Firmware update mechanism in a multi-node data processing system

• US 7,219,343 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schwartz, William Bradley, Almeida, Jason Robert, Gibson, Gregg Kent, Nathan, Willie James Jr., Klodnicki, Edward Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kiss; Eric B.
• Application Number:
  US10/411,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717/171, 717/172, 709/215, 719/312, 712/13, 712 28- 31
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Updating firmware on multiple systems or nodes within a merged networked environment includes providing firmware update code and a firmware update utility to a primary node. The firmware update utility determines the presence of a multi-node partition and detects the partition'"'"'s configuration. The configuration determination includes determining the location of a remote service processor on each secondary node. The primary node creates an image of the firmware update code and distributes the created image to each of the secondary node service processors over a sideband link. Each of the remote service processors would then restart their respective systems. The node'"'"'s BIOS detects the presence of the firmware update code on the service processor and forces the node to boot the update code directly. After the firmware update is complete, the firmware update code is deleted. When it subsequent restart occurs, the nodes will boot to the merged state.

Claims

1. A method of updating firmware in a multiple node, data processing partition comprising a boot node and a second node wherein the boot node and the second node share a common set of resources, the method comprising:

providing firmware update code to the boot node;

creating an executable image of the firmware update code on the boot node;

distributing the image to a second node of the system, wherein distributing the image to the second node comprises transferring the image from system memory of the boot node directly to service processor adapters of the boot and second nodes;

causing a reset of the second node;

and as part of the second node boot sequence following the reset, determining that a firmware update image is present and, responsive thereto, booting the firmware update image to update the second node firmware.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, following the firmware update, performing a partition boot sequence to configure the boot and second nodes as a single partition, wherein the flash update of the second node occurs while maintaining the partition configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the firmware updated code comprises inserting a removable media into a disk drive of the boot node and wherein creating an executable image comprises creating an uncompressed image of the firmware update code in system memory of the boot node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein distributing the image to a second node comprises transferring the image from system memory of the boot node to a service processor adapter of the boot node and transferring the image from the boot node service processor adapter to a second node service processor adapter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein causing a reset of the second node is further characterized as causing a reset with the service processor adapter.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining that the firmware update image is present is further characterized as determining that the second node service processor adapter contains the image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein booting the firmware update comprises transferring the image from a second node service processor adapter to second node system memory and modifying a disk interrupt handler to read from system memory.

8. A computer program product comprising computer executable code for updating firmware on multiple nodes of a data processing partition, the code being stored on a computer readable medium, comprising:

code means for creating an executable firmware update image on a boot node of the data processing system;

code means for distributing the image from the boot node to service processor adapters on the boot and second nodes of the system;

code means for causing the boot and second nodes to boot and, as a portion of their boot sequences, determining the presence of the image on their respective service processor adapters;

and code means for transferring the image to its system memory and booting the image directly from system memory to update its firmware responsive to each node determining the presence of the image on its service processor adapter.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising, following the firmware update, performing a partition boot sequence to configure the system as a partition comprising the merged processing, memory, and I/O resources of each node.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein distributing the image from the boot node is further characterized as passing the image from the boot node system memory to the boot node service processor adapter and then transferring the image from the boot node service processor adapter to the second node service processor adapter.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein causing the boot and second nodes to boot is further characterized as causing a power reset on the boot and second nodes while maintaining power to the service processor adapters.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein creating the executable firmware update image comprises decompressing firmware update code stored on a removable media.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein transferring the image to system memory is further characterized as performing a direct memory access with the service processor adapter and wherein booting the image directly from system memory includes modifying a disk interrupt handler to read from system memory.

14. A method of programming firmware in a data processing system comprising a boot node and a second node, comprising:

creating an executable firmware update image on a boot node of the data processing system;

distributing the image from the boot node to service processor adapters on the boot and second nodes of the system;

causing the boot and second nodes to boot and, as a portion of their boot sequences, determining the presence of the image on their respective service processor adapters;

and responsive to each node determining the presence of the image on its service processor adapter, transferring the image to its system memory and booting the image directly from system memory to update its firmware.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, following the firmware update, performing a partition boot sequence to configure the system as a partition comprising the merged processing, memory, and I/O resources of each node.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein distributing the image from the boot node is further characterized as passing the image from the boot node system memory to the boot node service processor adapter and then transferring the image from the boot node service processor adapter to the second node service processor adapter.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein causing the boot and second nodes to boot is further characterized as causing a power reset on the boot and second nodes while maintaining power to the service processor adapters.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein creating the executable firmware update image comprises decompressing firmware update code stored on a removable media.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein transferring the image to system memory is further characterized as performing a direct memory access with the service processor adapter and wherein booting the image directly from system memory includes modifying a disk interrupt handler to read from system memory.

20. A multi-node data processing system, comprising:

a first node and a second node configured as a data processing partition, wherein processing, memory, and I/O resources of the first and second nodes are shared under a single operating system image;

and means for using firmware update code provided to a single node of the partition to update the firmware of each of the nodes, wherein the firmware update process leaves the system in the partition configuration, wherein the firmware update code comprises;

code means for creating an executable firmware update image on the first node of the data processing system;

code means for distributing the image from the first node to service processor adapters on the first and second nodes of the system;

code means for causing the first and second nodes to boot and, as a portion of their boot sequences, determining the presence of the image on their respective service process adapters; and

code means for transferring the image to its system memory and booting the image directly from system memory to update its firmware responsive to each node determining the presence of the image on its service processor adapter.