Apparatus and method for loading bios from a diskette in a personal computer system

2 ~ 22 ~C-89-024 AN APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOADING BIOS FROM A DISKETTE IN A PERSONAL COMPUTER SYSTEM Field of the Invention This invention relates to personal computer systems and in particular to a method and device for loading BIOS from a diskette into a personal computer system.

Backaround Discussion Personal computer systems in general and IBM personal computers in particular have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. Personal computer systems can usually be defined as a desk top, floor standing, or portable microcomputer that consists of a system unit having a single system processor, a display monitor, a keyboard, one or more diskette drives, a fixed disk ~torage, and an optional printer. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the u~e of a motherboard or system planar to electrically connect these components together. These systems are de~igned primarily to give independent computing power to a single u~er and are inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or small businesse~. Examples of such per~onal computer systems are IBM~ PERSONAL COMP~TER AT~ and IBM PERSONAL SYSTEM/2~ Models 25, 30, 50, 60, 70 and 80 computer#.

These systems can be clascified into two general families. The first family, usually referred to as Family I Models, u~e a bus architecture exemplified by the IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER AT and other "IBM compatible'i machines. The second family, referred to as Family II Models, use the IBM MICROCHANNEL~ bus architecture exemplified by the IBM PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 50 through 80.

Beginning with the earliest personal computer system of the family I models, such as the IBM Per~onal Computer, it wa~ recognized that software compatibility would be of utmost importance. In order to achieve this goal, an in~ulation layer of system resident code, also called "mic-Locode", was establi~hed between the hardware -~C-89-024 2 ~ ~ 2 ~ and software. This code provided an operational interface between a user s application program/operating system to relieve the user of the concern about the characteristics of hardware devices. Eventually, the code developed into a BASIC input/output system tBIOS), for allowing new devices to be added to the system, while insulating the application program from the peculiarities of the hardware. The importance of BIOS was immediately evident because it freed a device driver from depending on specific device hardware characteristics while providing the device driver with an intermediate interface to the device. Since BIOS was an integral part of the system and controlled the movement of data in and out of the system processor, it was resident on the system planar and was shipped to the user in a read only memory (ROM). For example, BIOS in the original IBM Personal Computer occupied 8K of ROM resident on the planar board.

As new models of the personal computer family were introduced, BIOS had to be updated and expanded to include new hardware and I/O devices. As could be expected, BIOS started to increase in memory size. For example, with the introduction of the IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER AT Computer, BIOS grew to reguire 32K bytes of ROM.

Today, with the development of new technology, personal computer systems of the Family II models are growing even more sophisticated and are being made available to consumers more frequently. Since the technology i8 rapidly changing and new I/O devices are being added to the personal computer systems, modification to the BIOS ha~ become a significant problem in the development cycle of the personal computer system.

For instance, Wlth the introduction of the IBM Per~onal System/2 Computer with MICROCHANNEL archltecture, a significantly new BIOS, known as advanced BIOS, or ~BIOS, was developed. However, to maintain ~oftware compatibility, BIOS from the Family I models had to be included in the Family II models. The Family I BIOS became known as Compatibility BIOS or CBIOS.

E~owever, a~ previously explained with respect to the IBM -~-89-024 3 2~2~22 PERSONAL COMPUTER AT Computer, only 32K bytes of ROM were resident on the planar board. Fortunately, the system could be expanded to 96K bytes of ROM. Unfortunately, because of system constraints, this turned out to be the maximum capacity available for BIOS. Luckily, even with the addition of ABIOS, ABIOS and CBIOS could still squeeze into 96K of ROM. However, only a small percentage of the 96K ROM area remained available for expansion. With the addition of future I/O devices, CBIOS and ABIOS will eventually run out of ROM space.

Thus, new I/O technology will not be able to be easily integrated within CBIOS and ABIOS.

Due to these problems, plus the desire to make modification in Family II BIOS as late as possible in the development cycle, it became necessary to off load portions of BIOS from the ROM. To accomplish this, portions of BIOS were stored and loaded from a fixed disk. However, it quickly became evident that loading only from a fixed disk had some limitations. Mainly, if the disk became incapacitated, the system was unusable.

Also, updates to the system would lead to compatibility problems between BIOS and the new system configuration.

Therefore, a need exists for loading BIOS from a direct acces~ storage device other than the fixed disk. Also it is highly desireable to provide a priority and recovery mode for the diskette loaded BIOS. In the priority mode, BIOS is loaded immediately from diskette. In the recovery mode, BIOS is loaded from diskette only after failing to load from disk.

~ummarY of the Invention The pre~ent invention ha~ been developed for the purpose of alleviating the above mentioned problems.

