US Patent 9767015 Enhanced operating system integrity using non-volatile system memory

Methods and apparatus for enhancing operating system integrity using non-volatile system memory are described. A computer system includes a system memory coupled to one or more processors. The system memory comprises at least a non-volatile portion. Memory is allocated from the non-volatile portion to store selected metadata associated with an operating system component that supports input-output (I/O) operations. In response to an operation that results in a metadata change at the component, a metadata entry is stored in the non-volatile portion. Subsequent to a failure event, contents of the metadata entry are read from the non-volatile portion to restore a state of the component.