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US RE49,226 E1Granted
UEFI and operating system driver methods for updating MAC address in LAN-based NIC
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsJames T. Gillon, Thomas E. Voor, Nicholas D. Grobelny, Nathan F. Martell
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Abstract
An information handling system (IHS) unambiguously addresses networked devices connected by a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC) by detecting a device descriptor of LAN-based NIC, determining that the device descriptor indicates a capability for assigning a reserve media access control (MAC) address to the networked device, writing the reserve MAC address in the LAN-based NIC of the networked device, and associating the reserve MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure for the IHS.
Claims26
A method of unambiguously addressing networked devices in an information handling system (IHS), the method comprising:
- detecting a device descriptor of a local area network (LAN) based (LAN)-based network interface controller (NIC) connected to a networked device that does not physically contain a unique MAC address;
- determining that the device descriptor indicates a capability for assigning a reserve media access control (MAC) address to the networked device;
- archiving an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address of the LAN-based NIC into a non-volatile storage of the LAN-based NIC;
- and
- provisioning the reserve MAC address in the LAN-based NIC of the networked device;
- associating the reserve MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure of the IHS;
- detecting a presence of the networked device by an operating system of the IHS;
- accessing a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol to expose a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver that is specific to the device descriptor;
- loading the UEFI PXE driver into a UEFI platform;
- and
- provisioning the LAN-based NIC with the reserve MAC address using the UEFI PXE driver in place of the archived OEM MAC address.
8 more elements
An information handling system (IHS) to unambiguously address networked devices, the IHS comprising:
- a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC);
- a networked device connected to the LAN-based NIC, the LAN-based NIC external to the networked device;
- and
- a system that manages an IHS inventory list database, the system physically interconnected to the networked device via the LAN-based NIC and having a processor operably in communication with the LAN-based NIC to:
- detect a device descriptor of the LAN-based NIC;
- determine that the device descriptor indicates a capability for assigning a reserve media access control (MAC) address to the networked device that connects to the system via the LAN-based NIC;
- archive an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address of the LAN-based NIC into a non-volatile storage of the LAN-based NIC;
- and
- provision the LAN-based NIC with the reserve a MAC address;
- associate the reserve MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure for the HIS;
- detect the presence of the networked device by an operating system of the IHS;
- access a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol to expose a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver that is specific to the device descriptor;
- load the UEFI PXE driver into a UEFI platform;
- and
- provision, by using the UEFI PXE driver, the LAN-based NIC with the reserve MAC address in place of the archived OEM MAC address.
12 more elements
A system that unambiguously addresses networked devices in a distributed information handling system (IHS), the system comprising:
- a processor;
- an operating system driver executed by the processor and in communication with a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC) that is external to and connected to a networked device, the operating system driver;
- a memory comprising an IHS inventory list database managed by the system, the system physically interconnected to the networked device via the LAN-based NIC;
- and
- a processor communicatively connected to the LAN-based NIC and which executes firmware including an operating system driver that makes the processor operable to:
- detect a device descriptor of the LAN-based NIC;
- determine that the device descriptor indicates a capability for assigning a reserve media access control (MAC) address to the networked device that connects to the IHS via the LAN-based NIC;
- archive an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address of the LAN-based NIC into a non-volatile storage of the LAN-based NIC;
- and
- provision the LAN-based NIC with the reserve a MAC address;
- associate the reserve MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure for the IHS;
- detect a presence of the networked device by an operating system of the IHS;
- access a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol to expose a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver that is specific to the device descriptor;
- load the UEFI PXE driver into a UEFI platform;
- and
- provision the LAN-based NIC with the reserve MAC address using the UEFI PXE driver in place of the archived OEM MAC Address.
13 more elements
A method comprising:
- detecting, during a boot of a networked device that locally connects to an IHS via a LAN-based network interface controller (NIC), a device descriptor in the LAN-based NIC, the device descriptor indicative of a capability for assigning a MAC address to the networked device;
- in response to detecting the device descriptor, exposing an interface of a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol driver;
- loading a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver into a UEFI platform;
- and
- provisioning, using the UEFI PXE driver, the NIC with a MAC address.
2 more elements
An information handling system (IHS) comprising:
- a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC);
- a networked device connected to the LAN-based NIC, which locally connects with the IHS, the networked device having a processor operably in communication with the LAN-based NIC to:
- detect, during a boot of the networked device, a device descriptor in the NIC, the device descriptor indicative of a capability for assigning a MAC address to the networked device;
- in response to detecting the device descriptor, expose an interface of a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol driver;
- load a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver into a UEFI platform;
- and
- provision, using the UEFI PXE driver, the NIC with a MAC address.
4 more elements
A system that addresses networked devices in a distributed information handling system (IHS), the system comprising:
- a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC);
- and
- a networked device that locally connects within the distributed IHS via the LAN-based NIC, the networked device having a processor that is communicatively connected to the LAN-based NIC and which executes firmware that makes the processor operable to:
- detect, during a boot of the networked device, a device descriptor in the LAN-based NIC, the device descriptor indicative of a capability for assigning a MAC address to the networked device;
- in response to detecting the device descriptor, expose an interface of a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol driver;
- load a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver into a UEFI platform;
- and
- provision, using the UEFI PXE driver, the NIC with a MAC address.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.