Accordingly, the invention has a~ one of its objects an apparatus and method for storing and loading a portion of ~IOS from a dis~cette drive. Another objective of the pre~ent invention is to provide an apparatus and method for loading BIOS from a diskette drive in personal computer sys-tem which normally loads BIOS from a fixed dis]c drive.

,C-89-024 ~ 4 2~2~ 2 Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method which confirms the compatibility between BIOS stored on the diskette drive and the hardware configuration of the personal computer system.

The personal computer system according to the present invention comprises a system processor, a random access memory, a read only memory, a diskette drive, a switching means and normally a disk drive. The read only memory includes a first portion of BIOS which in operation, initializes the system and detects the state of the switching means electrically coupled to the system processor. If the switching means is in a priority position, a master boot record is immediately loaded from the diskette drive (priority mode) without testing for the fixed disk drive. If the switching means is in a recovery position the first portion of BIOS attempts to load the master boot record from the fixed disk. If the fixed disk is not available, non-operational, or the master boot record on the disk is invalid, the first portion of BIOS reads in the master boot record from the diskette drive (recovery mode).

Whether loaded from the fixed disk or diskette, the master boot record includes a data segment and an executable code segment. The data segment includes data representing sy6tem hardware and a system configuration which is compat~ble with the master boot record.

The fir~t BIOS portion transfers control to the executable code ~egment which confirms the master boot record is compatible with the sy~tem hardware by verifying that the data from the data segment of the master boot record agrees with data stored in the read only memory repre~enting the sy~tem processor, system planar, and planar I/O configuration.

If the master boot record is compatible with the ~y~tem hardware, the executable code segment confirms that the system configuration ha~ not changed and loads in the remaining BIOS portion from either the disk drive ~C-89-024 ~ 5 202~22 or the diskette drive into random access memory. The executable code segment then verifies the authenticity of the remaining BIOS portion and vectors the system processor to begin executing the remaining BIOS now in random access memory. BIOS executing in random access memory then boots up the operating system to begin operation of the personal computer system. The first portion of BIOS, being no longer addressable and superseded by the remaining portion of BIOS, is abandoned.

Broadly considered then, the apparatus and method for loading BIOS from diskette media includes a signal producing means, the first BIOS portion, the master boot record, signal responding means, and the remaining portion of BIOS. The signal producing means, such as the switching means, produces a signal representative of the mode for diskette loading. The signal responding means included within the first BIOS portion is responsive to the signal to determine if BIOS is loaded from diskette.

The first BIOS portion initializes the system and then, if necessary, initializes the diskette to effect the loading of the master boot record into random access memory. The master boot record includes executable code which is activated by the first BIOS portion to effect the ]oading of the remaining portion of BIOS into random acce~s memory.

Brief DescriPtion of the Drawinas The foreground aspects and other features of the pxe~ent invention are explained in the following written description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Fig. l illu~trates a cut away view of a personal computer system showing a system planar board connected to a plurality of direct acce~s storage devices;

Fig. 2 ~hows a ~ystem block diagram for the personal computer ~ystem of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 i~ a memory map for the ROM BIOS included on t11e planar board;

.,C-89-024 2 ~ 2 ~ .~ 2 2 Fig. 4 is a flowchart describing the overall process for loading a BIOS image from a direct access storage device;

Fig. 5 illustrates the record format for the master boot record;

Fig. 6A is a flowchart describing the operation of the IBL routine;

Fig. 6B is a flowchart showing the steps for loading the master boot record from a fixed disk;

Fig. 6C is a flowchart showing the steps for loading the BIOS image from a diskette;

Fig. 6D is a flowchart showing greater detail in checking the compatibility between the master boot record and the planar/processor; and -Fig. 7 is a detailed flowchart showing the execution of the master boot record to load the BIOS image from a direct access storage device.

_scri~tion of a Preferred Embodiment The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode for carrying out the ;invention.

This description is not to be taken in a limiting sen~e but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention ~ince the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to Fig. 1, there is shown a cutaway version of a personal computer ~y~tem lO, having a plurality of DASD (Direct Acce~a Storage Devices) 12 - 16 connected to a system or planar board 24 through a plurality of I/O slots 18. A power supply 22 provides electrical power to the system 10 in a manner well known. The planar board 24 includes a ~ystem proce~sor which operates under the control of an operating sy~tem to input, process, and output illformation .

In use, ths per~onal computer ~y~tem lO is designed primarily to give independent computing power to a small group of u~er~ or a single user and is inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or small businesses.

