US 10,541,868 B2 · System and method for automatically updating bios setup options

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for enabling an administrator or a controller to update BIOS setup options on a server system and then automatically update the BIOS setup options on other server systems in a baseboard management controller (BMC) virtual local area network (VLAN). For example, the method may comprise: receiving, at a specific controller of a node, a command to update the BIOS setup option; determining whether the specific controller is a master by checking an internal flag of the specific controller; in an event that the specific controller is neither a master or a slave, broadcasting a master request to the VLAN; determining whether a reply is received within a predetermined time period; in an event that the reply is not received, setting the internal flag of the specific controller as a master; and sending an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) completion response.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for automatically broadcasting a basic input/output system (BIOS) setup option among a plurality of nodes in a virtual local-area network (VLAN), comprising:

receiving, at a specific microcontroller of a node of the plurality of nodes, a command to update a BIOS setup option on the node;
determining that the specific microcontroller is neither a master nor a slave based upon an internal flag of the specific microcontroller;
broadcasting a master request to the VLAN that is in the same as the VLAN of the specific controller;
determining that no response to the master request is received within a predetermined time period;
setting the internal flag of the specific microcontroller as the master;
and
sending out a first completion response to indicate that the specific microcontroller is the master and is enabled to broadcast updated BIOS setup option on the node to the VLAN that is in the same as the VLAN of the specific controller.

4 more elements

A server system, comprising:

a processor;
and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the server system to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at a specific microcontroller of a node of a plurality of nodes in a virtual local-area network (VLAN), a command to update a BIOS setup option on the node;
determining that the specific microcontroller is neither a master nor a slave based upon an internal flag of the specific microcontroller;
broadcasting a master request to the VLAN that is in the same as the VLAN of the specific controller;
determining that no response to the master request is received within a predetermined time period;
setting the internal flag of the specific microcontroller as the master;
and sending out a first completion response to indicate that the specific microcontroller is the master and is enabled to broadcast updated BIOS setup option on the node to the VLAN that is in the same as the VLAN of the specific controller.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for automatically updating bios setup options

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System and method for automatically updating bios setup options

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20