Dynamic firmware updating

• US 10,101,988 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2013
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Ford, Thomas, Schumacher, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Brophy, Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US14/759,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20150355897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading

Abstract

A dynamic firmware update process includes finding an updated version of a dynamic data-object in firmware memory. A callback handle for an in-use version of the dynamic data object in use by a consumer is identified. The consumer of updated version of dynamic data object is notified using the callback handle.

Claims

1. A non-transitory storage media encoded with code defining a data manager and firmware, the firmware including data volumes including respective data-object versions along with associated data-object identifiers (IDs) and data-object version IDs, the data manager being executable by a system to:

in response to a request from a consumer for a dynamic data object, identify a most-recent version of the dynamic data object using a data-object ID for the dynamic data object and data-object version IDs for different versions of the dynamic data object;

store a callback handle for the consumer in association with the most-recent version of the dynamic data object; and

provide the most-recent version of the dynamic data object to the consumer so that the dynamic data object becomes an in-use dynamic data object,

wherein another of the data-object versions is a static data object for which an update can only be put in use after a reboot following a writing of the updated static data object to a data volume of the firmware, the data volumes including an attribute for each respective data-object version of the data-object versions indicating whether the respective data-object version is static or dynamic.

2. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable on the processor to;

find an updated version of a data object;

determine whether the data object is a static data object or a dynamic data object;

in response to determining that the data object is a static data object, decline to fulfill a consumer request for the static data object until a reboot of the system has occurred;

in response to determining that the data object is a dynamic data object;

identify a callback handle for an in-use version of the dynamic data object; and

using the callback handle, notify a consumer of the dynamic data object of the existence of the updated version of the dynamic data object.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the identifying of the callback handle comprises accessing a data structure that associates callback handles of respective consumers with data-object IDs of dynamic data objects in use by the respective consumers, wherein the identified callback handle is a selected one of the callback handles in the data structure.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the consumer that is notified is a software entity.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the updated version of the data object is for a firmware.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the determining of whether the data object is a static data object or a dynamic data object comprises accessing attributes associated with data objects in a firmware, each attribute of the attributes indicating whether a respective data object of the data objects is static or dynamic.

3. A non-transitory storage media storing instructions that upon execution cause a system to:

receive a request for a data object from a consumer;

determine whether the data object is a static data object or a dynamic data object;

in response to determining that the data object is a static data object, decline to fulfill the request until a reboot of the system has occurred;

in response to determining that the data object is a dynamic data object;

identify in firmware memory a most-recent of plural versions of the dynamic data object;

store a callback handle for the consumer in association with an identity of the dynamic data object; and

provide the most-recent version to the consumer.

4. The non-transitory storage media of claim 3, wherein the instructions upon execution cause the system to:

write an updated version of the data object to the firmware memory; and

in response to the writing, notify the consumer of the updated version of the data object.

9. The non-transitory storage media of claim 3, wherein the determining of whether the data object is a static data object or a dynamic data object comprises accessing attributes associated with data objects in a firmware, each attribute of the attributes indicating whether a respective data object of the data objects is static or dynamic.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by at least one processor of a computing system, a first request for a first data object from a first consumer;

receiving, by the at least one processor, a second request for a second data object from a second consumer;

determining whether each of the first data object and the second data object is a static data object or a dynamic data object;

in response to determining that the first data object is a static data object, decline to fulfill the request until a reboot of the system has occurred;

in response to determining that the second data object is a dynamic data object;

identifying in firmware memory a most-recent of plural versions of the dynamic data object;

storing a callback handle for the second consumer in association with an identify of the dynamic data object; and

providing the most-recent version to the second consumer.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

writing an updated version of the second data object to the firmware memory; and

in response to the writing, notifying the second consumer of the updated version of the second data object.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the updated version of the data object is for a firmware.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of whether the first data object and the second data object is a static data object or a dynamic data object comprises accessing a plurality of attributes corresponding to a plurality of data objects in a firmware, each attribute of the attributes indicating whether a respective data object of the data objects is static or dynamic.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second consumer that is notified is a software entity.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the first consumer and the second consumer are a same consumer.