,C-89-024 7 2~20S22 In operation, the system processor operates under the operating system, such as the IBM OS/2~ Operating System or PC-DOS. This type of operating system includes a BIOS (previously discussed and defined) interface between the DASD 12 - 16 and the Operating System. A portion of BIOS divided into modules by function is stored in ROM on the planar 24 and hereinafter will be referred to as ROM-BIOS. BIOS provides an interface between the hardware and the operating system software to enable a programmer or user to program their machines without an in depth operating knowledge of a particular DASD. For example, a BIOS diskette module permits a programmer to program the diskette drive without an indepth knowledge of the diskette drive hardware. Thus, a number of diskette drives designed and manufactured by different companies can be used in the system. This not only lowers the cost of the system 10, but permits a user to choose from a number of diskette drives.

Prior to relating the above structure to the present invention, a summary of the operation in general of the personal computer system 10 may merit review. Referring to Fig. 2, there is shown a block diagram of the personal computer system 10. Fig. 2 illustrates components of the planar 24 and the connection of the planar 24 to the I/O slots 18 and other hardware of the personal computer system. Located on the planar 24 is the system processor 26 comprised of a microprocessor which is connected by a local bus 28 to a memory controller 30 which is further connected to a random access memory (RAM) 32. While any appropriate microprocessor can be used, one suitable microprocessor is the 80386 which is sold by Intel.

While the present invention is described hereinafter with particular reference to the system block diagram of Fig. 2, it is to be understood at the outset of the description which follows, it is contemplated that the apparatus and methods in accordance with the present invention may be used with other hardware configurations of the planar board. For example, the system processor could be an Intel 80286 or 80486 microprocessor.

~ cce~sible by the processor is a planar identification number (planar ID~. The planar ID is 2~2~22 ~C-89-024 8 unique to the planar and identifies the type of planar being used. For example, the planar ID can be hardwired to be read through an I/O port of the system/processor 26 by using switches.

The local bus 28 is further connected through a bus controller 34 to a read only memory (ROM) 36 on the planar 24.

An additional nonvolatile memory (NVRAM) 58 is connected to the microprocessor 26 through a serial/parallel port interface 40 which is further connected to bus controller 34. The nonvolatile memory can be CMOS with battery backup to retain information whenever power is removed from the system. Since the ROM is normally resident on the planar, model and submodel values stored in ROM are used to identify the system processor and the system planar I/O configuration respectively. Thus these values will physically identify the processor and planar I/O configuration. The NVRAM is used to store system configuration data. That is, the NVRAM will contain values which describe the pre~ent configuration of the system. For example, NVRAM contains information describing the capacity of a fixed disk or diskette, the type of display, the amount of memory, time, date, etc. Additionally, the model and submodel values stored in ROM are copied to NVRAM whenever a special configuration program, such as SET configuration", is executed. The purpose of the SET configuration program is to store values characterizing the configuration of the system in NVRAM. Thus for a ~y~tem that is configured properly, the model and 0ubmodel values in NVRAM will be equal respectively to the model and submodel value~ stored in ROM. If these value~ are not equal, this indicates that the configuration of the system has been modified. Reference is made to Fig. 6~, where this feature in combination with loading BIOS is explained in greater detail.

Continuing, our discussion with reference to Fig. 2, the bus controller 34 is further coupled to I/O slots 18, a signal producing means such as switch 29, the serial/parallel interface 40 and peripheral controller 42 2~2~22 ~C-89-024 9 by an I/0 planar bus 43. The peripheral controller 42 is further connected to a keyboard 44, mouse 46, diagnostic panel 47, and diskette controller 64. Beside the NVRAM 58, the serial/parallel interface 40 is further connected to a serial port 48 and parallel port 50 to input/output information to a printer, hard copy device, etc. As is well known in the art, the local bus 28 can also be connected to a cache controller 52, a cache memory 68, a co-processor 54, and a DMA controller 56.

The signal producing means provides signals to the processor 26 depending upon the position of the switch 29. For instance, the switch 29 is positioned to generate a signal on line 3 for effecting a diskette recovery mode in the system. Similarly, switch 29 is positioned to generate a signal on line 35 for a diskette priority mode. It is also understood that switch 29 can be replaced with hardware jumpers for effecting signals on line 33 or line 35. Additionally, as will be explained later, lines 33 and 35 can be combined into a ~ingle line for effecting a special function of the priority and recovery modes. It is also noted that ~witch 29 can be positioned so as not to produce either signal on line 33 or line 35.

The system processor 26 controls its internal operation as well as interfacing with other elements of the personal computer system 10. For example, system processor 26 i8 shown connected to a small computer qy~tem interface (SCSI) I/0 card 60 which is further connected to a DASD, ~uch a~ a fixed disk drive 62. It is to be understood that other than a SCSI disk drive/adapter can be used a~ a fixed diCk in accordance With the present invention. In addition to the fixed disk 62, the system processor 26 can be interfaced to the di~kette controller 64 which controls a diskette drive 66. With respect to terminology, it is also to be understood that the term "hardfile" describes fixed disk drive 62 while the term "floppy" also describe~ diskette drive 66.

