ENABLING SOFTWARE SENSOR POWER OPERATION REQUESTS VIA BASEBOARD MANAGEMENT CONTROLLER (BMC)

• US 20200133681A1
• Filed: 10/25/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: GANESAN, VAIDEESWARAN, GNANASAMBANDAM, BALAMURUGAN, JANAKIRAM, TAMILARASAN, MUTHURAMAN, SREERAM
• Granted Patent: US 11,048,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/442 Shutdown
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

An information handling system (IHS), baseboard management controller (BMC) and method provide for coordinating the BMC and the host processor subsystem to avoid conflicts between power operations by BMC and maintenance activities by the host processor subsystem. In response to determining that a power operation is requested for the host processor subsystem, a service processor of the BMC determining whether a planned power operation (PPO) software sensor contains information indicating that the host processor subsystem is executing a critical operation utility. In response to determining that the host processor subsystem is not executing the critical operation utility, service processor updates/modifies information contained in the PPO software sensor to indicate that a power operation is scheduled. The modified information prevents the host processor subsystem from subsequently initiating execution of the critical operation utility. The service processor also schedules the power operation of the host processor subsystem.

Claims

1. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:

memory containing a critical operation utility;

a host processor subsystem communicatively coupled to the memory and which executes the critical operation utility; and

a baseboard management controller (BMC) communicatively coupled to the memory, the BMC comprising BMC memory with a planned power operation (PPO) software sensor and a service processor that executes a power operation utility to enable the IHS to;

determine that a power operation is requested for the host processor subsystem; and

in response to determining that the power operation is requested;

determine whether the PPO software sensor contains information indicating that the host processor subsystem is not executing the critical operation utility; and

in response to determining that the host processor subsystem is not executing the critical operation utility;

modify information in the PPO software sensor to indicate that a power operation is scheduled, the modified information preventing the host processor subsystem from subsequently initiating execution of the critical operation utility; and

scheduling the power operation of the host processor subsystem.

2. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the BMC enables the IHS to:

access information, contained in the PPO software sensor, of one or more permissible times for power operations; and

schedule the power operation to coincide with a selected one of the one or more permissible times.

3. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the critical operation utility supports one of a single-tasked cluster operation and a virtual machine (VM).

4. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the host processor subsystem modifies information in the PPO software sensor to indicate, based on whether or not the critical operation utility is being executed, a selected one of:

(i) reboot disabled; and

(ii) reboot enabled.

5. The IHS of claim 1, further comprising:

a network interface communicatively coupled to a remote system, wherein the BMC comprises a remote access controller (RAC) service module comprising;

a RAC service manager executed by the host processor subsystem of the IHS to interact with the PPO software sensor;

a RAC communicatively coupled to the communication interface, the RAC comprising the service processor which executes the power operation utility that enables the RAC service module to;

receive a software upgrade from the remote system;

store, via the RAC service manager, the software upgrade in system memory; and

schedule the power operation in response to receiving and storing the software upgrade.

6. The IHS of claim 5, wherein the RAC schedules the power operation by modifying information in the PPO software sensor to indicate the scheduled reboot.

7. The IHS of claim 1, wherein, in response to determining that the host processor subsystem is executing the critical operation utility, the BMC modifies information in the PPO software sensor to indicate that a power operation is requested, the modified information prevents the host processor subsystem from subsequently initiating execution of another critical operation.

8. A baseboard management controller (BMC) of an information handling system (IHS) comprising:

a system interface communicatively coupled to memory of the IHS, the memory containing a critical operation utility that is executed by a host processor subsystem of the IHS;

a BMC memory with a planned power operation (PPO) software sensor stored therein;

a service processor that executes a power operation utility to enable the BMC to;

determine that a power operation is requested for the host processor subsystem; and

in response to determining that the power operation is requested;

determine whether the PPO software sensor contains information that indicates that the host processor subsystem is not executing the critical operation utility; and

in response to determining that the host processor subsystem is not executing the critical operation utility;

modifies information in the PPO software sensor to indicate that a power operation is scheduled, the modified information prevents the host processor subsystem from subsequently initiating execution of the critical operation utility; and

schedules the power operation of the host processor subsystem.

9. The BMC of claim 8, wherein the service processor enables the IHS to:

access information contained in the PPO software sensor of one or more permissible times for power operations; and

schedule the power operation to coincide with a selected one of the one or more permissible times.

10. The BMC of claim 8, wherein the critical operation utility supports one of a single-tasked cluster operation and a virtual machine (VM).

11. The BMC of claim 8, wherein, in response to determining that the host processor subsystem is executing the critical operation utility, the service processor modifies information in the PPO software sensor to indicate that a power operation is requested to prevent the host processor subsystem from subsequently initiating execution of another critical operation.

12. A method of preventing maintenance operations from interfering with critical operations of an information handling system (IHS), the method comprising:

determining, by a baseboard management controller (BMC), that a power operation is requested for a host processor subsystem of an IHS; and

in response to determining that the power operation is requested;

determining whether a planned power operation (PPO) software sensor contained in a BMC memory contains information that indicates that the host processor subsystem is executing a critical operation utility contained in memory; and

in response to determining that the host processor subsystem is not executing the critical operation utility;

modifying information in the PPO software sensor to indicate that a power operation is scheduled, the modified information prevents the host processor subsystem from subsequently initiating execution of the critical operation utility; and

scheduling the power operation of the host processor subsystem.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

accessing information, contained in the PPO software sensor, of one or more permissible times for power operations; and

scheduling the power operation to coincide with a selected one of the one or more permissible times.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the critical operation utility supports one of a single-tasked cluster operation and a virtual machine (VM).

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising modifying information in the PPO software sensor to indicate a selected one of:

(i) reboot disabled; and

(ii) reboot enabled based on whether or not the critical operation utility is being executed.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a software upgrade from a remote system via a network interface of the IHS;

storing the software upgrade in system memory; and

scheduling the power operation in response to receiving and storing the software upgrade.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein scheduling the power operation comprises modifying information in the PPO software sensor to indicate the scheduled reboot.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising, in response to determining that the host processor subsystem is executing the critical operation utility, modifying, by the BMC, information in the PPO software sensor to indicate that a power operation is requested, the modified information prevents the host processor subsystem from subsequently initiating execution of another critical operation.