TW202028969A - Method of generating bios-change record - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of generating a bios-change record is provided. The method includes a BMC of a computer storing BIOS setting parameters in a previous value field of a bios change record table, a processor of the computer determining whether the BIOS setting parameters is being changed, the processor setting a flag to a first data format and the BMC storing the changed BIOS setting parameters in a current value field of the bios change record table when the BIOS setting parameters being changed, the computer being reset after the changed BIOS setting parameters being stored, the BMC determining whether the flag is the first data format after the computer being reset, and the BMC comparing the current value field and the previous value field when the flag being the first data format, and the BMC storing a difference between the current value field and the previous value field in the bios change record table when the contents of the current value field being different from the contents of the previous value field.

Description

Method of generating BIOS change record

The invention relates to a method for generating BIOS change records.

Generally speaking, in the design phase or use phase of an electronic system, the parameters set by the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) are often modified for specific purposes. If the electronic system does not have the modification history record of the BIOS setting, after the BIOS setting parameters are modified, the user will face many difficulties when using the electronic system. For example, it will take a lot of time for the user to restore the BIOS settings to the parameter settings before the modification, or it is difficult for the user to analyze the effects or impacts of previous BIOS setting modifications.

Furthermore, the electronic system is usually tested jointly by different units during the development and testing process, such as the testing department and the R&D department. If the testing department modifies the BIOS settings and causes serious problems such as electronic system crashes, the R&D department must do the testing. Perform debugging, but the R&D department has no way of knowing the modification of the BIOS setting made by the testing department. The modification may be related to a series of repeated tests, which will make it difficult to debug.

Therefore, if the electronic system does not have a history record of the BIOS settings, it will cause great inconvenience no matter in the design phase or the use phase of the electronic system.

In view of this, the present invention provides a method for generating BIOS change records.

A method for generating BIOS change records includes: a baseboard management controller of a computer device stores the setting value of at least one BIOS setting option through a previous value field of a BIOS change record data table, wherein the aforementioned BIOS change record data table It also includes a current value field; a processor of the computer device detects whether the setting value of at least one BIOS setting option has been changed; when the processor detects that the setting value of at least one BIOS setting option has been changed, the processor will flag The label is set to a first data format, and the baseboard management controller writes the changed value to the current value field. The computer device resets after the changed value is written; after the computer device is reset, the baseboard management controller reads Fetch the flag and determine whether the flag is the first data format; when the baseboard management controller determines that the flag is the first data format, the baseboard management controller compares the contents of the current value field with the previous value field; and when When the baseboard management controller compares the content of the current value field and the previous value field to be different, the baseboard management controller writes the difference between the current value field and the previous value field into the BIOS change record data table.

In summary, according to an embodiment of the method for generating BIOS change records in this case, the change record data corresponding to the modification history of BIOS settings can be generated, such as the modified BIOS parameter name, original parameter value before modification, and after modification The change value and time stamp, and the BIOS change record data can be displayed from the BIOS setting menu or the network user interface, which allows the user to quickly learn the modification content of the BIOS setting, and the user can efficiently analyze the BIOS setting modification The effect or influence of, or efficiently restore the BIOS settings to the settings at a specific time point to improve the efficiency of debugging computer devices. Furthermore, if the electronic system is jointly tested by different units, such as the aforementioned testing department and R&D department, the R&D department can learn in detail the changes of each BIOS setting during the modification process through the BIOS change record data. Converge the problem to shorten the time to solve the error, and then speed up the test and development of the product.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a computer device implementing a method for recording a BIOS change according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A, the computer device 400 includes a processor 401, a baseboard management controller 402, and a memory unit 403. The baseboard management controller 402 is coupled between the processor 401 and the memory unit 403.

In an embodiment, the processor 401 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a system-on-chip (SOC) composed of a central processing unit and a platform path controller (PCH), and the memory unit 403 may be non-volatile Memory, such as electronically erasable rewritable read-only memory (EEPROM). In addition, FIG. 1A is only for illustration. As shown in another embodiment of FIG. 1B, the memory unit 403 can also be the internal memory of the baseboard management controller 402, and the memory unit 403 is not connected to the external device. The baseboard management controller 402 is limited.