`-` 2~ BC-89-024 10 Previous to the present invention, ROM 36 could include all of the BIOS code which interfaced the operating system to the hardware peripherals. According to one aspect of the present invention, however, ROM 36 is adapted to store only a portion of BIOS. This portion, when executed by the system processor 26, inputs from either the fixed disk 62 or diskette 66 a second or remaining portion of BIOS, hereinafter also referred to as a BIOS image. This BIOS image supersedes the first BIOS portion and being an integral part of the system, must be resident in main memory such as RAM 32. The first portion of BIOS (ROM-BIOS) as stored in ROM 36 will be explained generally with respect to Figs. 3-4 and in detail with respect to Figs. 6A-D. The second portion of BIOS (BIOS image) will be explained with respect to Fig.

5, and the loading of the BIOS image with respect to Fig.

7. Another benefit from loading a BIOS image from a DASD i~ the ability to load BIOS directly into the system processor's RAM 32. Since accessing RAM is much faster than accessing ROM, a significant improvement in the processing speed of the computer system is achieved.

The explanation will now proceed to the operation of the BIOS in ROM 36 and to the operation of loading the BIOS image from either the fixed disk or diskette to succeed the first portion of BIOS. In general, ROM-BIOS prechecks the system and loads a BIOS master boot record into RAM. The master boot record includes a data segment having validation information and a code segment having executable code. The executable code uses the data information to validate hardware compatibility and sy~tem configuration. ~fter testing for hardware compatibility and proper system configuration, the executable code load8 the BIOS image into RAM. The BIOS image succeeds ROM BIOS and loads the operating system to begin operation of the machine.

For purpo8e8 of clarity, the executable code segment of the mfl~ter boot record will be referred to as MBR code while the data segment will be referred to as MBR data.

BC-89-024 11 2~2~22 Referring to Fig. 3 there is a memory map showing the different code modules which comprise ROM-BIOS.

ROM-BIOS includes a power on self test (POST) stage I module 70, an Initial BIOS Load (IBL) Routine module 72, a Diskette module 74, a hardfile module 76, a video module 78, a diagnostic-panel module 80, and hardware compatibility data 82. Briefly, POST Stage I 70 performs system pre-initialization and tests. The IBL routine 72 determines whether the BIOS image is to be loaded from disk or diskette, checks compatibility and loads the master boot record. Diskette module 74 provides input/output functions for a diskette drive. Hardfile module 76 controls I/O to a fixed disk or the like.

Video module 78 controls output functions to a video I/O controller which is further connected to a video display.

Diagnostic panel module 80 provides control to a diagnostic display device for the system. The hardware compatibility data 82 includes such values as a system model and submodel values. These values are described later with respect to Fig. 5.

Referring now to Fig. 4, there is shown a process overview for loading a BIOS image into the system from either the fixed disk or the diskette. When the system is powered up or reset, the system processor is vectored to the entry point of POST Stage I, step 100. POST Stage I initializes the system and tests only those system functions needed to load BIOS image from the selected DASD, step 102. In particular, POST Stage I initializes the processor/planar function~, diagnostic panel, memory subsystem, interrupt controllerc, timers, DMA subsystem, fixed disk BIOS routine (Hardfile module 76), and diskette BIOS routine (Diskette module 74), if necessary.

Ater POST Stage I pre-initializes the system, POST Stage I vectors the system processor to the Initial BIOS Load (IBL) routine inclllded in the Initial BIOS Load module 72. The IBL routine first, selects the media (di~k or diskette) for loading the BIOS image; and second, loads the master boot record from the selected media into RAM, step 104. The master boot record BC-89-024 12 2~20522 includes the MBR data and the MBR code. The MBR data is used for -verification purposes and the MBR code is executed to load in the BIOS image. A detailed description of the operation of the IBL routine is presented with respect to Figs. 6A-D.

With continuing reference to Fig. 4, after the IBL routine loads the master boot record into RAM, the system processor is vectored to the starting address of the MBR code to begin execution, step 106. The MBR code performs a series of validity tests to determine the authenticity of the BIOS image and to verify the configuration of the system. For a better understanding of the operation of the MBR code, attention is directed to Fig. 7 of the drawings wherein the MBR code is described in greater detail.

On the basis of these validity tests, the MBR code load~ the BIOS image into RAM and transfers control to the newly loaded BIOS image in main memory, step 108. In particular, the BIOS image is loaded into the RAM address ~pace previously occupied by ROM-BIOS. That is if ROM BIOS is addressed from EOOOOH through FFFFFH, then the BIOS image is loaded into this RAM address space, thus ~uperceding ROM-BIOS. Control is then transferred to POST Stage II which is included in the newly loaded BIOS image thus abandoning ROM-BIOS. POST Stage II, now in RAM, initializes and tests the remaining system in order to load the operating system boot, step 110. After the system is initialized and tested, Stage II POST transfers control to the operating ~y~tem boot to load the operating syetem, steps 112-114.

