LOW LEVEL INITIALIZER

• US 20110093572A1
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Koehler, Loren M., Choksey, Dhruv, Duisenberg, Kenneth C.
• Application Number:
  US12/999,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

Various embodiments of a method of configuring a predefined set of electrically isolated blades to function as a single blade are described. In one embodiment, a configuration rule is accessed, wherein a portion of the configuration rule assigns roles to management processors coupled with the predefined set of conjoined blades of a blade partition. Assistant management processors are directed to configure blade manageability modules to support the assigned roles. The blade manageability modules are coupled with the management processors. In one embodiment, the assistant management processors are directed to configure resources to be shared across the blade partition according to the configuration rule. After determining that the conjoined blades are configured according to the configuration rule, the conjoined blades are initialized. Thus, the conjoined blades are coordinated to function as a single blade.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a predefined set of electrically isolated blades to function as a single blade, said method comprising:

accessing a configuration rule, wherein a portion of said configuration rule assigns roles to management processors coupled with a predefined set of conjoined blades of a blade partition;

directing assistant management processors to configure blade manageability modules to support said roles, said blade manageability modules coupled with said management processors;

directing said assistant management processors to configure resources to be shared across said blade partition according to said configuration rule; and

initializing said conjoined blades after determining that said conjoined blades are configured according to said configuration rule, thereby coordinating said conjoined blades to function as a single blade.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said directing assistant management processors to configure blade manageability modules to support said roles comprises:

re-ordering said conjoined blades according to said configuration rule to match said blade partition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said directing assistant management processors to configure blade manageability modules to support said roles comprises:

dividing said conjoined blades into multiple permutations according to said configuration rule.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a positive determination that said conjoined blades are configured according to said configuration rule.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said initializing said blades comprises:

requesting electrical power; and

after receiving said power, issuing a reset of said conjoined blades within said blade partition.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a portion of said configuration rule and a hardware configuration of said blade partition, wherein said portion is an identification of said conjoined blades.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said accessing said configuration rule comprises:

accessing said configuration rule at a database.

6. A low level initializer (LLI) comprising:

a configuration rule receiver configured for receiving a configuration rule defining a particular configuration of blades to be conjoined within a blade partition;

an assistant management processor director configured for directing an assistant management processor to configure said blades to be conjoined according to said configuration rule; and

a blade initializer configured for initializing conjoined blades after determining that said conjoined blades are configured according to said configuration rule.

7. The LLI of claim 6, wherein said configuration rule comprises:

defined roles of management processors.

8. The LLI claim 7, wherein said defined roles comprise:

a role as a middle management processor.

9. The LLI of claim 7, wherein said defined roles comprise:

a role as an assistant management processor.

10. The LLI of claim 6, wherein said blade intializer comprises:

a blade configuration determiner configured for determining if said conjoined blades are configured according to said configuration rule.

11. The LLI of claim 6, wherein said blade initializer comprises:

a power requester configured for requesting electrical power when said conjoined blades have been determined to be configured according to said configuration rule.

12. The LLI of claim 11, wherein said blade initializer comprises:

a blade reset issuer configured to issue various types of resets across all conjoined blades within said blade partition via inter-blade communication and coordination, after receiving said electrical power.

17. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing said configuration rule to said management processors of said conjoined blades when said portion of said configuration rule correlates with said hardware configuration.

13. A computer usable medium wherein instructions reside thereon, which, when executed cause a computer system to perform a method of configuring a predefined set of electrically isolated blades to function as a single blade within a blade partition, said method comprising:

receiving a configuration rule defining a particular configuration of blades to be conjoined within a predefined set of conjoined blades of a blade partition;

directing assistant management processors to configure said blades to be conjoined according to said configuration rule;

requesting electrical power after determining if conjoined blades are configured according to said configuration rule; and

issuing a reset of said conjoined blades to enable the coordination of said conjoined blades and functionality of said conjoined blades as a single blade within said blade partition.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 13, wherein said receiving a configuration rule comprises:

accessing role assignations of management processors coupled with said conjoined blades.

15. The computer usable medium of claim 14, wherein said directing assistant management processors comprises:

directing said assistant management processors to configure blade manageability modules coupled with said conjoined blades to support said role assignations.