System and Method for Runtime Update of ESRT Table for Hot-Pluggable Disks

• US 20170357500A1
• Filed: 06/13/2016
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Vidyadhara, Sumanth, Madala, Raveendra Babu
• Granted Patent: US 10,423,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/24 using interrupt G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0026 PCI express
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

An information handling system includes a memory, a remote access controller, and a host processor. The memory to store an extensible firmware interface (EFI) system resource table (ESRT) and an ESRT capsule. The remote access controller to detect an insertion of a hot-pluggable device into the information handling system, to retrieve firmware details for the hot-pluggable device, to create a firmware capsule payload based on the firmware details, and to store the firmware capsule payload in the memory. The host processor to operate in a pre-boot mode, and in an operating system runtime mode. The host processor, while in the operating system runtime, to retrieve the firmware capsule payload from the memory, to update a cached operating system ESRT based on the firmware capsule payload, to retrieve updated firmware for the hot-pluggable device, and to create the ESRT capsule based on the updated firmware.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a memory to store an extensible firmware interface (EFI) system resource table (ESRT) and an ESRT capsule;

a remote access controller to communicate with the memory, the remote access controller to detect an insertion of a hot-pluggable device into the information handling system, to retrieve firmware details for the hot-pluggable device, to create a firmware capsule payload based on the firmware details, and to store the firmware capsule payload in the memory; and

a host processor to communicate with the memory, the host processor operable in a pre-boot mode and in an operating system runtime mode, the host processor while in the operating system runtime to retrieve the firmware capsule payload from the memory, to update a cached operating system ESRT based on the firmware capsule payload, to retrieve updated firmware for the hot-pluggable device, and to create the ESRT capsule based on the updated firmware.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein while in the pre-boot mode, the host processor to consume the ESRT capsule, to update the ESRT with data from the ESRT capsule, and to retrieve updates for the hot-pluggable device.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the host processor, while in the operating system runtime mode, to receive an interrupt from the remote access controller prior to retrieving the firmware capsule payload from the memory.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the cached operating system ESRT is a copy of the ESRT, and the cached operating system is accessible by the host processing while operating in the operating system runtime mode.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the ESRT is only accessible by the host processor during the pre-boot mode.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the pre-boot mode is executed based on a firmware management protocol.

7. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the hot-pluggable device is a non-peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) device.

8. A method comprising:

during an operating system runtime mode of a host processor;

detecting, by a remote access controller, an insertion of a hot-pluggable device into an information handling system;

retrieving firmware details for the hot-pluggable device;

creating a firmware capsule payload based on the firmware details;

storing the firmware capsule payload in a memory;

retrieving, by the host processor, the firmware capsule payload from the memory, the host processor to operate in the operating system runtime mode and in a pre-boot operation mode;

updating a cached operating system ESRT based on the firmware capsule payload;

retrieving updated firmware for the hot-pluggable device; and

creating the ESRT capsule based on the updated firmware.

9. The method of claim 8, while the host processor is operating in the pre-boot mode, the method further comprising:

consuming, at the host processor, the ESRT capsule;

updating, by the host processor, the ESRT with data from the ESRT capsule; and

retrieving updates for the hot-pluggable device.

10. The method of claim 8, while in the operating system runtime further comprising:

receiving an interrupt from the remote access controller prior to retrieving the firmware capsule payload from the memory.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the cached operating system ESRT is a copy of the ESRT, and the cached operating system is accessible by the host processing while operating in the operating system runtime mode.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the ESRT is only accessible by the host processor during the pre-boot mode.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the pre-boot mode is executed based on a firmware management protocol.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the hot-pluggable device is a non-peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) device.

15. A method comprising:

operating a host processor in an operating system runtime mode and in a pre-boot mode;

while the host processor is operating in the operating system runtime mode;

retrieving firmware details for a hot-pluggable device inserted into an information handling system;

creating a firmware capsule payload based on the firmware details;

retrieving, by the host processor, the firmware capsule payload;

updating a cached operating system ESRT based on the firmware capsule payload;

retrieving updated firmware for the hot-pluggable device; and

creating the ESRT capsule based on the updated firmware; and

while the host processor is operating in the pre-boot mode;

consuming, at the host processor, the ESRT capsule;

updating, by the host processor, the ESRT with data from the ESRT capsule; and

retrieving updates for the hot-pluggable device.

16. The method of claim 15, while in the operating system runtime further comprising:

receiving an interrupt from the remote access controller prior to retrieving the firmware capsule payload from the memory.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the cached operating system ESRT is a copy of the ESRT, and the cached operating system is accessible by the host processing while operating in the operating system runtime mode.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the ESRT is only accessible by the host processor during the pre-boot mode.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the pre-boot mode is executed based on a firmware management protocol.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the hot-pluggable device is a non-peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) device.