SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADDING AND STORING GROUPS OF FIRMWARE DEFAULT SETTINGS

• US 20170046151A1
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Original Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Inventors: HSU, Chin-Huai
• Granted Patent: US 10,055,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A system, method and computer-readable storage devices for enabling improved management and installation of default configurations for firmware such as a basic input/output system (BIOS) or unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) on a computer motherboard. The system disclosed herein includes an additional storage device connected to system south bridge, which can store additional groups of default firmware configuration settings. The additional storage device is accessible directly by both the firmware and the baseboard management controller (BMC), so that a remote entity can update the firmware through an out-of-band network connection without using a local operating system and without booting into a local firmware update utility. In one variation, the additional storage can still be separately accessible via a local operating system. In this way, the configuration procedure is more flexible and convenient for managing multiple computing devices, such as for managing a rack of servers in a data center.

Claims

1. A motherboard comprising:

a connecting bus that connects a firmware, a storage device, and a baseboard management controller,

wherein the firmware configured with a first default configuration,

wherein the baseboard management controller further comprises a network interface,

wherein the storage device is accessible via at least one of the firmware and the baseboard management controller to modify an additional default configuration stored in the storage device, and

wherein the storage device is external to the firmware.

2. The motherboard of claim 1, wherein the firmware is configured to detect a change in the storage device representing the additional default configuration and overwrite the first default configuration with the additional default configuration.

3. The motherboard of claim 1, wherein the connecting bus is an I²C bus.

4. The motherboard of claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises at least one of a removable storage device or an integrated storage device on the motherboard.

5. The motherboard of claim 1, wherein the storage device contains multiple additional default configurations.

6. The motherboard of claim 5, wherein each of the multiple additional default configurations is assigned a priority.

7. The motherboard of claim 6, wherein the firmware is configured to detect a change in the storage device representing the additional default configuration, select one of the multiple additional default configurations based on priority, and overwrite the first default configuration with a highest priority one of the multiple additional default configurations.

8. The motherboard of claim 1, wherein the storage device is accessible via the baseboard management controller to modify the additional default configuration stored in the storage device without entering a firmware configuration user interface and without involving an operating system.

9. The motherboard of claim 1, wherein the storage device is accessible via the firmware to modify the additional default configuration stored in the storage device as the firmware is executing.

10. The motherboard of claim 1, wherein the firmware comprises at least one of UEFI or BIOS.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface connected to a firmware of a computing device and without involvement of an operating system of the computing device, a request to modify an additional default configuration stored in a storage device external to the firmware, wherein the additional default configuration is targeted for the firmware;

modifying the additional default configuration according to the request;

setting a flag indicating that the additional default configuration has been modified; and

at a next boot, upon detecting that the flag has been set, reading the additional default configuration from the storage device and overwriting the firmware with the additional default configuration.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage device having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving instructions to modify settings of a firmware via a graphical user interface of the firmware as the firmware is executing, to yield modified settings;

receiving a command to save the modified settings on a storage device external to the firmware; and

saving the modified settings as a modified default setting on the storage device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

configuring the firmware to load the modified default setting from the storage device at a next boot.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage device having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving instructions to load a default setting for a firmware via a graphical user interface of the firmware as the firmware is executing, wherein the default setting is stored on a storage device external to the firmware;

retrieving the default setting from the storage device; and

overwriting at least a portion of the firmware with the default setting.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the storage device comprises at least one of a removable storage device or an integrated storage device associated with the firmware.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the storage device contains multiple default settings.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 16, wherein each of the multiple additional default settings is assigned a priority.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the storage device is accessible via a baseboard management controller to modify the default setting stored in the storage device without involving an operating system.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the firmware comprises at least one of UEFI or BIOS.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage device of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

causing the firmware to reboot using the default setting.