Generally speaking, the computer device 400 includes multiple BIOS setting options. The user can modify the BIOS setting options in the setup menu when the computer device 400 is running, so that the processor 401 operates according to the settings of the BIOS setting options, and According to the corresponding control signal. Based on this, corresponding to the setting value of the BIOS setting option, as shown in FIG. 2, the memory unit 403 stores a BIOS change record data table 100. The BIOS change record data table 100 includes a previous value field 103 and a previous value field 103 The setting value corresponding to each BIOS setting option is recorded. Taking FIG. 2 as an example, the first row in the previous value field 103 stores the setting value corresponding to one of the BIOS setting options (for convenience of description, hereinafter referred to as the first BIOS setting option) as "0x01". In addition, the BIOS change record data table 100 further includes a current value field 104. When the setting value of the BIOS setting option of the computer device 400 is changed, for example, the user of the computer device 400 changes the setting value of the BIOS setting option, and the baseboard management controller 402 can write a changed value after the change into the current value field 104, and generate a BIOS change record based on the contents of the previous value field 103 and the current value field 104.

In detail, please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3 in combination. The flowchart illustrated in FIG. 3 is based on the previous value field 103 that has stored the BIOS setting option setting values when the computer device 400 is operating. When the computer device 400 is operating, the processor 401 detects the setting value of the BIOS setting option (step S01), and determines whether the setting value of the BIOS setting option is changed (step S02). For example, when the user changes the aforementioned setting value corresponding to the first BIOS setting option of "0x01" to the changed value of "0x00", the processor 401 determines that the setting value of the first BIOS setting option has been changed (determine The result is "Yes"). Therefore, after the processor 401 determines that the setting value of any BIOS setting option is changed, the processor 401 sets a flag to have a corresponding preset data format. Taking the different first data format and the second data format indicating that the setting value of the BIOS setting option is changed or not changed as an example, the processor 401 sets the flag to the aforementioned preset first data format (step S03). In addition, the processor 401 notifies the baseboard management controller 402 to access the BIOS change record data table 100, and the baseboard management controller 402 writes the changed value after the BIOS setting option is changed into the current value field 104 (step S04). Taking the above-mentioned setting value of "0x01" changed to "0x00" as an example, the baseboard management controller 402 will write the changed value of "0x00" into the current value field 104, as shown in Figure 2 The first row of field 104.

After the changed value is written into the current value field 104, the computing device 400 is reset (step S05). The baseboard management controller 402 reads the flag in the boot process after the computer device 400 is reset, and determines whether the flag is the aforementioned first data format or second data format (step S06). When the baseboard management controller 402 determines that the flag system is in the first data format (the judgment result is "Yes"), it indicates that the setting value of the BIOS setting option has changed. At this time, the baseboard management controller 402 further compares the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 and determine whether the contents of the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 are different (step S07), when the baseboard management controller 402 determines that the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 When the content is different (the judgment result is "Yes"), the baseboard management controller 402 writes the difference between the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 into the BIOS change record data table 100, and the baseboard management controller 402 can write The above-mentioned difference is written into any field of the BIOS change record data table 100, such as the change record data fields 203 and 204 shown in FIG. 4.

Taking the aforementioned baseboard management controller 402 to compare the first row of the current value field 104 with the previous value field 103 based on the first BIOS setting option as an example, the baseboard management controller 402 can determine that "0x01" is different from "0x00" When determining the first BIOS setting option change, the baseboard management controller 402 can record the difference between the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103, that is, "0x01" and "0x00" in the change record data. In the fields 203 and 204.

Based on this, the baseboard management controller 402 can generate BIOS change record data for the "modified BIOS setting option" in the BIOS setting, so that the user can quickly learn the modified content of the BIOS setting, and the user can analyze the modified BIOS setting. The effect or influence produced to improve the efficiency of debugging the computer device 400.

In one embodiment, when the processor 401 determines in step S02 that the setting value of the BIOS setting option has been changed and the computer device 400 is reset, the processor 401 further executes step S06 in the boot process after the computer device 400 is reset. Determine whether the flag is the first data format. If the judgment result of the processor 401 is "Yes", it means that the setting value of the BIOS setting option has been changed before the computer device 400 is reset. At this time, the processor 401 uses the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) during the boot process. ; IPMI) sends the smart platform management interface command to the baseboard management controller 402, causing the baseboard management controller 402 to execute step S06 according to the smart platform management interface command to determine whether the flag is the first data format or the second data format to determine whether Compare the current value field 104 with the previous value field 103 (step S07).

