Method and system for providing a virtual universal serial port interface and a virtual storage interface

• US 7,424,419 B1
• Filed: 05/27/2003
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: QLogic Corporation (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Fike, John M., Fike, Melanie A., Kimball, Terence H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones; Hugh
• Application Number:
  US10/445,695
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 703 23- 24
• US Class Current: 703/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices

Abstract

A virtual universal serial port interface (“USI”) and a virtual storage device interface (“VSI”) interfacing with a host system and a remote console over a network link is provided. The USI includes a control register that receives control information from a processor and a legacy control register; and a status register that receives information from a legacy control register and based on that information, the processor formats information stored in a buffer destined for transmission over a serial port. The VSI includes, a first register that receives control information from a third register that stores control information sent by a processor used to update a fourth register that notifies the host system.

Claims

1. A base board management controller (BMC) interfacing with a host system and a remote console over a network link, comprising:

a virtual storage device interface that includes (a) a first control register for storing a command received from the host system for sending information to a storage device; and

(b) a first status register that is updated after the command is received from the host system; and

a processor that receives an interrupt after the first status register is updated;

wherein the processor (i) executes the command received from the host system;

(ii) builds a result image in response to the command, the result image being similar to a response that the host system expects to receive from the storage device; and

(iii) stores control information in a second control register of the virtual storage device interface;

wherein the control information is used to update a second status register of the virtual storage device interface, and the updated second status register indicates to the host system that the result image is ready to be read; and

wherein the BMC used for monitoring a system board of the host system also emulates the storage device and sends the information via the network link to the remote console instead of sending the information to the storage device, while the host system operates as if it is communicating with the storage device.

2. The BMC of claim 1, wherein the processor formats information received from the host system and transmits the formatted information via the network link to the remote console, instead of sending the information to the storage device.

3. The BMC of claim 1, wherein the processor reads the information received from the host system and maps individual sectors to a file instead of loading an entire storage device image.

4. The BMC of claim 1, wherein an interrupt is sent to the host system when the second status register is updated and the host system retrieves the result image created by the processor, which is similar to a response that the host system expects from the storage device.

5. A method for transmitting information received from a host system to a remote console over a network link, instead of transmitting the information to a storage device, comprising:

receiving a command from the host system to send the information to the storage device;

storing the command in a first control register of a virtual storage device interface of a baseboard board management controller (BMC), the BMC interfacing with the host system and the remote console;

updating a first status register of the virtual storage device interface with the received command;

generating an interrupt for a BMC processor after the first status register is updated;

executing the command, wherein the BMC processor executes the command;

generating a response to the command, wherein the BMC processor generates the response, which is similar to a response that the host system expects to receive from the storage device;

updating a second status register of the virtual storage device interface which indicates to the host system the response created by the BMC processor is ready to be read; and

sending the information to the remote console, instead of sending the information to the storage device, while the host system operates as if it is communicating with the storage device;

wherein the BMC used for monitoring a system board of the host system, emulates the storage device and sends the information via the network link to the remote console.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein an interrupt is sent to the host system after the second status register is updated and the host system retrieves the response created by the BMC processor, which is similar to a response that the host system expects from the storage device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the BMC processor reads the information from the host system and maps individual sectors to a file instead of loading an entire storage device image.