Patent ID: 7577860

Claim:
A method of managing processor, i.e., processor component, power using a generic processor driver BIOS interface, the method comprising: (a) storing processor objects each associated with a type of processor, the processor objects including data that describes processor power management policies of the associated type of processor, the processor objects containing a control mask field and a control value field; (b) identifying a processor component; (c) selecting the processor object associated with the identified processor component; (d) loading a generic processor driver; and (e) in response to a power management event: (i) calculating a desired state of the processor component; (ii) reading control value data for the desired state of the processor component from the control value field in the selected processor object; (iii) reading control mask data from the control mask field in the selected processor object; and (iv) passing the control mask data and control value data to the generic processor driver.