Method of updating firmware of a server rack system, and a server rack system
AssigneeMitac Computing Technology Corporation
InventorYi-Yuan Yeh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of updating firmware of a server rack system includes: receiving, by a rack management controller (RMC), a firmware updating program; broadcasting, by the RMC, an update notification to a rack back plate (RBP); after receiving the update notification, transmitting one by one, by the RBP, request messages which are associated with respective ones of sections of the firmware updating program to the RMC; responding, by the RMC, to each of the request messages by transmitting the respective one of the sections to the RBP; and after receiving the sections of the firmware updating program, recovering, by the RBP, the firmware updating program at least from the complete sections for subsequent firmware update.
Claims20
A method of updating firmware of a server rack system, the server rack system including a rack management controller (RMC) and a rack back plane (RBP), the RMC including a first processor, a first storage device, a first communication interface, an external communication interface and a rack management subsystem, the rack management subsystem including a broadcast module and a program update module, the RBP including a second processor, a second storage device and a second communication interface, the second storage device storing an original firmware program to be executed by the second processor, the method comprising the following steps of:
- receiving, by the external communication interface, a firmware updating program which is to be stored in the first storage device of the RMC;
- broadcasting, by the broadcast module of the rack management subsystem of the RMC, an update notification which is associated with the firmware updating program to the second communication interface of the RBP via the first communication interface;
- after receiving the update notification via the second communication interface, transmitting one by one, by the second processor of the RBP, a plurality of request messages which are associated with respective ones of sections of the firmware updating program to the RMC via the second communication interface;
- responding, by the program update module of the rack management subsystem of the RMC, to each of the request messages by transmitting the respective one of the sections of the firmware updating program via the first communication interface to the RBP which transmits the request message;
- and
- after receiving the sections of the firmware updating program with which the request messages are associated, recovering, by the RBP, the firmware updating program at least from the sections with which the request messages are associated so as to update the original firmware program using the firmware updating program thus recovered.
A server rack system comprising:
- a rack management controller (RMC) which includes a first processor, a first storage device, a first communication interface, an external communication interface and a rack management subsystem that are electrically connected to each other, said rack management subsystem including a broadcast module and a program update module;
- and
- a rack back plane (RBP) which includes a second processor, a second storage device and a second communication interface communicably connected to said first communication interface, said second storage device storing an original firmware program to be executed by said second processor;
- wherein
- said external communication interface receives a firmware updating program which is to be stored in said first storage device of said RMC,
- said broadcast module of said rack management subsystem of said RMC broadcasts an update notification which is associated with the firmware updating program to said second communication interface of said RBP via said first communication interface,
- after receiving the update notification via said second communication interface, said second processor of said RBP transmits one by one a plurality of request messages which are associated with respective ones of sections of the firmware updating program to said RMC via said second communication interface,
- said program update module of said rack management subsystem of said RMC responds to each of the request messages by transmitting the respective one of the sections of the firmware updating program via said first communication interface to said RBP which transmits the request message, and
- after receiving the sections of the firmware updating program with which the request messages are associated, said RBP recovers the firmware updating program at least from the sections with which the request messages are associated so as to update the original firmware program using the firmware updating program thus recovered.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.