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the BIOS change record data table 100 further includes a BIOS option index field 101 and a BIOS option name field 102. The BIOS option field 101 contains the index values used to indicate all the BIOS configuration options of the computer device 400. Taking four index values as an example, the BIOS option index field 101 can contain "0x00", "0x01", and "0x02" "And "0x03" index value. The BIOS option name field 102 contains the BIOS option names of all BIOS setting options, and the BIOS option names correspond to the aforementioned index values one-to-one. Taking four BIOS option names as an example, the BIOS option name field 102 can include the BIOS option names of "Quiet Boot", "PCIe Hot Plug" and "FRB2 Timer", and "BMC Support", and the names of the BIOS options are Respectively one-to-one corresponding to the index values of "0x00", "0x01", "0x02" and "0x03". Based on the BIOS option index field 101 and the BIOS option name field 102, when the baseboard management controller 402 determines in step S07 that the contents of the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 are not exactly the same, the baseboard management controller 402 In step S08, the BIOS option names corresponding to the differences can be further written into the BIOS change record data table 100. For example, in the aforementioned first BIOS configuration option, it is determined that the current value field 104 is the setting value of "0x01" When the change value is different from the previous value field 103 which is "0x00", the BIOS option name corresponding to "Quiet Boot" is written into the change record data field in the BIOS change record table 100 shown in Figure 4 202.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the BIOS change record data table 100 further includes a time field 201. When the baseboard management controller 402 determines in step S07 that the contents of the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 are different, The baseboard management controller 402 can further write the time stamp T1 of the comparison time into the time field 201. Therefore, based on the change record data field 202 and the time field 201, the user can more accurately analyze the historical modification content of the BIOS settings according to the fields 201-204 to debug the computer device 400.

In one embodiment, after the baseboard management controller 402 writes the difference between the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 into the BIOS change record data table 100, the baseboard management controller 402 sets the current value of the difference The content of the field 104 is written into the previous value field 103 (step S09), so that the content of the current value field 104 of the difference overwrites the original content in the previous value field 103. 2 and 5 at the same time, taking the aforementioned first BIOS setting option as an example, the baseboard management controller 402 writes the content "0x00" in the first row of the current value field 104 into the previous value field 103 The first column overwrites the original "0x01". In this way, the baseboard management controller 402 can further compare the contents of the current value field 104 to determine whether the BIOS setting option is based on the changed value "0x00" in the previous value field 103 after the change in the subsequent boot process change.

In one embodiment, before the processor 401 sets the flag to have the first data format (step S03), the flag can be preset to have the second data format. When the processor 401 determines the setting of the BIOS setting option in step S02 After the value is changed, the processor 401 sets the flag to change from the second data format to the first data format. Here, after the baseboard management controller 402 writes the content of the current value field 104 into the previous value field 103 in step S09, the baseboard management controller 402 further sets the flag to restore the flag from the first data format to The default second data format (step S10) indicates that the baseboard management controller 402 has completed the update of the BIOS change record table 100, and that the baseboard management controller 402 will not be based on the The wrong flag is used to compare the current value field 104 with the previous value field 103, causing an additional comparison action. In one embodiment, the aforementioned first data format can be logical "1", and the second data format can be logical "0".

In one embodiment, if the user does not change the BIOS setup option in the boot menu but chooses to save the BIOS setup option and exit the boot menu, the processor 401 will determine in step S02 that the setting value of the BIOS setup option has been changed (determination result Yes), and the processor 401 executes step S03 to set the flag to have the first data format. Here, the baseboard management controller 402 will determine that the flag is the first data format in step S06, but in step S07, the baseboard management controller 402 will determine the contents of the previous value field 103 and the current value field 104 Exactly the same, because the user has not changed the BIOS setting options. At this time, the baseboard management controller 402 does not execute steps S08 and S09, that is, the baseboard management controller 402 will not update the BIOS change record data table 100, and the baseboard management controller 402 will set the flag so that the flag is from the first data The format is restored to the default second data format (step S10) to avoid additional comparison actions caused by comparing the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 based on the wrong flag in the subsequent boot process.

