SECURE MACHINE PLATFORM THAT INTERFACES TO OPERATING SYSTEMS AND CUSTOMIZED CONTROL PROGRAMS

摘要

A combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface to which operating systems and customized control programs interface within a computer system. The combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface employs a hardware platform that provides at least four privilege levels, non-privileged instructions 508, non-privileged registers 514, privileged instructions 510, privileged registers 516, and firmware interfaces. The combined-hardware-and-software secure-platform interface conceals all privileged instructions, privileged registers, and firmware interfaces and privileged registers from direct access by operating systems and custom control programs, providing the operating systems and custom control programs the non-privileged instructions and non-privileged registers provided by the hardware platform as well as a set of callable software services. The callable services provide a set of secure-platform management services for operational control of hardware resources that neither exposes privileged instructions, privileged registers, nor firmware interfaces of the hardware nor simulates privileged instructions and privileged registers.