Cloning of firmware configuration settings using rest over IPMI interface

• US 10,649,792 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Megatrends International, LLC
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends International, LLC
• Inventors: Kulchytskyy, Igor, Santharam, Madhan B., Rathineswaran, Chandrasekar, Doppalapudi, Harikrishna, Nallagatla, Purandhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Roni, Syed A
• Application Number:
  US15/893,565
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/36 for access to common bus or bus system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/034 Test or assess a computer or a system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for a representational state transfer (“REST” or “RESTful”) over Intelligent Platform Management Interface (“IPMI”) interface for firmware to baseboard management controller (“BMC”) communication and applications thereof. These applications include, but are not limited to, remote firmware configuration, firmware updates, peripheral device firmware updates, provision of management information such as system inventory data, cloning and batch migration of firmware configuration settings, and firmware integrity monitoring. This functionality can be provided in a way that enables communication between BMCs and firmware to utilize modern manageability interfaces while maintaining backward compatibility with previous IPMI implementations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining firmware configuration settings for a first computing system from a baseboard management controller (BMC) of the first computing system, the firmware configuration settings provided by a firmware of the first computing system to the BMC over a first representational state transfer (REST) over intelligent platform management interface (IPMI) interface;

receiving a request from a firmware of a second computing system for the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system following a reboot of the second computing system; and

responsive to the request, providing the firmware configuration settings to the BMC of the second computing system, whereby

the BMC of the second computing system provides the firmware configuration settings to the firmware of the second computing system via a second REST over IPMI interface, and

the firmware of the second computing system replaces current firmware configuration settings of the second computing system with the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the firmware of the second computing system requests the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) IPMI commands containing REST Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system are transmitted from the BMC of the second computing system to the firmware of the second computing system over the second REST over IPMI interface following the reboot of the second computing system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the firmware of the second computing system transmits the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system to the firmware of the second computing system using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) IPMI commands containing REST Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the second computing system is configured with the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system following a reboot of the second computing system.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface (UI) comprising UI controls for receiving a network address of the first computing system, a network address of the second computing system, and credentials for the BMC of the second computing system.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to:

obtain firmware configuration settings for a first computing system from a baseboard management controller (BMC) of the first computing system, the firmware configuration settings provided by a firmware of the first computing system to the BMC over a first representational state transfer (REST) over intelligent platform management interface (IPMI) interface;

receive a request from a firmware of a second computing system for the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system following a reboot of the second computing system; and

responsive to the request, provide the firmware configuration settings to the BMC of the second computing system, whereby

the BMC of the second computing system provides the firmware configuration settings to the firmware of the second computing system via a second REST over IPMI interface, and

the firmware of the second computing system replaces current firmware configuration settings of the second computing system with the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 having further instructions stored thereupon to cause the computing system to the firmware of the second computing system to request the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system from the BMC of the second computing system following a reboot of the second computing system.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 having further instructions stored thereupon to cause the firmware of the second computing system to request the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) IPMI commands containing REST Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 having further instructions stored thereupon to obtain the firmware configuration settings from the first computing system and transmit the firmware configuration settings from the BMC of the second computing system to the firmware of the second computing system over the second REST over IPMI interface following the reboot of the second computing system.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 having further instructions stored thereupon for configuring the firmware of the second computing system for transmitting the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system to the firmware of the second computing system using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) IPMI commands containing REST Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, having further instructions stored thereupon to provide a user interface (UI) comprising UI controls for receiving a network address of the first computing system, a network address of the second computing system, and credentials for the BMC of the second computing system.

13. A computing system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to;

obtain firmware configuration settings for a first computing system from a baseboard management controller (BMC) of the first computing system, the firmware configuration settings provided by a firmware of the first computing system to the BMC over a first representational state transfer (REST) over intelligent platform management interface (IPMI) interface;

receiving a request from a firmware of a second computing system for the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system following a reboot of the second computing system; and

responsive to the request, provide the firmware configuration settings to the BMC of the second computing system, whereby

the BMC of the second computing system provides the firmware configuration settings to the firmware of the second computing system via a second REST over IPMI interface, and

the firmware of the second computing system replaces current firmware configuration settings of the second computing system with the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the firmware of the second computing system requests the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system from the BMC of the second computing system following a reboot of the second computing system.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the firmware of the second computing system requests the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) IPMI commands containing REST Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests.

16. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the firmware of the second computing system transmits the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system to the firmware of the second computing system using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) IPMI commands containing REST Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the second computing system is configured with the firmware configuration settings obtained from the first computing system following a reboot of the second computing system.