system bus  123  may be any of several types of bus structures including, by way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus and Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus. As system architectures evolve, other bus architectures and chip sets may be used but often generally follow this pattern. For example, companies such as Intel and AMD support the Intel Hub Architecture (IHA) and the Hypertransport architecture, respectively. 
         [0013]    The computer  110  typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer  110  and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can accessed by computer  110 . 
         [0014]    The system memory  130  includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM)  131  and random access memory (RAM)  132 . The system ROM  131  may contain permanent system data  143 , such as identifying and manufacturing information. In some embodiments, a basic input/output system (BIOS) may also be stored in system ROM  131 . RAM  132  typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processor  120 . By way of example, and not limitation,  FIG. 1  illustrates operating system  134 , application programs  135 , other program modules  136 , and program data  137 . 
         [0015]    The I/O interface  122  may couple the system bus  123  with a number of other busses  126 ,  127  and  128  that couple a variety of internal and external devices to the computer  110 . A serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus  126  may connect to a basic input/output system (BIOS) memory  133  containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer  110 , such as during start-up. The BIOS memory  133  may be separate from other memory and is typically non-volatile. Along with the BIOS, a boot loader may be present in the BIOS memory  133 , or an associated option memory, that also supports the initial boot process. 
         [0016]    In some embodiments, a security module  129  may be incorporated to manage metering, billing, and enforcement of policies, such as ensuring certain programs are running. The security module  129  is discussed more below, especially with respect to  FIG. 2 . In various embodiments the security module  129  is coupled to the I/O interface  122  via the SPI bus  126 , the system bus  123 , or both. In some cases, where the processor architecture allows, a connection  181  between the security module  129  and the processor  120  may allow the security module  129  to use a hardware debug/test access port (not depicted) on the processor. Hardware debug ports exist in various brands of processors and allow direct read out of internal registers in the processor. In Intel processors, the hardware debug port is called a test access port (TAP) and in AMD processors, it is called a Hardware Debug Tool (HDT) debug port. The use of such ports by the security module  129  is discussed below. 
         [0017]    A super input/output chip  160  may be used to connect to a number of ‘legacy’ peripherals, such as floppy disk  153 , keyboard/mouse  162 , and printer  196 , as examples. The super I/O chip  160  may be connected to the I/O interface  121  with a low pin count (LPC) bus, in some embodiments. The super I/O chip  160  is widely available in the commercial marketplace. 
         [0018]    In one embodiment, bus  128  may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or a variation thereof, may be used to connect higher speed peripherals to the I/O interface  122 . A PCI bus may also be known as a Mezzanine bus. Variations of the PCI bus include the Peripheral Component Interconnect-Express (PCI-E) and the Peripheral Component Interconnect—Extended (PCI-X) busses, the former having a serial interface and the latter being a backward compatible parallel interface. In other embodiments, bus  128  may be an advanced technology attachment (ATA) bus, in the form of a serial ATA bus (SATA) or parallel ATA (PATA). 
         [0019]    The computer  110  may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,  FIG. 1  illustrates a hard disk drive  140  that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media. Removable media, such as a universal serial bus (USB) memory  152  or CD/DVD drive  156  may be connected to the PCI bus  128  directly or through an interface  150 . Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The USB memory  152  may contain an installation program and supporting firmware and software used in a re-purposing process described below. 
         [0020]    The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in  FIG. 1 , provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer  110 . In  FIG. 1 , for example, hard disk drive  140  is illustrated as storing operating system  144 , application programs  145 , other program modules  146 , and program data  147 . Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system  134 , application programs  135 , other program modules  136 , and program data  137 . Operating system  144 , application programs  145 , other program modules  146 , and program data  147  are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands and information into the computer  20  through input devices such as a mouse/keyboard  162  or other input device combination. Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit  120  through one of the I/O interface busses, such as the SPI  126 , the LPC  127 , or the PCI  128 , but other busses may be used. In some embodiments, other devices may be coupled to parallel ports, infrared interfaces, game ports, and the like (not depicted), via the super I/O chip  160 . 
         [0021]    The computer  110  may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer  180  via a network interface controller (NIC)  170 . The remote computer  180  may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer  110 . The logical connection between the NIC  170  and the remote computer  180  depicted in  FIG. 1  may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or both, but may also include other networks. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the Internet. 
         [0022]    In some embodiments, the network interface may use a modem (not depicted) when a broadband connection is not available or is not used. It will be appreciated that the network connection shown is exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  depicts a memory  202 , particularly a removable memory, showing memory contents suitable to support converting a device from one system to another. A boot program  204  may be used to support booting the target device. For example, during the initial boot phase, the boot program  204  in memory  202  may be selected as the boot source. Booting from the memory  202  may provide a stable, known environment for the process of re-purposing the computer. Additionally, using resources from the memory  202  helps to ensure that no computer resources are in use or locked when their associated memory locations are being updated, whether firmware or software. 
         [0024]    BIOS firmware  206  may be used to update BIOS memory  133 . Prior to overwriting an existing BIOS, such as the one in memory  133  of  FIG. 1 , the existing BIOS may be copied to a known location. For example, the copy may be made in the BIOS memory  133  itself, or may be copied to an unused area of memory  202 . Should an error occur during the installation of the new BIOS, an embedded controller (EC) may redirect boot activity to the original BIOS in the backup location. 
         [0025]    Similar to the BIOS firmware  206 , a boot loader firmware  208  may be stored on the memory  202  and used to update a corresponding existing boot loader on the computer. The existing boot loader may be copied as well, for use in case a subsequent error requires reverting to the original configuration. 
