Network based firmware feature configuration and firmware image generation

A system for configuring a firmware image of a service processor, the system comprising:

• a network connecting a plurality of computing devices, wherein the computing devices comprises at least one client computer and the service processor;
• a network based firmware generator executed on a processor of at least one of the plurality of computing devices connected to the network to be accessible by the at least one client computer, the firmware generator including
• a firmware configuration library, storing a plurality of Service Pack Extension (SPX) packages, each of the SPX packages to a specific SPX feature and including a firmware data module;
• a web server configured to
• receive a login request for a user from the at least one client computer through the network:
• in response to the login request, authenticate the user, and send a plurality of graphical user interfaces to the at least one client computer through the network, wherein each of the graphical user interfaces, when received and executed at the at least one client computer, is configured to
• allow the authenticated user to perform a selection to one or more of the SPX packages to be included in a SPX project;
• and
• in response to the selection, construct a first request having information of the one or more SPX packages being selected, and send the first request back to the web server through the network;
• and
• receive the first request from the graphical user interfaces sent to and executed at the at least one client computer;
• and
• a firmware builder configured to, in response to the first request, build the firmware image of the service processor by incorporating the selected SPX packages in the SPX project.

A non-transitory computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor of one of a plurality of computing devices in a network, cause the processor to:

• provide a network based firmware generator in the network connecting the plurality of computing devices, wherein the computing devices comprise a remote computer and a baseboard management controller (BMC) such that the network based firmware generator is accessible by the remote computer;
• define a plurality of device description files at the network based firmware generator, each device description file describing a component in a set of components which is selectively included in the configuration, wherein each device description file specifies the identification information associated with the component to which the device description file is associated;
• receive, at a web server of the firmware generator, a login request for a user from the remote computer through the network;
• in response to the login request, authenticate the user at the web server, and send a graphical user interface from the web server to the remote computer through the network, wherein the graphical user interface, when received and executed at the at least one remote computing device, is configured to
• allow the authenticated user to perform a selection of one or more of the components to be included in a firmware configuration file;
• and
• in response to the selection, construct a first request having information of the one or more components being selected, and send the first request to the web server of the firmware generator;
• receive, at the web server of the firmware generator, the first request from the graphical user interface sent to and executed at the remote computer;
• and
• in response to the first request, construct a firmware image for the BMC at the firmware generator.