For clarity, it 1~ appropriate at thi~ point to illu~trate a repre~entation for the format of the ma~ter boot record. Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown the ma0ter boot record. The boot record include~ the executable code ~egment 120 and data segment~ 122-138.

The MBR code 120 includes DASD dependent code responsible for verifying the identity of the ROM-BIOS, checking that the IBL boot record is compatible with the BC-89-024 13 2~2~3~22 system, verifying the system configuration, and loading the BIOS image from the selected DASD (disk or diskette).

The data segments 122-138 include information used to define the media, identify and verify the master boot record, locate the BIOS image, and load the BIOS image.

The master boot record is identified by a boot record signature 122. The boot record signature 122 can be a unique bit pattern, such as a character string "ABC" in the first three bytes of the record. The integrity of the master boot record is tested by a checksum value 132 which is compared to a computed checksum value when the boot record is loaded. The data segments further include at least one compatible planar ID value 134, compatible model and submodel values 136. The master boot record's planar ID value defines which planar that the master boot record is valid for. Similarly, the master boot record's model and submodel values define the processor and planar I/O configuration respectively that the master boot record is valid for. It is noted that the boot record's signature and checksum identify a valid master boot record, while the boot record's planar ID, boot record's model and boot record's submodel comparisons are used to identify a boot record compatible with the system and to determine if the system configuration is valid. Another value, boot record pattern 124 is used to determine the validity of the ROM-BIOS. The boot record pattern 124 is compared to a corresponding pattern value stored in ROM.

If the value~ match this indicates that a valid ROM-BIOS ha~ initiated the load of a BIOS image from the selected media.

The following de~cription further describes in greater detail each of the values in the master boot record ar-d their functions:

_B~R_I~dent~fi r~ 2L~ The first three bytes of the IBL boot record can consist of characters, such as "ABC".

This ~ignature i~ u~ed to identify a boot record.

MBR Code Seqment (120): This code verifies the compatibility of the boot record with the planar and processor by comparing corre~ponding planar id and BC-89-024 14 2 ~ 2 a ~ 2 2 model/submodel values. If these values match, it will load the BIOS image from the chosen media to system RAM.

If the system image (BIOS image loaded into memory) checksum is valid and no media load errors occur, the MBR code will transfer control to the POST Stage II routine of the system image.

MBR Pattern f124): The first field of the IBL boot record data segment contains a pattern, such as a character string "ROM-BIOS 1989". This string is used to validate the ROM-BIOS by comparing the Boot Pattern vaIue to the corresponding value stored in ROM (ROM-Pattern).

MBR Version Date (126): The master boot record includes a version date for use by an update utility.

Svstem Partition Pointer (128): The data segment contains a media pointer to the beginning of the media system partition area for use by Stage II POST. On an IBL diskette, the pointer is in track-head-sector format;

on disk the pointer is in Relative Block Address (RBA) format.

SYstem Partition TvPe (130): The system partition type indicates the structure of the media system partition.

There are three types of system partition structures full, minimal and not present. The full system partition contain# the setup utility and diagnostics in addition to the BIOS image and master boot record. The minimal system partition contains ~ust the BIOS image and master boot record. It may occur where a system does not have access to a hardfile having an IBL image, in this circumstance the system partition type indicates "not present". In this instance, IBL will occur from the diskette. These three system partition types allow flexibillty in how much qpace the sy~tem partition takes up on the media.

Check~um value ~132)_ The checksum value of the data segment is initialized to generate a valid checksum for the record length value (l.Sk bytes) of the ma~ter boot record code.

_R Planar ID Value (134): The data segment includes a value, such as a string of words defining compatible planar IDs. Each word is made up of a 16 bit planar ID and the string i~ terminated by word value of zero. If a 2~20522 BC-89-024 15 system s planar ID matches the planar ID value in the master boot record, such as one of the words in the string, the IBL media image is compatible with the system planar.

If the system's planar ID does not match any word in the string, the IBL media image is not compatible with the system planar.

MBR model and submodel values (136): The data segment includes values, such as a string of words defining compatible processors.

Each word is made up of a model and submodel value and the string is terminated by a word value of zero.

If a system s model and submodel value (stored in ROM) match one of the words in the string, the IBL media image is compatible with the system processor.

If the ROM model and ROM submodel values do not match any word in the string, the IBI. media image is not compatible with the system processor.

MBR Ma~ lenqth (138): The IBL map length is initialized to the number of media image blocks.

