Method of activating management mode through a network for monitoring a hardware entity and transmitting the monitored information through the network

• US 7,146,512 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Zimmer, Vincent J., Rothman, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cribbs, Malcolm
• Application Number:
  US10/611,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20040268113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 713/153, 713/300, 713/310, 713/320
• US Class Current: 713/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0826 for reduction of network costs H04L41/0833 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/084 Configuration by using pre-existing information, e.g. using templates or copying from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities

Abstract

A method and system to implement a virtual out-of-band management controller. A management mode of operation of a processing system is activated in response to a signal received via a network. A portion of code copied from a firmware unit into system memory of the processing system is executed during the management mode of operation to interact with at least one hardware entity of the processing system. A runtime monitor is further executed during the management mode of operation to determine information about the at least one hardware entity via executing the portion of code and to transmit the information over the network. Subsequently, the management mode of operation is deactivated.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

copying a portion of code from a firmware unit into system memory, the portion of code including discovery and initialization code;

activating a management mode of operation in response to a signal received via a network;

executing the discovery and initialization code during the management mode of operation to discover and initialize at least one hardware entity of a processing system;

executing a runtime monitor during the management mode of operation, the runtime monitor to determine information about the at least one hardware entity via executing the discovery and initialization code, the runtime monitor to transmit the information over the network; and

deactivating the management mode of operation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein copying the portion of code from the firmware unit includes copying the discovery and initialization code into a reserved portion of system memory.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the copying the discovery and initialization code includes copying driver execution environment (“

DXE”

) code executed during a DXE phase of an extensible firmware interface (“

EFI”

) framework standard.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the discovery and initialization code is copied into the reserved portion of system memory during a pre-boot runtime.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein activating the management mode of operation includes activating a system management mode (“

SMM”

) in response to a system management interrupt (“

SMI”

), the SMI triggered in response to the signal received via the network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the runtime monitor to determine the information includes executing the runtime monitor in response to requests for the information received via the network.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the information includes at least one of a temperature reading of the at least one hardware entity, an execution log of the at least one hardware entity, and a memory image of the at least one hardware entity.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the runtime monitor further includes executing tasks in response to commands received via the network.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the tasks include resetting the at least one hardware entity, performing input/output data transfers with the at least one hardware entity via the network, generating execution logs relating to the at least one hardware entity, and turning the at least one hardware entity off.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one hardware entity includes a processor, the firmware unit, the system memory, a communication link, and an adapter card.

11. A machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a machine, will cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

copying a portion of code from a firmware unit into a reserved portion of system memory;

copying a runtime monitor from the firmware unit into the reserved portion of system memory;

copying a runtime monitor handle from the firmware unit into a protected memory that is distinct from the reserved portion of system memory, the runtime monitor handle to invoke the runtime monitor during a management mode of operation;

activating the management mode of operation in response to a signal received via a network;

executing the portion of code during the management mode of operation to interact with at least one hardware entity of the machine;

executing the runtime monitor during the management mode of operation, the runtime monitor to determine information about the at least one hardware entity via executing the portion of code, the runtime monitor to transmit the information over the network; and

deactivating the management mode of operation.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein the protected memory is system management random access memory (“

SMRAM”

).

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein:

copying the portion of code includes copying driver execution environment (“

DXE”

) code executed during a DXE phase of an extensible firmware interface (“

EFI”

) framework standard.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein the DXE code is copied into the reserved portion of system memory during a pre-boot runtime.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein:

executing the portion of code copied from the firmware unit includes executing the DXE code.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein:

activating the management mode of operation includes activating a system management mode (“

SMM”

) in response to a system management interrupt (“

SMI”

), the SMI triggered in response to the signal received via the network.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein:

executing the runtime monitor to determine the information includes executing the runtime monitor in response to requests for the information received via the network.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein the information includes at least one of a temperature reading of the at least one hardware entity, an execution log of the at least one hardware entity, and a memory image of the at least one hardware entity.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein:

executing the runtime monitor further includes executing tasks in response to commands received via the network, the tasks including one or more of resetting the at least one hardware entity, performing input/output data transfers with the at least one hardware entity via the network, generating execution logs relating to the at least one hardware entity, and turning the at least, one hardware entity off.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further embodying instructions that, if executed by the machine, will cause the machine to perform the operations wherein the at least one hardware entity includes a processor, the firmware unit, the system memory, a communication link, and an adapter card.

21. A processing system, comprising:

a processor to execute instructions in both a system management mode (“

SSM”

) and an operating system (“

OS”

) runtime mode of operation;

a hardware entity communicatively coupled to the processor;

a communication link communicatively coupled to the processor; and

a flash memory unit communicatively coupled to the processor and having stored therein a runtime monitor, the runtime monitor to execute during the SMM to determine information about the hardware entity and to transmit the information over a network via the communication link, wherein the SMM is activated by an interrupt generated in response to a signal received from the network via the communication link, wherein the processor copies at least a portion of hardware discovery and initialization code being stored in the flash memory unit into the system memory during a pre-boot runtime of the processor, the processor to execute the discovery and initialization code during the SMM to enable the runtime monitor to interact with the hardware entity.

22. The processing system of claim 21, further comprising system memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the processor to copy the runtime monitor into the system memory and to execute the runtime monitor during the SMM therefrom.

23. The processing system of claim 22 wherein the discovery and initialization code comprises driver execution environment (“

DXE”

) code executed during a DXE phase of an extensible firmware interface (“

EFI”

) framework standard to initialize the processing system.

24. The processing system of claim 21 wherein the SMM is activated in response to a system management interrupt (“

SMI”

), the SMI triggered in response to the signal received from the network.

25. The processing system of claim 21 wherein the information includes at least one of a temperature reading of the hardware entity, an execution log of the hardware entity, a status report of the hardware entity, and a memory image of the hardware entity.

26. The processing system of claim 25 wherein the hardware entity includes one of the processor, system memory, the flash memory unit, the communication link, and an adapter card.

27. The processing system of claim 21 wherein the runtime monitor further executes tasks in response to commands received via the network during the SMM.

28. The processing system of claim 21, further comprising a plurality of hardware entities, the runtime monitor to execute during the SMM to determine information about the plurality of hardware entities and to transmit the information over a network via the communication link.