Systems and methods for shared and scalable display controller without peripheral component interconnect interface

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a non-transitory computer-readable medium;
• and
• computer-executable instructions carried on the computer-readable medium, the instructions readable by a processor, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the processor to, in a management controller communicatively coupled to a host system and configured to provide management facilities for management of the host system:
• during a power-on/self-test of the host system:
• in concert with a basic input/output system of the host system, perform a handshake to transition a port of an information handling system that includes the host system and the management controller from a host system-owned port to a management controller-owned port such that the management controller takes ownership of the port to detect and redirect input from the port to a port of a serial console of the management controller that receives the input.

A method comprising, in an information handling system comprising a host system configured to boot an operating system and a management controller communicatively coupled to the host system and configured to provide management facilities for management of the host system:

• displaying, by the management controller, video output to a display device coupled to the information handling system during:
• a first state in which the host system is off, wherein the management controller writes to a frame buffer memory in order to display management control messages to the display device;
• a second state in which the host system is booting to the operating system, wherein the management controller:
• converts incoming serial text from the host system into a character buffer of the frame buffer memory in order to display setup menus and pre-operating system environments to the display device;
• and
• detects and redirects input from a port of the information handling system to a port of a serial console of the management controller that receives the input;
• and
• a third state in which the host system is in operating system runtime, wherein the management controller virtualizes an emulated video device to the host system, and in response to communication of video output from the host system to the emulated video device, displays the video output to the display device via the port.