Patent ID: 8777738

Claim:
An electronic gaming machine comprising: an input device configured to receive an indication of value for play of a wager-based game in which one or more game outcomes can be provided responsive to a wager; an output device configured to output an indication of value in association with play of the wager-based game; a display configured to display data associated with the wager-based game; a network interface configured to communicate with a remote host; one or more processors configured to: detect whether a primary portable storage device is in communication with the electronic gaming machine, the primary portable storage device configured to store a boot image, the boot image including: boot code having instructions for execution by the one or more processors when the electronic gaming machine is powered up, an operating system having software instructions for managing hardware and executing software applications at the electronic gaming machine, the operating system being approved by a regulatory gaming authority, and a framework application configured to search for local and external storage devices to locate and execute a pluggable module according to instructions provided by the pluggable module, the framework application including instructions configured to: identify one or more portable storage devices other than the primary portable storage device, wherein the one or more storage devices is configured to store one or more pluggable modules, wherein the one or more pluggable modules includes instructions for at least one of installing software on the electronic gaming machine, executing a diagnostic on the electronic gaming machine, and executing a verification check of the content on the electronic gaming machine; determine whether at least one of the one or more pluggable modules includes a signature, the signature indicating that a pluggable module is operable within the framework application and approved by the regulatory gaming authority, and execute the at least one pluggable module according to instructions provided by the at least one pluggable module when it is determined that the at least one pluggable module includes the signature; and the one or more processors further configured to: determine whether the boot image is a signed image, the signed image being required by the regulatory gaming authority to establish a chain of trust, execute the framework application on the primary portable storage device when it is determined that the boot image is a signed image, locate a secondary storage device of the one or more portable storage devices, the secondary storage device having a plurality of pluggable modules stored thereon, present a user a listing of the plurality of pluggable modules on the display, and execute, at the gaming machine, a pluggable module selected by the user from the listing.