Virtual BIOS firmware hub
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsTimothy Lambert, Stephen Cochran, Mukund Khatri, Pedro Lopez
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A baseboard management controller (BMC) of a blade server module in an information handling system may operate as a virtual system BIOS firmware hub that may have automatic firmware updating through a TFTP transfer from a chassis management controller (CMC) or for rack/tower servers from a remote assistant card (RMC). The system BIOS may be stored in a RAM drive or a ROM of the BMC. Valuable printed circuit board real estate and hardware for a firmware hub is no longer necessary since the BMC may have the capacity to act as a virtual system BIOS firmware hub in addition to its other functions.
Claims24
An information handling system, said system comprising:
- a plurality of blade server modules, wherein each of the plurality of blade server modules has a baseboard management controller (BMC) comprising a BMC processor, a BMC random access memory (RAM) and a BMC read only memory (ROM);
- and
- a chassis management controller (CMC), wherein the CMC comprises a CMC service processor, a CMC ROM and a CMC RAM;
- wherein the CMC ROM stores a plurality of basic input-output system (BIOS) firmware images for the plurality of blade server modules and the CMC service processor transfers the plurality of BIOS firmware images to respective ones of the plurality of blade server modules.
An information handling system, said system comprising:
- at least one server, wherein the at least one server has a baseboard management controller (BMC) comprising a BMC processor, a BMC random access memory (RAM) and a BMC read only memory (ROM);
- and
- a remote assistant card (RMC), wherein the RMC comprises a RMC service processor, a RMC ROM and a RMC RAM;
- wherein the RMC ROM stores at least one basic input-output system (BIOS) firmware image for the at least one server and the RMC service processor transfers the at least one BIOS firmware image to a respective one of the at least one server.
A blade server module, comprising:
- a central processing unit (CPU);
- a chipset coupled to the CPU;
- a BMC processor coupled to the chipset;
- a BMC random access memory (RAM) coupled to the BMC processor;
- and
- a BMC read only memory (ROM) coupled to the BMC processor;
- the BMC processor is adapted for coupling to a chassis management controller (CMC), wherein the CMC comprises a CMC service processor, a CMC ROM and a CMC RAM;
- whereby the CMC ROM stores an input-output system (BIOS) firmware image for the blade server module and the CMC service processor transfers the BIOS firmware image to the blade server module.
A method for supplying up-to-date BIOS firmware images in a blade server information handling system, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of basic input-output system (BIOS) firmware images in a chassis management controller (CMC);
- transferring the stored plurality of BIOS firmware images to respective ones of a plurality of blade server modules;
- and
- booting up the plurality of blade server modules from the transferred plurality of BIOS firmware images.
A method for supplying up-to-date BIOS firmware images in a server information handling system, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing at least one basic input-output system (BIOS) firmware image in a remote assistant card (RMC);
- transferring the stored at least one BIOS firmware image to a respective one of at least one server;
- and
- booting up the at least one server from the transferred at least one BIOS firmware image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.