In other words, if the BIOS image i8 brolcen into four blocks, the map length will be four indicating four block pointer/length fields.

Usually this length is set to one, since the media image is one contiguous 128k block.

MBR Media Sector Size (138): This word value is initialized to the media sector size in bytes per sector.

Media imaqe block Dointer (138): The media image block pointer locate~ a system image block on the media.

Normally, there is only ona pointer since the media image i9 stored as one contiguous bloclc.

On an IBL diskette, the pointers are in track-head-sector format; on disk the pointer~ are relative block address format.

Media imaqe block l~gth (138): The media image block length indicates the size (in sectors) of the block located at the corresponding image block pointer.

In the case of a 128k contiguous media image, which includes space for I~ASIC, this field is set to 256, indicating that the BIOS image bloclc takes up 256 sector~ (512 bytes/sector) starting at the media image block pointer location.

Referring now to Figs. 6A-D, there is shown a detailed flow chart of the operation of the IBL routine.

Under normal circumstances, the IBL routine loads the 2~2~22 BC-~9-024 16 master boot record from the system fixed disk into RAM at a specific address and then vectors the system processor to begin executing the code segment of the master boot record. The IBL routine also contains provisions for a diskette priority mode and recovery mode in which the master boot record is loaded from diskette. In the priority mode, the master boot record is loaded directly from diskette before attempting to load from the fixed disk. The purpose of the priority mode is to bypass the error checking procedure of the disk BIOS load process.

The diskette BIOS load process does not include the validity checks that are used in the fixed disk BIOS load process. This permits system updates to be loaded from diskette into the system. For example, if a new processor is added to the system, a new BIOS image is required. Since a different processor will cause a validity error when loading from fixed disk, the IBL routine provides the ability to bypass these tests by loading the BIOS image from diskette. Thus the new BIOS image, included on diskette, can be given to the user to update the BIOS image on the fixed disk.

The recovery mode permits the system to bypass testing a password stored in NVRAM. The purpose of the paq~word iB to prevent unauthorized loading from di~kette, however, a recovery mode is included within the ~y~tem to allow a customer engineer or the like to load from diskette for diagnostic testing. It is noted that the priority mode and recovery mode can be activated by a single ~witch to accomplish the same results. In this configuration, if the di~kette media is not available during the priority mode, the u~er i~ given extra time (to the recovery mode check) to insert the diskette to accomplish a BIOS load from diskette. This appears to the user a~ a priority mode load, but in actuality is a recoVery mode operation. If the IBL routine is not able to load the master boot record from either fixed di~k or di~kette, an error me3~age is generated and the ~ystem i~ halted.

2~2~522 BC-89-024 17 Referring now to Fig. 6A, the switching means is tested to detect activation of the priority mode, step 151.

If the priority mode is activated, the diskette subsystem is initialized, step 153.

Assume for purposes of illustration that the fixed disk is configured for Drive C of the personal computer system. Similarly, assume Drive A is designated as the diskette drive.

The IBL routine then examines Drive A to determine whether it contains IBL media or not, step 155.

Attention is directed to Fig. 6C which describes in detail this process. If Drive A does not contain IBL media, the syætem attempts to load IBL media from the fixed disk, step 150. Referring back to step 155, if Drive A does include IBL media, the master boot record is loaded into RAM, step 160.

Referring back to step 151, if the priority mode is not activated, the fixed disk subsystem is initialized, and the IBL routine then examines Drive C to determine whether it contains IBL media, step 152.

Attention is directed to Fig. 6B which describes in detail this process. If Drive C does not contain IBL media, an error is reported step 154.

Referring back to step 152, if Drive C does contain IBL media, the IBL routine ~tarts reading from the fixed di~k at the last three sector~ and continues reading, decrementing the media pointer, for 99 sectors or until a valid master boot record i~ found. If a master boot record i~ found, it i~ checked for syctem planar and procesqor compatibility, step 156.

If no master boot record ls found on the last 99 sectors of the fixed disk (primary hardfile) or if it ic not planar or processor compatible, then an error is reported, ctep 158.

Referring back to step 156, if a master boot record is found, a serie~ of validity check~ are performed to determine if the master boot record is compatible with the computer system.

Additionally, the configuration of the system is checked. Attention is directed to Fig. 6D which di~closes this process in greater detail. If the 2 ~ 2 2 BC-89-024 18 boot record is compatible with the planar ID, model and submodel, and if furthermore the system configuration has not changed the master boot record is loaded and the code segment of the ma~ter boot record is executed, step 160.

Referring back to steps 154 and 158, if an error occurs in loading the master boot record from the fixed disk or if a fixed disk is not available, the system determines whether the recovery mode is activated, step 157. If the recovery mode is activated a test for a valid password in NVRAM is bypassed and the diskette subsystem is initialized, step 166. If the recovery mode i8 not activated, the system determines if a valid password is included in NVRAM, step 162.

