Microsoft technology licensing, llc (20240126586). User-Controlled Firmware for Hosted Virtual Machines simplified abstract

User-Controlled Firmware for Hosted Virtual Machines

Organization Name

microsoft technology licensing, llc

Inventor(s)

Gangadhara Swamy Shivaganga Nagaraju of Kirkland WA (US)

Pushkar Vijay Chitnis of Bothell WA (US)

Bo Zhang of Raleigh NC (US)

Amar Nad Rudra Gowda of Sammamish WA (US)

User-Controlled Firmware for Hosted Virtual Machines - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240126586 titled 'User-Controlled Firmware for Hosted Virtual Machines

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a method for hosting user virtual machines with user-controlled firmware in a hosting environment. The hosting environment receives firmware information, obtains a copy of the user-controlled firmware, deploys a virtual machine with the firmware, and locks the firmware against changes without user permission.

• Explanation of the patent/innovation:

 * Receiving firmware information at a hosting environment
 * Identifying user-selected user-controlled firmware for virtual machines
 * Obtaining and deploying user-controlled firmware for virtual machines
 * Locking the firmware against changes without user permission

Potential Applications

This technology could be applied in cloud computing environments, virtualization services, and secure hosting platforms.

Problems Solved

This technology solves the problem of unauthorized changes to firmware in virtual machines hosted in a shared environment.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include enhanced security for user-controlled firmware, increased control over virtual machine configurations, and protection against unauthorized modifications.

Potential Commercial Applications

• Securing cloud computing services with user-controlled firmware
• Providing customizable virtual machine configurations for users
• Enhancing data protection and privacy in shared hosting environments

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be technologies related to virtual machine management and firmware security in cloud computing environments.

How does this technology impact the performance of virtual machines hosted in the environment?

The article does not provide information on the potential performance implications of deploying user-controlled firmware in virtual machines.

What measures are in place to ensure the compatibility of user-controlled firmware with the hosting environment?

The article does not address the steps taken to verify the compatibility of user-controlled firmware with the hosting environment before deployment.

Original Abstract Submitted

a computer implemented method includes receiving first firmware information at a hosting environment identifying that a user has selected user-controlled firmware for user virtual machines to be hosted on the hosting environment. a copy of the user-controlled firmware is obtained and a user virtual machine is deployed that includes the user-controlled firmware. the user-controlled firmware is locked against changes by the hosting environment absent receiving permission from the user.