US 10,095,502 B2Granted

Unified update tool for multi-protocol network adapter

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsTai-chien D. Chang, Baltazar De Leon, III, Marcus B. Grande, Brian W. Hart, Jaime F. Nualart, Vikramjit Sethi

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Abstract

A method and technique for updating firmware on a multi-protocol network adapter includes: reading parameter values for a firmware update to determine an update scope indicating one or more functions of the network adapter affected by the firmware update and a write scope indicating which of the one or more functions should receive a write request for writing the firmware update to the network adapter. The update tool is operable to: send a message indicating to the one or more functions based on the update scope that a firmware update process is beginning; send a write request to write the firmware update to the one or more functions based on the write scope; send a reset request to reset the one or more functions to activate the firmware update; and send a message indicating to the one or more functions that the firmware update process is completed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

reading, by an update tool executed by a processor unit of a host, parameter values for a firmware update of a multi-protocol network adapter, the parameter values specifying classes of behavior for conducting the firmware update of the multi-protocol network adapter, to:
determine an update scope indicating which of a plurality of different communication protocol functions of the network adapter are affected by the firmware update based on the parameter values;
and
determine a write scope indicating which of the plurality of different communication protocol functions of the network adapter are to receive a write request for writing the firmware update to the network adapter based on the parameter values;
and
wherein the update tool is operable to:
send a message to the network adapter indicating to the determined communication protocol functions based on the update scope that a firmware update process is beginning;
send a write request to the network adapter to write the firmware update to the determined communication protocol functions based on the write scope;
send a reset request to the network adapter to reset the determined communication protocol functions to activate the firmware update based on the parameter values;
and
send a message to the network adapter indicating to the determined communication protocol functions that the firmware update process is complete.

8 more elements

A system, comprising:

a multi-protocol network adapter;
and
a host having an update tool stored in a memory and executable by a processor unit of the host to update firmware on the adapter, the update tool executable by the processor unit to:
read parameter values for a firmware update of the network adapter, the parameter values specifying classes of behavior for conducting the firmware update of the multi-protocol network adapter, to:
determine an update scope indicating which of a plurality of different communication protocol functions of the network adapter are affected by the firmware update based on the parameter values;
and
determine a write scope indicating which of the determined communication protocol functions of the network adapter are to receive a write request for writing the firmware update to the network adapter based on the parameter values;
send a message to the network adapter indicating to the determined communication protocol functions based on the update scope that a firmware update process is beginning;
send a write request to the network adapter to write the firmware update to the determined communication protocol functions based on the write scope;
send a reset request to the network adapter to reset the determined communication protocol functions to activate the firmware update based on the parameter values;
and
send a message to the network adapter indicating to the determined communication protocol functions that the firmware update process is complete.

9 more elements

A computer program product for updating firmware on a multi-protocol network adapter, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising computer readable program code configured to:
read parameter values for a firmware update of a network adapter, the parameter values specifying classes of behavior for conducting the firmware update of the multi-protocol network adapter, to:
determine an update scope indicating which of a plurality of different communication protocol functions of the network adapter affected by the firmware update based on the parameter values;
determine a write scope indicating which of the determined communication protocol functions of the network adapter are to receive a write request for writing the firmware update to the network adapter based on the parameter values;
send a message to the network adapter indicating to the determined communication protocol functions based on the update scope that a firmware update process is beginning;
send a write request to the network adapter to write the firmware update to the determined communication protocol functions based on the write scope;
send a reset request to the network adapter to reset the determined communication protocol functions to activate the firmware update based on the parameter values;
and
send a message to the network adapter indicating to the determined communication protocol functions that the firmware update process is complete.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/065,135Filed 9 Mar 2016 · continuation
Priority: 28 Oct 2013
Published: US 2016/0188320 A130 Jun 2016
Granted: 9 Oct 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06F 8/65
Software deployment: updates
G06F 8/654
Updates: using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
G06F 8/66
Updates: of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM]
G06F
Computing and data processing

Family

Application14/065,043Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Oct 2013
US 2016/0188320 A1Pre-grant publication · published 30 Jun 2016
US 9,298,446 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2015/0121355 A1Published application
US 10,095,502 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.