This password determines whether the BIOS image can be loaded from diskette by an unauthorized user.

Note that the password will only exist in NVRAM when a user has purposely done 80.

If a password is installed in NVRAM, all users are prevented from loading the BIOS image from diskette, (other than a cu~tomer engineer) step 164. This ensures the integrity of the operation of the system by causing the system to be loaded only with the correct configuration of the BIOS image on the fixed disk. If a password exists, the diskette subsystem can not be accessed and the system halts, step 172. This password can be loaded into NVRAM during ~ystem configuration, such as when the SETUP program i8 executed. The password can take the form of a string of characters stored in NVRAM.

Referring back to step 162, if a valid password in NVRAM ia not present, thus allowing BIOS image to be loaded from di~kette, the IBL routine initializes the di~kette subsy~tem, step 166. The IBL routine then determine~ if Drive A include~ the IBL media on a dl~kette, ~tep 168. If Drive A does not include IBL media, an error i~ generated to notify the user that an invalid diskette has been inserted in the drive, step 170. The system then halts, ~tep 172. Attention is directed to Fig. 6C for a more detailed discussion of step 168.

2~20~22 BC-89-024 19 Referring back to step 168, after Drive A is checked for IBL media, the master boot record is loaded into RAM and the code segment included in the master boot record is executed, step 160. It is important to note that for diskette the IBL routine does not include the validity checks that are used with the fixed disk system. As stated before, the reason for the absence of the validity checks is to allow future modifications in loading a new IBL image from diskette.

To recapitulate, the priority mode is tested for first. In the priority mode, if the diskette drive does not contain IBL media the system tests the fixed disk.

If the fixed disk includes IBL media, the master boot record is checked for compatibility with the system through matching the system planar ID and processor model/~ubmodel values to the boot record values. For disk, this check is done first in the IBL routine 72 and then done again in the IBL boot record. The first check (in the IBL routine) is done to make ure the boot record i~ compatible with the ~ystem; the second check (in the boot record) i8 done to en~ure a compatible ROM passed control to the boot record. Notice that the check done in the disk boot record will never fail for a compatible ROM since the IBL routine will have already checked the compatibility. In contrast, the compatibility check is not done for diskette. The planar/processor compatibility is checked only during diskette boot record execution. This method allows future modifications in loading a new BIOS image from a di~kette. If the di~k doe~ not contain IBL media, the recovery mode and/or pa~word are te~ted. If the recovery mode is activated or the pa~word i~ absent, IBL media i8 loaded from di~kette. If the recoVery mode is not activated and the pas~word i~ present, an error i~ generated and the system halt~.

In view of the description of the IBL routine of Fig. 6A, the explanation will now proceed to a comrrehen~ivs and full understanding of the validity tests discu~sed above. Referring to Fig. 6B, there is 2~20~2 BC-89-024 20 shown a detailed flowchart of step 152 of Fig. 6A, to determine if a valid master boot record is on drive C.

The process begins by obtaining the drive parameters to enable the IBL routine to access drive C, step 200. An IBL load location is set to the last three sectors from the disk (the last three sectors normally contain the master boot record), step 202. A load count indicating the number of attempts to read a master boot record from disk is set to 1, step 204. Three sectors are read from disk at the IBL load location, step 206. Any disk drive errors are detected and if a disk drive read error occurs it is reported, steps 208-210. The process then returns with an error indication, steps 212-214.

Referring back to step 208, if no drive error occurs, the disk record is scanned for the master boot record signature, step 216. The boot record signature, such as the characters "ABC", are compared to the first three bytes of the disk record. If the disk record does have a valid boot record signature (characters "ABC") and the checksum computed from the disk record loaded into memory equals the boot record checksum, the disk record is indicated as being a valid boot record with no errors, step 218. The process then returns, step 214.

Referring back to step 216, if the boot record signature or checksum is invalid, the load count is incremented by 1, step 220. The load count is then compared to a predetermined constant such as 99, step 222. If 99 attempts to read a boot record have resulted in failure, an error is indicated and the process return~, steps 224, 212 and 214. If less than 99 attempts to read a boot record have occurred, the IBL load location is decremented by one and three new sectors are read from the new load location, steps 2Z6 and 206.

Thus if a valid IBL boot record cannot be loaded from the la~t 99 sectors ~equivalent to 33 copies) then an error condition is set and control returns to the IBL routine.

Referring now to Fig. 6C, there is shown a detailed flow diagram for loading the master boot record from ,, . ".,, ,~ , .. .

202~22 BC-89-024 21 diskette on drive A. First, the diskette drive parameters- to access drive A are retrieved, step 230.

