Hardware ROM upgrade through an internet or intranet service
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsAdrian Crisan, David Burckhartt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An on-line service is automatically accessed by the computer as it boots up to determine if a ROM update exists for the system. If so, the updated ROM code is downloaded to the system and the ROM is flashed. The operator of the system is generally uninvolved in this process and the process is preferably performed each time the system initializes. In this manner, the system's ROM is nearly always up to date proactively and the operator or IT administrator need not spend time and energy reacting to a problem, determining whether a ROM update exists, finding the updated ROM, downloading the new ROM code and flashing the ROM him or herself.
Claims27
A computer system, comprising:
- a CPU;
- and
- a programmable read only memory (“ROM”) coupled to said CPU, said ROM containing a digital image;
- wherein said CPU programs its ROM during system initialization.
A method of upgrading an image on a ROM, comprising:
- (a) performing initialization of a system containing the ROM;
- and
- (b) while performing said initialization, transmitting a message to a server to determine whether an upgraded image exists for the ROM.
A ROM image system, comprising:
- a server;
- and
- a database accessible by said server, said database storing information regarding ROM images;
- wherein said server receives a message from a computer to determine if an upgrade exists for the computer's ROM image, uses said information to determine if an upgrade is available for the computer's ROM image and transmits a message to the computer indicating whether an upgrade is available.
A method of providing ROM image updates, comprising:
- (a) receiving a request for a ROM image update;
- (b) determining whether a ROM image update exists;
- (c) transmitting a response indicating whether a ROM image update exists.
An enterprise computing system, comprising:
- a plurality of computers, each having a programmable ROM;
- a proxy enterprise ROM server to which the computers couple, said proxy enterprise ROM server communicating with a network external to the enterprise;
- wherein said proxy enterprise ROM server includes storage for a ROM image and at least one of said computers, during its initialization, requests a ROM image update from said proxy enterprise ROM server.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.