System and method for updating device firmware

• US 20050160257A1
• Filed: 01/16/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ali, Ahmad A. J., Kruger, Jack C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,197,634 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for providing updated firmware to remote devices. The firmware update is downloaded to the remote device and stored at a storage location at the remote device. Following the successful download and storage of the firmware update, an indicate is set to identify that a firmware update is available. The firmware of the device is updated with the software of the firmware update during the next boot of the device.

Claims

1. A method for updating the existing firmware in a device with replacement firmware, comprising the steps of:

downloading the replacement firmware to the device;

storing the replacement firmware in a storage location in the device;

determining if the replacement firmware was successfully downloaded to and stored at the device;

setting an indicator in the device if the download and storage of the replacement firmware was successful; and

replacing the existing firmware with the replacement firmware during the first boot of the device following the successful download and storage of the replacement firmware to the device.

2. The method for updating the existing firmware in a device with replacement firmware of claim 1, further comprising of transmitting a message to indicate that the download and storage of the replacement firmware was successful.

3. The method for updating the existing firmware in a device with replacement firmware of claim 2, wherein the step of replacing the existing firmware with the replacement firmware further comprises the steps of:

initiating a boot of the device;

determining whether the indicator identifies that the replacement firmware was successfully downloaded and stored to the device;

if the indicator identifies that that the replacement firmware was successfully downloaded and stored to the device, replacing the existing firmware of the device with the replacement firmware;

clearing the indicator; and

executing the replacement firmware as part of the boot of the device.

4. The method for updating the existing firmware in a device with replacement firmware of claim 3, wherein the device comprises a hard disk drive.

5. The method for updating the existing firmware in a device with replacement firmware of claim 4, wherein the storage location is disk storage in the hard disk drive.

6. The method for updating the existing firmware in a device with replacement firmware of claim 5, wherein the existing firmware is stored in flash memory on the hard disk drive.

7. The method for updating the existing firmware in a device with replacement firmware of claim 6, wherein the step of replacing the existing firmware with the replacement firmware comprise the step of writing the replacement firmware to the flash memory location of the existing firmware.

8. A network operable to update the firmware of a device of the network, comprising:

a host computer;

a device coupled through one or more network elements to the host computer, the device being operable to;

download replacement firmware from the host computer;

save the replacement firmware to a storage location in the device;

determine if the replacement firmware was successfully downloaded and saved to the location in the device;

set an indicator if the replacement firmware was successfully downloaded to the device; and

if the replacement firmware was successfully downloaded to the device, replace the existing firmware of the device with the replacement firmware during a boot of the device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the device is further operable to clear the indicator following the replacement of the existing software with the replacement software.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the device comprises a hard disk drive.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the storage location of the replacement firmware is disk storage of the hard disk drive.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the storage location of the existing firmware is flash memory of the hard disk drive.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the device is further operable to replace the existing firmware of the device by reading the replacement firmware from its location in disk storage and write the replacement firmware in the location of the existing firmware in flash memory.

14. A method for providing a firmware update in a remote device, the method comprising the steps of:

transferring the firmware update to the device;

storing the firmware update in a storage location in the device;

setting an indicator in the device if the steps of transferring and storing the firmware update were completed successfully;

setting an indicator if the download and storage of the firmware update was successful to indicate that a firmware update is available; and

updating the existing firmware with the firmware update during the next boot of the device.

15. The method for providing a firmware update in a remote device of claim 14, wherein the step of transferring the firmware update to the device comprises the step of downloading the firmware update from a remote source.

16. The method for updating firmware in a remote device of claim 15, further comprising the step of transmitting a message indicating that the download and storage of the firmware update was completed successfully.

17. The method for updating firmware in a remote device of claim 16, wherein the step of updating the firmware during the next boot of the device comprises the steps of:

monitoring whether the indicator has been set to indicate that replacement firmware is available;

writing the firmware update to the storage location associated with the existing firmware of the device; and

completing the boot of the device with the software of the firmware update.

18. The method for updating firmware in a remote device of claim 17, wherein the step of writing the firmware update to the storage location associated with the existing firmware of the device comprises the step of writing the firmware update over the existing firmware in the flash memory of the device.

19. The method for updating firmware in a remote device of claim 18,

wherein the device comprises a hard disk drive;

and

wherein the step of storing the firmware update in a storage location of the device comprises the step of storing the firmware update in disk storage on the hard disk drive.

20. The method for updating firmware in a remote device of claim 19, further comprising the step of clearing the indicator in the device following the step of writing the firmware update over the existing firmware in the flash memory of the device.