The IBL load location is set to the last 3 sectors on diskette (cylinder, head and sector format), step 232.

The last 3 sectors are read, step 234. If a diskette drive error is detected, an error indicated, steps 236-238. An error condition is set and control is returned to the IBL routine, steps 240-242.

Referring back to step 236, if no drive error is detected, the diskette record is checked for boot record signature and the checksum is calculated, step 244. If the boot record signature is missing or checksum is invalid, an error is indicated and control returned to the IBL routine, steps 244, 246, 240 and 242. If a valid boot record signature and valid checksum are detected an indication is set and control is returned to the IBL routine, steps 248 and 242. It is noted that in a diskette load, the IBL routine does not search through the media as in the fixed disk load. Therefore, in a diskette load, the IBL media must be stored in a specific locatlon of the diskette.

Finally, Fig. 6D shows how the IBL routines tests for system planar and processor compatibility and for a proper system configuration. The master boot record is checked for compatibility with the system planar by comparing the boot record planar ID value to the system planar ID read by the system processor, step 260. If the system planar ID does not match the boot record planar ID value, this indicates this master boot record is not compatible with this planar. An error is indicated and control return to the IBL routine, steps 262, 264, and 266.

If the master boot record is compatible with the planar, the master boot record is checked for compatibility with the processor, step 268. The boot record model value and ~ubmodel value are compared to the model value and submodel value stored in ROM respect:1vely. A mismatch indicates a new processor has probably been inserted and this boot record is not 202~ri22 BC-~9-024 22 compatible with the new processor. An error is indicated and control returned to the IBL routine, steps 270, 264 and 266. If the master boot record is compatible with the planar and processor, the processor checks to determine if NVRAM contains reliable information, step 272. If NVRAM is unreliable, an error is indicated and control returned to the IBL routine, steps 274 and 266.

If NVRAM is reliable, the system configuration is checked, step 276. A change in system configuration is indicated if the model and submodel values stored in NVRAM do not match the model and submodel values stored in ROM. Note that this last comparison will only indicate a configuration error. If a configuration error is indicated, an error is generated for the user. This error notifies the user that the configuration of the system has changed since the last time SET configuration was run. The user is notified of the changed configuration and control passed back to the IBL routine steps 278, 264, and 266. This error is not fatal itself, but notifies the user that SET configuration (configuration program) must be executed. Referring back to step 276, if the system model/submodel values match, an indication of compatibility is set and the routine returns, step 276, 274 and 266. Thus, the compatibility between the master boot record and the system are tested along with determining if the system configuration has been modified.

After the IBL routine load~ the master boot record into RAM, it transfer~ control to the MBR code starting address. Referring to Fig. 7, the executable code segment of the master boot record first verifies the boot record pattern to the ROM pattern, step 300. If the pattern in the master boot record does not match the pattern in ROM, an error is generated and the ~ystem halts, ~tep~ 302 and 305. The check for equality between ROM and boot record patterns ensure~ that the master boot record loaded from either the disk or diskette is compatible with the ROM on the planar board. Referring bac]c to ~tep 300, if the pattern in ROM matches the pattern in the boot record, the MBR code compares the 2~Z0~22 BC-89-024 23 system planar ID value, model and submodel value against the corresponding master boot record values, step 304.

This process was discussed in greater detail with respect to Fig. 6D. If the values don t match, the master boot record is not compatible with the system planar and processor, or the system configuration has changed, and an error is generated, step 306. The system will halt when the IBL record is incompatible with the planar, model, or submodel value, step 305.

Referring back to step 304, if the system planar ID value, model and submodel values match the corresponding master boot record values, the MBR code loads the BIOS image from the selected media into the system RAM, step 308. If a media load error occurs in reading the data, step 310, an error is generated and the system halts, step 312 and 305. Referring back to step 310, if no media load error occurs, a checksum is calculated for the BIOS image in memory, step 314. If the checksum is invalid an error is generated and the system halts, step 318 and 305. Referring back to step 316, if the checksum is valid, the system partition pointers are saved, step 320, and the system processor is vectored to POST Stage II to begin loading the system, step 322.

Thus, there has been shown a method and apparatus for loading BIOS from a di~kette drive in a personal computer system normally having a fixed disk drive. BIOS i8 loaded depending upon the position of a switch. In a priority position, BIOS is loaded from diskette before te~ting the fixed disk drive. In a recovery mode, BIOS is loaded from diskette after testing the fixed disk drivs. In a default mode, BIOS is loaded after testing the fixed di~k and for the presence of a purposely set password.

While the invention has been illustrated in connection with a preferred embodiment, it should be underatood that many variations will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art, and that the scope of the invention is deflned only by the claims appended hereto and equivalent.