Cloud-connected baseboard management controller
AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC
InventorSanjeev Mehrotra
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cloud-connected baseboard management controller (BMC) enables remote management of all management layers of edge-based host machines from the cloud without imposition of costs associated with firewalls and private data connections. A remote management agent incorporated into the BMC enables creation of a remote management-enabled bare-metal server paradigm in which remote management from the cloud is supported at the lowest hardware levels which provides for cost-effective utilization of network resources down to even a single isolated node.
Claims19
A computer-implemented method for remote management of a bare-metal host machine, comprising:
- providing a baseboard management controller (BMC) in the bare-metal host machine, the BMC enabling control of the bare-metal host machine independently of an operating system (OS) operable on the bare-metal host machine;
- adapting the BMC to incorporate a remote management agent, the remote management agent configured with credentials for identity verification with an external cloud-based endpoint;
- subject to a verified identity, using the remote management agent for polling the external cloud-based endpoint to obtain remote management instructions applicable to the bare-metal host machine;
- and
- operating the BMC to execute, on the bare-metal host machine, the remote management instructions obtained by the remote management agent;
- wherein the obtained remote management instructions comprise a pointer to an operating system (OS) image to be downloaded and installed by the BMC on the bare-metal host machine.
One or more hardware-based non-transitory computer-readable memory devices storing computer-executable instructions which, upon execution by one or more processors disposed in a computing device in a cloud-based datacenter, cause the computing device to:
- instantiate a polling endpoint configured to provide remote management instructions to a bare-metal host machine over a network;
- in response to a request to the polling endpoint from a remote management agent operating on a baseboard management controller (BMC) instantiated on the bare-metal host machine, verify that the bare-metal host machine is associated with a customer subscription;
- in response to the verifying, send remote management instructions to the remote management agent in the BMC of the bare-metal host machine over the network;
- wherein the remote management instructions comprise a pointer to an operating system (OS) image to be downloaded and installed by the BMC on the bare-metal host machine.
A computing device, comprising:
- a communications bus;
- at least one processor operatively coupled to the communications bus;
- a trusted platform module (TPM) operatively coupled to the communications bus, the TPM supporting a key pair used for public key cryptography;
- a baseboard management controller (BMC) instantiated on a bare-metal host machine operatively coupled to the communications bus, the BMC configured with a remote management agent;
- and
- at least one hardware-based non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to:
- send a request for remote management instructions from the remote management agent in the BMC to an external cloud-based endpoint, the request signed with a private key of the key pair to enable the authentication of the remote management agent with the external cloud-based endpoint;
- in response to the request, receive remote management instructions at the remote management agent;
- and
- execute the received remote management instructions at the BMC;
- wherein the received remote management instructions comprise a pointer to an operating system (OS) image to be downloaded and installed by the BMC on the bare-metal host machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.