In one embodiment, after the baseboard management controller 402 writes the difference between the current value field 104 and the previous value field 103 into the BIOS change record data table 100 in step S08, the baseboard management controller 402 can use a BIOS The setup menu or a web user interface (WebUI) displays the fields 201-204 included in the BIOS change record data table 100, making it easier for users to obtain the BIOS change record data.

Among them, it is worth noting that Figure 2 is only used to illustrate the correspondence between the data in the fields 101-104, and the correspondence between the data in the fields 101-104 is correct. The order of the fields 101-104 can be arranged in any order, and is not used to impose any limitation on this embodiment. Furthermore, in the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 3, the processor 401 executes steps S01-S03 and S06 by executing the BIOS program, and the baseboard management controller 402 executes steps S04- by executing its firmware program. S10.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned flag may be stored in a non-volatile memory unit connected to the processor 401, that is, after the processor 401 executes step S02 to determine that the setting value of the BIOS setting option has been changed, in step In S03, the processor 401 accesses the connected non-volatile memory unit to set the flag as the first data format. In addition, in step S06 after the computer device 400 is reset, the processor 401 reads the aforementioned non-volatile memory unit connected to it to read the flag to determine whether to send the smart platform management interface command. If the processor 401 reads the non-volatile memory unit connected to it and determines that the flag is the first data format, the processor 401 sends a smart platform management interface command to the baseboard management controller 402, causing the baseboard management controller 402 to follow the wisdom The platform management interface commands to read the non-volatile memory unit connected to the processor 401 to read the flag to determine whether to compare the current value field 104 with the previous value field 103 (step S07). Further, after the baseboard management controller 402 writes the content of the current value field 104 into the previous value field 103 (step S09), the baseboard management controller 402 accesses the non-volatile memory connected to the processor 401 in step S10 The body unit uses the setting flag as the default second data format.

In another embodiment, the aforementioned flag can also be stored in a non-volatile memory unit connected to the baseboard management controller 402, that is, the processor 401 is accessed by the baseboard management controller 402 in step S03. (Access) The non-volatile memory unit connected to the baseboard management controller 402 to set the flag as the first data format by the baseboard management controller 402. In addition, in step S06 after the computer device 400 is reset, the processor 401 reads the aforementioned non-volatile memory unit connected to the baseboard management controller 402 through the baseboard management controller 402 to read the flag and then Decide whether to send instructions from the smart platform management interface. If the processor 401 reads the non-volatile memory unit connected to the baseboard management controller 402 and determines that the flag is the first data format, the processor 401 sends a smart platform management interface command to the baseboard management controller 402, causing the baseboard management The controller 402 reads the non-volatile memory unit connected to the smart platform management interface command to read the flag to determine whether to compare the current value field 104 with the previous value field 103 (step S07). Furthermore, the baseboard management controller 402 accesses the non-volatile memory unit connected to it in step S10 to set the flag as the preset second data format.

In summary, according to an embodiment of the method for generating BIOS change records in this case, it is possible to generate change record data corresponding to the modification history of BIOS settings, such as modified BIOS parameter names, original parameter values before modification, and after modification The change value and time stamp, and the BIOS change record data can be displayed from the BIOS setting menu or the network user interface, which allows the user to quickly learn the modification content of the BIOS setting, and the user can efficiently analyze the BIOS setting modification The effect or influence of, or efficiently restore the BIOS settings to the settings at a specific time point to improve the efficiency of debugging computer devices. Furthermore, if the electronic system is jointly tested by different units, such as the aforementioned testing department and R&D department, the R&D department can learn in detail the changes of each BIOS setting during the modification process through the BIOS change record data. Converge the problem to shorten the time to solve the error, and then speed up the test and development of the product.

