Methods, systems and computer program products for secure firmware updates

A system for updating firmware in a network computer, which initializes using a boot image comprising a standard operating system on a network server, comprising:

• means for detecting, at the network server, whether the network computer firmware is to be updated;
• means for replacing the standard operating system to be loaded at the initialization of the network computer with a firmware update operating system;
• means for downloading the firmware update operating system to the network computer at initialization of the network computer;
• and
• means for initiating the firmware update operating system to update the firmware of the network computer;
• wherein the means for replacing the standard operating system, the means for downloading the firmware update operating system, and the means for initiating the firmware update operating system are operably associated with the means for detecting so as to only update the network computer firmware if the means for detecting detects that the network computer firmware is to be updated.

A computer program product for updating firmware in a network computer, which initializes using a boot image comprising a standard operating system on a network server, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code means comprising:
• computer-readable program code means for detecting, at the network server, whether the network computer firmware is to be updated,
• computer-readable program code means for replacing the standard operating system to be loaded at the initialization of the network computer with a firmware update operating system;
• computer-readable program code means for downloading the firmware update operating system to the network computer at initialization of the network computer;
• and
• computer-readable program code means for initiating the firmware update operating system to update the firmware of the network computer;
• wherein the computer-readable program code means for replacing the standard operating system, the computer-readable program code means for downloading the firmware update operating system, and the computer-readable program code means for initiating the firmware update operating system are operably associated with the computer-readable program code means for detecting so as to only update the network computer firmware if the computer-readable program code means for detecting detects that the network computer firmware is to be updated.