REMOTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20140222958A1
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emulex Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bostick, Bill, Daugherty, Bill, Bryant, Minh, Perelman, Alan, Nixon, Robert H., Lasor, William
• Granted Patent: US 10,375,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• 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

A system comprising a first host bus adapter coupled to a first Fibre Channel port and a remote manager associated with a second host bus adapter coupled to a second Fibre Channel port. The remote manager is operable to form a command to be sent by the second host bus adapter to the first host bus adapter via a Common Transport layer of a Fibre Channel.

Claims

1-153. -153. (canceled)

154. A method comprising:

receiving a file for a host bus adapter at a repository in a host server having the host bus adapter; and

performing a device-specific action by installing the file for the host bus adapter;

wherein the file is a host bus adapter driver or a firmware file,

wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to a storage area network, and

wherein the file is received at the repository in the host server through in-band communications through the storage area network.

155. The method of claim 154,

wherein the received file is sent from a remote manager to the host server,

wherein the device-specific action is performed in response to a remote manager command sent from the remote manager to the host server, and

wherein the file and the remote manager command are sent from the remote manager to the host server through network communications.

156. The method of claim 154, wherein the file is a firmware file that is compatible with the host bus adapter based on a checksum of the firmware file or based on whether the type of the firmware file matches the type of the host bus adapter.

157. A method comprising:

sending a file for a host bus adapter in a first repository in a remote manager to a second repository in a host server having the host bus adapter; and

sending a remote manager command from the remote manager to the host server, the remote manager command directing the host server to perform a device-specific action by installing the file for the host bus adapter;

wherein the file is a host bus adapter driver or a firmware file,

wherein the file and the remote manager command are sent from the remote manager to the host server through network communications.

158. The method of claim 157,

wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to a storage area network, and

wherein the file and the remote manager command are sent from the remote manager to the host server through in-band network communications through the storage area network.

159. The method of claim 157, wherein the file is a firmware file that is compatible with the host bus adapter based on a checksum of the firmware file or based on whether the type of the firmware file matches the type of the host bus adapter.

160. The method of claim 157, wherein the file is a firmware file that is compatible with the host bus adapter based on a checksum of the firmware file or based on whether the type of the firmware file matches the type of the host bus adapter.

161. A method comprising:

sending a file for a host bus adapter in a first repository in a remote manager to a host server having the host bus adapter; and

sending a remote manager command from the remote manager to the host server, the remote manager command directing the host server to perform a device-specific action;

receiving the file for the host bus adapter at a second repository in the host server having the host bus adapter; and

performing the device-specific action by installing the file for the host bus adapter;

wherein the file is a host bus adapter driver or a firmware file,

wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to a storage area network, and

wherein the file and the remote manager command are sent from the remote manager to the host server through in-band communications through the storage area network.

162. An apparatus comprising:

a host server comprising;

a host bus adapter; and

a repository,

wherein the host server is configured for;

receiving a file for the host bus adapter at the repository; and

performing a device-specific action by installing the file for the host bus adapter;

wherein the file is a host bus adapter driver or a firmware file,

wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to a storage area network, and

wherein the file is received at the repository in the host server through in-band communications through the storage area network.

163. The apparatus of claim 162,

wherein the received file is sent from a remote manager to the host server,

wherein the device-specific action is performed in response to a remote manager command sent from the remote manager to the host server, and

wherein the file and the remote manager command are sent from the remote manager to the host server through network communications.

164. The apparatus of claim 162, wherein the file is a firmware file that is compatible with the host bus adapter based on a checksum of the firmware file or based on whether the type of the firmware file matches the type of the host bus adapter.

170. A storage area network comprising the apparatus of claim 162.

165. An apparatus comprising:

a remote manager comprising;

a first repository;

wherein the remote manager is configured for;

sending a file for a host bus adapter in the first repository to a second repository in a host server having the host bus adapter; and

sending a remote manager command to the host server, the remote manager command directing the host server to perform a device-specific action by installing the file for the host bus adapter;

wherein the file is a host bus adapter driver or a firmware file,

wherein the file and the remote manager command are sent from the remote manager to the host server through network communications.

166. The apparatus of claim 165,

wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to a storage area network, and

wherein the file and the remote manager command are sent from the remote manager to the host server through in-band network communications through the storage area network.

167. The apparatus of claim 165, wherein the file is a firmware file that is compatible with the host bus adapter based on a checksum of the firmware file or based on whether the type of the firmware file matches the type of the host bus adapter.

171. A storage area network comprising the apparatus of claim 165.

168. A system comprising:

a remote manager comprising;

a first repository; and

a host server comprising;

a host bus adapter; and

a second repository;

wherein the remote manager is configured for;

sending a file for the host bus adapter in the first repository to the host server; and

sending a remote manager command to the host server, the remote manger command directing the host server to perform a device-specific action;

wherein the host server is configured for;

receiving the file for the host bus adapter at the second repository in the host server; and

performing the device-specific action by installing the file for the host bus adapter;

wherein the file is a host bus adapter driver or a firmware file,

wherein the host bus adapter is coupled to a storage area network, and

wherein the file and the command are sent from the remote manager to the host server through in-band communications through the storage area network.

169. The system of claim 168, wherein the file is a firmware file that is compatible with the host bus adapter based on a checksum of the firmware file or based on whether the type of the firmware file matches the type of the host bus adapter.

172. A storage area network comprising the system of claim 169.