Authentication using lights-out management credentials

A method comprising:

• retrieving, by a lights-out management (LOM) enabling unit, a LOM credential from a LOM data storage unit of the LOM enabling unit while a system device including the LOM enabling unit is in a powered-down state, wherein the LOM credential indicates which permissions are granted a user from a group of users;
• authenticating, by the LOM enabling unit, the user based on the LOM credential retrieved from the LOM data storage unit;
• and
• updating a current table of authorized users based on the authenticating by the LOM enabling unit, wherein the current table of authorized users is stored on the LOM data storage unit, and the updating is performed upon booting an operating system of the system device.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that when executed by hardware will cause the hardware to perform a method comprising:

• retrieving, by a lights-out management (LOM) enabling unit, a LOM credential from a LOM data storage unit of the LOM enabling unit while a system device including the LOM enabling unit is in a powered-down state, wherein the LOM credential indicates which permissions are granted a user from a group of users;
• authenticating, by the LOM enabling unit, the user based on the LOM credential retrieved from the LOM data storage unit;
• and
• updating a current table of authorized users based on the authenticating by the LOM enabling unit, wherein the current table of authorized users is stored on the LOM data storage unit, and the updating is performed upon booting an operating system of the system device.

A system comprising:

• a light-out management (LOM) enabling unit including a data storage unit, wherein the LOM enabling unit is to:
• retrieve a LOM credential from the data storage unit while system is in a powered-down state, wherein the LOM credential indicates which permissions are granted a user from a group of users;
• and
• authenticate the user based on the LOM credential retrieved from the data storage unit by the LOM enabling unit;
• and
• a processing unit in communication with a computer-readable medium, the processing unit running under an operating system, wherein the computer-readable medium contains a set of instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to:
• receive a request from the user to perform an operation on the system;
• retrieve the LOM credential from the data storage unit;
• authenticate the user based on the LOM credential that is retrieved from the LOM data storage unit by the processing unit;
• and
• enable the request to be fulfilled based on the authenticating by the processing unit.