System and method for automatically updating bios setup options

• US 10,541,868 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Original Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Inventors: Chou, Yung-Fong, Tsai, Chung-Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Henderson, Esther B.
• Application Number:
  US15/442,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20180248749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for enabling an administrator or a controller to update BIOS setup options on a server system and then automatically update the BIOS setup options on other server systems in a baseboard management controller (BMC) virtual local area network (VLAN). For example, the method may comprise: receiving, at a specific controller of a node, a command to update the BIOS setup option; determining whether the specific controller is a master by checking an internal flag of the specific controller; in an event that the specific controller is neither a master or a slave, broadcasting a master request to the VLAN; determining whether a reply is received within a predetermined time period; in an event that the reply is not received, setting the internal flag of the specific controller as a master; and sending an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) completion response.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically broadcasting a basic input/output system (BIOS) setup option among a plurality of nodes in a virtual local-area network (VLAN), comprising:

receiving, at a specific microcontroller of a node of the plurality of nodes, a command to update a BIOS setup option on the node;

determining that the specific microcontroller is neither a master nor a slave based upon an internal flag of the specific microcontroller;

broadcasting a master request to the VLAN that is in the same as the VLAN of the specific controller;

determining that no response to the master request is received within a predetermined time period;

setting the internal flag of the specific microcontroller as the master; and

sending out a first completion response to indicate that the specific microcontroller is the master and is enabled to broadcast updated BIOS setup option on the node to the VLAN that is in the same as the VLAN of the specific controller.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving the updated BIOS setup option on the node;

triggering a system management interrupt (SMI) prior to resetting the node; and

causing a SMI handler to get variables of BIOS setup options and send the variables to the specific microcontroller.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the specific microcontroller is the master based upon the internal flag;

broadcasting the updated BIOS setup option to the VLAN;

setting the internal flag of the specific microcontroller to none;

sending out a second completion response to indicate that the updated BIOS setup option has been broadcasted; and

resetting the node.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the internal flag indicates the specific microcontroller as the slave or none; and

resetting the node.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the variables comprise a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) variable.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the variables are sent from the SMI handler to the specific microcontroller via an Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) protocol.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the specific microcontroller is the master; and

sending out a third completion response to indicate that the specific microcontroller is already the master and is enabled to broadcast updated BIOS setup option on the node to the VLAN.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the specific microcontroller is the slave; and

sending out a fourth completion response to indicate that the specific microcontroller is the slave and is not ready to broadcast the updated BIOS setup option.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that at least one response to the master request is received within the predetermined time period;

setting the internal flag of the specific microcontroller as the slave; and

sending out a fifth completion response to indicate that the specific microcontroller is the slave and is not ready to broadcast the updated BIOS setup option.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the command is an OEM Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) command indicating the specific microcontroller as the master to broadcast the updated BIOS setup option.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a BIOS setup utility for an administrator to update the BIOS setup option on the node.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing another node of the plurality of nodes to be powered on;

causing the another node to receive the updated BIOS setup option from the specific microcontroller;

causing Power-on-Self-Test (POST) of the another node to get the updated BIOS setup option to overwrite an existing BIOS setup option on the another node; and

causing the POST to continue on the another node.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first completion response is sent to a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) shell interface.

14. A server system, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the server system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at a specific microcontroller of a node of a plurality of nodes in a virtual local-area network (VLAN), a command to update a BIOS setup option on the node;

determining that the specific microcontroller is neither a master nor a slave based upon an internal flag of the specific microcontroller;

broadcasting a master request to the VLAN that is in the same as the VLAN of the specific controller;

determining that no response to the master request is received within a predetermined time period;

setting the internal flag of the specific microcontroller as the master; and

sending out a first completion response to indicate that the specific microcontroller is the master and is enabled to broadcast updated BIOS setup option on the node to the VLAN that is in the same as the VLAN of the specific controller.

15. The server system of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

saving the updated BIOS setup option on the node;

triggering a system management interrupt (SMI) prior to resetting the node; and

causing a SMI handler to get variables of BIOS setup options and send the variables to the specific microcontroller.

16. The server system of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

determining that the specific microcontroller is the master based upon the internal flag;

broadcasting the updated BIOS setup option to the VLAN;

setting the internal flag of the specific microcontroller to none;

sending out a second completion response to indicate that the updated BIOS setup option has been broadcasted; and

resetting the node.

17. The server system of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

determining that the internal flag indicates the specific microcontroller as the slave or none; and

resetting the node.

18. The server system of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

determining that at least one response to the master request is received within the predetermined time period;

setting the internal flag of the specific microcontroller as the slave; and

sending out a fifth completion response to indicate that the specific microcontroller is the slave and is not ready to broadcast the updated BIOS setup option.

19. The server system of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

providing a BIOS setup utility for an administrator to update the BIOS setup option on the node.

20. The server system of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

causing another node of the plurality of nodes to be powered on;

causing the another node to receive the updated BIOS setup option from the specific microcontroller;

causing Power-on-Self-Test (POST) of the another node to get the updated BIOS setup option to overwrite an existing BIOS setup option on the another node; and

causing the POST to continue on the another node.