         [0026]    Device firmware  210  may be stored on the memory  202 . The device firmware  210  may be for a number of embedded devices or peripherals, such as a disk controller or optical disk burner. Because some devices have unique update procedures, a device firmware installer  212  may also be loaded on the memory  202  and executed during the conversion process. For example, a manufacturer-specific version of the device firmware installer  212  may poke certain memory locations in the device register stack as part of the update process. An installation program  216  may call the device firmware installer  212  and pass it parameters related to the device address and the address of the device firmware  210  as part of the conversion process. 
         [0027]    Operating system data  214  may include a full copy of an operating system to be used after completion of the conversion. For example, the conversion may be from a Linux environment to a Windows™ environment. 
         [0028]    The installation program  216  may be executed after booting to manage the process of confirming the current configuration, backing up the current firmware, overwriting the current firmware, and installing the new operating system. The installation program may also incorporate configuration settings, such as Internet connections, language, etc., for configuring the computer after booting into the new operating system. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  illustrates a method  300  of preparing a memory for use in converting a device, such as a computer, from one system to another. The memory may be similar to the memory described with respect to  FIG. 2 . At block  302 , an inventory of the computer assets may be taken. For example, an inventory tool may be downloaded onto the computer to determine what operating system (OS) is currently installed, what manufacturer and version BIOS is running, and the type and version level of firmware for any peripherals or support circuits. 
         [0030]    At block  304 , the results of the inventory may be used to assemble correct types and versions of OS, firmware, and firmware installers that may be required during the conversion process. 
         [0031]    At block  306 , an installation program may be generated or configured using the inventory of computer assets that encompasses the installation process for both the required new elements for the computer as well as any special installation programs or system requirements. For example, firmware for a particular BIOS may be installable by the installation program, whereas changing the firmware in an optical disk drive may require use of a custom installer. In the first instance, the installation program may be configured to directly install the new BIOS. In the second instance, the installation program may have to call the custom installer and pass it relevant parameters. 
         [0032]    At block  308 , after the required components have been assembled and the installation program generated or configured, each of these elements may be loaded onto the memory and appropriately marked and packaged, as needed. For example, an installation program, an operating system, and any required firmware may be stored on the memory. In one embodiment, the firmware may include a new BIOS for use in overwriting a target, existing, BIOS with the new BIOS. 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates a method  400  of performing a conversion of computer from one operating system to another. At block  402 , a memory, such as a the removable memory  202  described above with respect to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , may be coupled to the computer. In one embodiment, the coupling may be physical, for example, via a USB port. In other embodiments, a logical connection may be sufficient, as long as the connection can persist or be recovered after a boot cycle. 
         [0034]    At block  404 , the computer may boot from the memory  202 . This is not a requirement, but may simplify the conversion process for reasons discussed above. 
         [0035]    At block  406 , an installation program, such as installation program  216  may be executed. As described above, the installation program may be capable of orchestrating each aspect of the conversion process, from firmware upgrade and testing, to installation and configuration of a new operating system. 
         [0036]    At block  408 , the installation program may make a backup copy of each firmware element to be upgraded. If more than one firmware is involved, each may converted and tested together, each may be handled sequentially, or a combination of both may be performed. For example, a BIOS may be installed and tested first. After the BIOS is successfully installed, firmware for one or more peripherals may be upgraded in a batch, as requirements allow. The backup process may be to a fixed location and may the backup may be made to system non-volatile memory, such as hard disk drive  140 , free space at the location being upgraded, or on the memory  202 . Other firmware that may be backed up prior to overwriting may include a boot loader, an optical media controller, a disk manager, or a memory controller. 
         [0037]    At block  410 , the target firmware, e.g. a BIOS, may be overwritten with a new BIOS from the memory  202 . If no obvious errors occur during the write process, execution may continue at block  412 . 
         [0038]    At block  412 , testing of the new firmware may occur to ensure the new firmware meets certain criteria, for example, that a hash matches a known hash, or simply that the firmware operates as expected. Perhaps the simplest test is reboot the computer and see if it performs correctly. This can be a risky step when no recovery steps are in place. An incorrect, incompatible, or incorrectly installed BIOS can turn a computer into a brick, that is, render it completely non-functional. However, rebooting a computer in accordance with this disclosure take advantage of an embedded controller, or EC, that starts the BIOS in most conventional computers. 
         [0039]    After the EC starts the BIOS, errors can still be reported back to the EC. Should an error occur, the ‘no’ branch from block  412  may be taken to block  414 . The EC may then redirect execution to the backup BIOS, allowing both booting from a known good BIOS and subsequent investigation to determine the cause of the error. 
         [0040]    If the firmware passes the test and no errors are reported, the ‘yes’ branch from block  412  may be taken to block  416 . At block  416 , installation of software components, such as the new operating system and applications may be installed. Installation of these components is usually less at risk from errors because execution of the BIOS has been secured. 
         [0041]    At block  418 , the computer may be rebooted into the new operating system, and configuration for system characteristics like network connection, time zones, application configuration, etc. may take place. 
         [0042]    The ability for this process to essentially make converting a computer from one operating system to another operating system as simple as plugging in a removable memory and turning on the power is a significant improvement over the tedious and risky process of piecemeal upgrades to firmware and operating system that can leave a computer in an unknown and non-functional state. 
         [0043]    The ability for the process to recover from any point in the conversion process to a minimum level of known functionality provides an advantage to not only professional information technology personnel, but especially to the amateur of unknown skill and training who simply wants to re-purpose his or her computer and move on. 
         [0044]    Although the foregoing text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possibly embodiment of the invention because describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention. 
         [0045]    Thus, many modifications and variations may be made in the techniques and structures described and illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the methods and apparatus described herein are illustrative only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention.