Methods and systems for updating and recovering firmware within a computing device over a distributed network

• US 7,673,301 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2004
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Megatrends International, LLC
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Richardson, Brian, Petree, Jerry, Righi, Stefano
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUTTEN, JAMES D
• Application Number:
  US10/771,245
• Time in Patent Office: 2,219 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717/171, 717/172
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates 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

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for updating and recovering firmware within computers over a distributed network. While a computer is in an operating system independent state, a determination is made as to whether the firmware within the computer is valid. The firmware may be the BIOS for the computer. If it is determined that the current firmware is invalid, a recovery request is sent to a manager computer monitoring for recovery requests. The manager computer sends a new firmware image over the network to the computer. The invalid firmware is then updated with the new firmware image. An instruction to update the firmware of the computer may also be sent from a manager computer to computers monitoring for instructions. When the instruction is received, the computer transitions to an operating system independent recovery state, receives a new firmware image over the network, and updates with the new firmware image.

Claims

1. A method for updating firmware within at least one network attached computer over a distributed network comprising:

receiving over the distributed network at the network attached computer, an instruction to begin a firmware recovery procedure, the instruction received while executing an operating system, the operating system being separate from the firmware;

in response to receiving the instruction, rebooting the network attached computer to an operating system independent operating environment;

receiving a new firmware image in fragments over the distributed network in the operating system independent environment;

receiving a broadcast status request prior to updating a current firmware with the new firmware image;

in response to receiving the broadcast status request, determining whether a rebroadcast of any fragment of the new firmware image is necessary;

in response to determining that the rebroadcast of one or more fragments is necessary, sending a request for the rebroadcast of the fragments;

in response to sending the request for the rebroadcast of the fragments, receiving the rebroadcast of the fragments in response to sending the request; and

in response to receiving the new firmware image, updating the current firmware within the network attached computer with the new firmware image, in the operating system independent environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction to begin the firmware recovery procedure is received from a manager computer by an agent application executing on the network attached computer in an operating system dependent state, and wherein the method further comprises in response to rebooting to an operating system independent operating environment, sending a notification of readiness to update from the network attached computer over the distributed network to the manager computer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein updating the current firmware with the new firmware image comprises erasing the current firmware and copying the new firmware image to a memory location of the network attached computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the rebroadcast of any fragments of the new firmware image is necessary comprises determining whether any fragments are missing or corrupted.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fragments of the new firmware image are numbered.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed network supports a user datagram protocol/Internet protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a communication port of the network attached computer for the instruction to begin the recovery procedure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the communication port of the network attached computer is monitored by a recovery OS application that monitors instruction activity upon only one communication port and utilizes additional processor resources on the network attached computer only upon receiving the instruction.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to updating the current firmware with the new firmware image, sending a notification of the update to the manager computer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the current firmware is valid after being updated; and

when it is determined that the current firmware is valid then initiating a boot of the network attached computer utilizing the current firmware.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware within the network attached computer comprises a BIOS of the network attached computer.

12. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method of claim 1.

13. A computer storage medium comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

14. A method for recovering BIOS on a network attached computer over a distributed network, comprising:

determining whether a current BIOS within the network attached computer is invalid;

booting the network attached computer with the current BIOS in response to determining that the current BIOS within the network attached computer is valid;

while the network attached computer is in an operating system independent state, sending a recovery request in response to determining that the current BIOS is invalid, the BIOS being separate from the operating system;

in response to sending the recovery request, receiving a new BIOS image over the distributed network; and

in response to receiving the new BIOS image, updating the current BIOS with the new BIOS image;

determining whether the updated current BIOS is valid after being updated with the new BIOS image; and

in response to determining that the updated current BIOS is valid, booting the network attached computer with the updated current BIOS.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the recovery request is sent to a network address of a recovery manager computer storing the new BIOS image.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the network address of the recovery manager computer is stored on the network attached computer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the network address of the recovery manager computer is located by querying a baseboard management controller operating on the network attached computer.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein updating the current BIOS with the new BIOS image comprises erasing the current BIOS from and copying the new BIOS image to a memory location of the network attached computer.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein sending the new BIOS image comprises broadcasting the BIOS image as a broadcast packet and wherein the new BIOS image is received in fragments over the distributed network, further comprising:

prior to updating the current BIOS and in response to receiving the new BIOS image, receiving a broadcast status request;

in response to receiving the broadcast status request, determining whether a rebroadcast of any fragments of the new BIOS image is necessary;

in response to determining that the rebroadcast of one or more the fragments is necessary, sending a request for the rebroadcast of the fragments over the distributed network; and

in response to sending the request for the rebroadcast of the fragments, receiving over the distributed network, the fragments of the new BIOS image requested.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining whether the rebroadcast of any fragments of the new BIOS image is necessary comprises determining whether any fragments are missing or corrupted.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the fragments of the new BIOS image are numbered and the request for the rebroadcast excludes or includes a number for each fragment requested.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to updating the current BIOS with the new BIOS image, sending a notification of the update to the recovery manager computer.

23. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method of claim 14.

24. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 14.

25. A system for updating the firmware of at least one network attached computer over a network, the system comprising:

a first computer operative to;

send an instruction to update the firmware of the network attached computer over the network;

receive a notification of readiness for update from the network attached computer over the network; and

in response to receiving the notification of readiness, send a new firmware image over the network; and

a second computer comprising the network attached computer operative to;

monitor a communications port of the second computer for the instruction to update the firmware;

in response to receiving the instruction, transition to an OS independent recovery state;

in response to transitioning to the recovery state, send the notification of readiness to the first computer over the network;

in response to sending the notification of readiness, receive the new firmware image; and

in response to receiving the new firmware image, update the current firmware with the new firmware image.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the first computer is further operative to reboot the second computer utilizing the current firmware after the current firmware is updated with the new firmware image.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the network supports user datagram protocol/Internet protocol, wherein the new firmware image is received in fragments over the distributed network, and wherein the second computer is further operative to:

prior to updating the current firmware and in response to receiving the new firmware image, receive a broadcast status request from the first computer; and

in response to receiving the broadcast status request, identify any fragments of the new firmware image that are corrupted or missing;

in response to identifying one or more of the fragments that are corrupted or missing, send a request for the rebroadcast of the fragments identified over the network to the first computer; and

in response to sending the request for rebroadcast of the fragments identified, receive over the network from the first computer, the fragments of the new firmware image requested.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the second computer is further operative to in response to updating the current firmware with the new firmware image, send a notification of the update over the network to the first computer and wherein the system further comprises a display device wherein the first computer is further operative to display update status messages via the display device.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the firmware comprises a BIOS of the second computer.

30. A system for recovering the BIOS of at least one network attached computer over a network, the system comprising:

a first computer operative to;

monitor a communication port of the first computer for at least one recovery request;

receive the recovery request from the network attached computer;

in response to receiving the recovery request, send a new BIOS image over the network; and

reboot the second computer with the updated current BIOS after the current BIOS is updated with the new BIOS image; and

a second computer comprising the network attached computer operative to;

determine whether a current BIOS on the second computer is invalid while in an operating system independent recovery state, the BIOS being separate from the operating system;

in response to determining that the current BIOS is invalid, send the recovery request to the first computer over the network while the second computer is in the operating system independent recovery state;

in response to sending the recovery request, receive the new BIOS image; and

in response to receiving the new BIOS image, update the current BIOS with the new BIOS image.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the network supports user datagram protocol/Internet protocol, wherein the new BIOS image is received in fragments over the network, and wherein the second computer is further operative to:

prior to updating the current BIOS and in response to receiving the new BIOS image, receive a broadcast status request from the first computer; and

in response to receiving the broadcast status request, identify any fragments of the new BIOS image that are corrupted or missing;

in response to identifying one or more of the fragments that are corrupted or missing, send a request for the rebroadcast of the fragments identified over the network to the first computer; and

in response to sending the request for rebroadcast of the fragments identified, receive over the network from the first computer, the fragments of the new BIOS image requested.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the BIOS comprises a BIOS of the second computer and wherein recovery of the BIOS is executed while the second computer is in an OS independent state.