Although this case has been disclosed in the above example, it is not used to limit the case. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the case. Therefore, the protection of this case The scope shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

100: BIOS change record data table 101: BIOS option index field 102: BIOS option name field 103: Previous value field 104: Current value field T1: Timestamp 201: Time field 202: Change record data field 203: Change record data field 204: Change record data field 400: computer device 401: processor 402: baseboard management controller 403: memory unit S01-S10: steps

[FIG. 1A] is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer device for implementing the BIOS change recording method according to the present invention. [FIG. 1B] is a block diagram of another embodiment of the computer device for implementing the BIOS change recording method according to the present invention. [Figure 2] is a schematic diagram of a BIOS change record data table according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] is a flowchart of an embodiment of the BIOS change recording method according to the present invention. [Fig. 4] is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of other fields of the BIOS change record table in Fig. 2. [Figure 5] is a schematic diagram of an implementation aspect of the BIOS change record table in Figure 2.

400: computer device

401: processor

402: baseboard management controller

403: memory unit

Claims (10)

A method for generating BIOS change records, including: A baseboard management controller of a computer device stores the setting value of at least one BIOS setting option through a previous value field of a BIOS change record data table, wherein the BIOS change record data table further includes a current value field; A processor of the computer device detects whether the setting value of the at least one BIOS setting option is changed; When the processor detects that the setting value of the at least one BIOS setting option has been changed, the processor sets a flag to a first data format, and the baseboard management controller changes the at least one BIOS setting option A change value of is written into the current value field, and the computer device is reset after the change value is written; After the computer device is reset, the baseboard management controller reads the flag and determines whether the flag is in the first data format; When the baseboard management controller determines that the flag is the first data format, the baseboard management controller compares the content of the current value field with the previous value field; and When the baseboard management controller compares the content of the current value field and the previous value field to be different, the baseboard management controller writes the difference between the current value field and the previous value field BIOS change record data sheet. The method for generating a BIOS change record as described in claim 1, further comprising: after the baseboard management controller writes the difference between the current value field and the previous value field into the BIOS change record data table, the The baseboard management controller writes the content of the current value field into the previous value field. The method for generating a BIOS change record as described in claim 2, further comprising: after the baseboard management controller writes the content of the current value field into the previous value field, the baseboard management controller self-writes the flag The first data format is set as a preset second data format, and the second data format is different from the first data format. The method for generating a BIOS change record according to claim 1, wherein the baseboard management controller compares the values stored in the current value field with the previous value field at a point in time, and the baseboard management controller will In the step of writing the difference between the current value field and the previous value field into the BIOS change record data table, the baseboard management controller further writes the time point into the BIOS change record data table. The method for generating a BIOS change record according to claim 1, wherein the step of the baseboard management controller reading the flag and determining whether the flag is the first data format includes: The processor determines whether the flag is the first data format after the computer device is reset, and if the flag is the first data format, the processor sends a smart platform management interface command; and The baseboard management controller reads the flag according to the smart platform management interface command and determines whether the flag is the first data format. The method for generating a BIOS change record according to claim 1, wherein the baseboard management controller writes the difference between the current value field and the previous value field into the BIOS change record data table in the step, the baseboard The management controller further writes the BIOS parameter setting name of the BIOS setting option corresponding to the difference between the current value field and the previous value field into the BIOS change record data table. In the method for generating a BIOS change record as described in claim 1, in the step in which the processor detects that the setting value of the at least one BIOS setting option has been changed, the setting value of the at least one BIOS setting option is detected by the processor Before detecting that the setting value of the at least one BIOS setting option has been changed, it is completely the same after the processor detects that the setting value of the at least one BIOS setting option has been changed. The method for generating a BIOS change record as described in claim 7, further comprising: when the baseboard management controller compares the contents of the current value field and the previous value field according to the flag in the first data format, And compare the contents of the current value field and the previous value field to be exactly the same, the baseboard management controller sets the flag from the first data format to a preset second data format, and the baseboard The management controller does not update the BIOS change record data table, wherein the second data format is different from the first data format. The method for generating a BIOS change record according to any one of claim items 1 to 8, wherein the BIOS change record data table is stored in the baseboard management controller. The method for generating a BIOS change record as described in claim 9, further comprising: after the baseboard management controller writes the difference between the current value field and the previous value field into the BIOS change record data table, the The baseboard management controller displays the BIOS change record data table through a BIOS setting menu or a network user interface.

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