SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COLLECTING AND ALTERING FIRMWARE CONFIGURATIONS OF TARGET MACHINES IN A SOFTWARE PROVISIONING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100217843A1
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: VIDAL, Seth Kelby, LIKINS, Adrian Karstan, DEHAAN, Michael Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,892,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A provisioning server can provide and interact with a firmware tool on target machines. The firmware toot can communicate with the firmware of the target machines and collect data representing the configuration of the firmware of the target machines, independent of the types of the target machines. To communicate independent of the type of target machine, the firmware tool can include a translation library. The translation library enables the firmware tool to receive common instructions for interacting with firmware and convert those common instructions into specific instructions that are compatible with different types of the target machines.

Claims

1. A method of managing a software provisioning environment, comprising:

providing, from a provisioning server, a firmware tool to at least one target machine in a network of target machines, wherein the firmware tool is configured to collect data representing a configuration of firmware of the at least one target machine and wherein the firmware tool is configured to collect the data independent of a type of the at least one target machine; and

receiving the data at the provisioning server.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing the received data in a firmware record.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

comparing the received data with previously stored data in a firmware record; and

providing the previously stored data to the firmware tool if the received data differs from the previously stored data, wherein the firmware tool is configured to apply the previously stored data to the firmware of the at least one target machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the data comprises:

instructing a network management server to collect the data from the firmware tool; and

receiving the data from the network management server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware tool is a disk image containing the firmware tool.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

instructing a helper client on the at least one target machine to retrieve the firmware tool.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises;

transmitting the firmware tool to the at least one target machine over the network; and

sending instructions to alter a power state of the at least one target machine after transmitting the firmware tool.

8. A system for managing a software provisioning environment, comprising:

a network interface to a network of target machines; and

a provisioning server, communicating with the network interface and a network management server, the provisioning server being configured to

provide a firmware tool to at least one target machine in the network of target machines, wherein the firmware tool is configured to collect data representing a configuration of firmware of the at least one target machine and wherein the firmware tool is configured to collect the data independent of a type of the at least one target machine; and

receive the data representing the configuration of the firmware.

9. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server being further configured to

store the received data in a firmware record.

10. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server being further configured to

compare the received data with previously stored data in a firmware record;

and

provide the previously stored data to the firmware tool if the received data differs from the previously stored data, wherein the firmware tool is configured to apply the previously stored data to the firmware of the at least one target machine.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein receiving the data comprises:

instructing the network management server to collect the data from the firmware tool; and

receiving the data from the network management server.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the firmware tool is a disk image containing the firmware tool.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

instructing a helper client on the at least one target machine to retrieve the firmware tool.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

transmitting the firmware tool to the at least one target machine over the network; and

sending instructions to alter a power state of the at least one target machine after transmitting the firmware tool.

15. A provisioning application, the provisioning application being embodied m a computer readable storage medium and comprising instructions for causing a processor to perform a method comprising:

providing a firmware tool to at least one target machine in a network of target machines, wherein the firmware tool is configured to collect data representing a configuration of firmware of the at least one target machine and wherein the firmware tool is configured to collect the data independent of a type of the at least one target machine; and

receiving the data collected by the firmware tool.

16. The provisioning application of claim 15, the method further comprising:

storing the received data in a firmware record.

17. The provisioning application of claim 15, the method further comprising:

comparing the received data with previously stored data in a firmware record; and

providing the previously stored data to the firmware tool if the received data differs from the previously stored data, wherein the firmware tool is configured to apply the previously stored data to the firmware of the at least one target machine.

18. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein receiving the data comprises:

instructing a network management server to collect the data from the firmware tool; and

receiving the data from the network management server.

19. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein the firmware tool is a disk image containing the firmware tool.

20. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

instructing a helper client on the at least one target machine to retrieve the firmware tool.

21. The provisioning application of claim 15, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

transmitting the firmware tool to the at least one target machine over the network; and

sending instructions to alter a power state of the at least one target machine after transmitting the firmware tool.

22. A firmware tool, the firmware tool being embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising instructions for causing a processor to perform a method comprising:

collecting data representing a configuration of firmware of at least one target machine, wherein the firmware tool is configured to collect the data independent of a type of the at least one target machine; and

providing the collected data to a requester of the data.

23. The firmware tool of claim 22, the method further comprising:

determining commands, associated with the type of the at least one target machine, to communicate with the firmware of the at least one target machine; and

collecting the data utilizing the commands.