Configuring a remote management module in a processing system

• US 8,090,810 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Insley, Mark W., Kalra, Pradeep, Snyder, Peter, Gilson, Dan H. III, Gujar, Mitalee
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nooristany, Sulaiman
• Application Number:
  US11/074,229
• Time in Patent Office: 2,496 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-225, 709/217, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247

Abstract

A remote management module (RMM) can be configured, in one embodiment, via the processing system that the RMM is monitoring. In one embodiment, the present invention includes allowing a user access to a processing system being monitored by a RMM, and configuring the RMM without the user accessing the RMM.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, in an operating system of a storage server via a first hardware interface of the storage server, system configuration parameters for configuring the storage server, wherein the system configuration parameters include a user credential for a user to access the operating system of the storage server;

receiving, in the operating system of the storage server via the first hardware interface of the storage server, RMM configuration parameters for configuring a first remote management module (RMM) of the storage server, wherein the first RMM is for monitoring the storage server, wherein the first RMM has a second hardware interface that is separate from the first hardware interface, wherein the first RMM is further for communicating with a remote administrative console through the second hardware interface, and wherein the first RMM can continuously and independently operate to communicate a monitored status of the storage server to the remote administrative console irrespective of a failure of the storage server;

causing, by the operating system of the storage server, the first RMM to be configured by pushing the RMM configuration parameters and the user credential to the first RMM;

authenticating the user for access to the first RMM based on the user credential at the first RMM;

upon detection, by the storage server, that the first RMM is uninitialized, causing the first RMM to be configured with the RMM configuration parameters and the user credential, wherein the user credential enables the user to access the first RMM; and

in response to detecting that the first RMM has been swapped with a second RMM, causing, by the operating system of the storage server, the second RMM to be configured with the service configuration parameters by pushing the RMM configuration parameters and the user credential to the second RMM;

wherein the RMM is further configured to;

perform diagnostic functions on the processing system;

debug the processing system; and

upgrade software on the processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein pushing the RMM configuration parameters includes generating a configuration file and transferring the configuration file from the operating system of the storage server to the first RMM.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the user credential in a nonvolatile memory of the first RMM.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a change in the user credential used to access the storage server, and automatically updating the user credential stored in the non-volatile memory by pushing the changed user credential to the first RMM.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the RMM configuration parameters include network access parameters, wherein the network access parameters include an IP Address, netmask, and gateway address.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising accessing the first RMM through the second hardware interface over a network using the network access parameters.

7. A storage server comprising:

a storage processor;

a memory to store a storage operating system for execution on the storage processor;

a first remote management module (RMM) configured to run a service operating system, the first RMM including a network interface to allow access to the first RMM over a network, wherein the first RMM independently allows monitoring of the storage server over the network, and wherein the first RMM is configured to continuously and independently operate to communicate, over the network, a monitored status of the storage operating system to a remote administrative console irrespective of a failure of the storage server;

a configuration interface of the storage operating system to allow a user to input configuration data, including a user credential, used to configure the storage operating system and configure of the first RMM, wherein the configuration interface is separate from the network interface of the first RMM,

wherein, when the storage operating system detects that the first RMM is uninitialized, the storage operating system is configured to push the configuration data and the user credential to the first RMM,

wherein, when the storage operating system detects that the first RMM is swapped for a second RMM, the storage operating system is configured to push the configuration data and the user credential to the second RMM to enable access for the user to the second RMM; and

a communication interface between the storage processor and an RMM of the first and the second RMM, the communication interface operable to send a portion of the configuration data from the storage operating system to the RMM to enable the storage operating system to configure the RMM;

wherein the RMM is further configured to;

perform diagnostic functions on the processing system;

debug the processing system; and

upgrade software on the processing system.

8. The storage server of claim 7, wherein the communication interface includes a serial interface implementing a packet protocol.

9. The storage server of claim 7, wherein the storage operating system is different from the service operating system.

10. The storage server of claim 7, wherein the storage operating system sends a portion of the configuration data used to configure the first RMM to the first RMM upon boot.

11. The storage server of claim 7, wherein the memory stores a configuration database that includes the received configuration data, the configuration data including configuration parameters used to configure the first RMM.

12. The storage server of claim 11, wherein the storage operating system transmits the configuration parameters used to configure the first RMM to the second RMM upon detecting that the first RMM has been replaced swapped with the second RMM.

13. A method comprising:

receiving configuration parameters via a configuration interface of an operating system of a storage server, wherein the configuration parameters include system configuration parameters used to configure the storage server, and service configuration parameters used to configure a first remote management module (RMM) of the storage server, wherein the service configuration parameters include an IP address, netmask, and gateway for the first

RMM, wherein the system configuration parameters include a user credential to authenticate a user to the storage server,

wherein the first RMM is for monitoring the storage server, and wherein the receiving is performed via a hardware interface of the storage server separate from a network interface of the first RMM, and wherein the first RMM is configured to continuously and independently operate to communicate a monitored status of the storage server to a remote administrative console irrespective of a failure of the storage server;

sending the service configuration parameters and the user credential from the operating system to the first RMM;

upon detection by the operating system that the first RMM is uninitialized, configuring, by the operating system, the first RMM with the service configuration parameters and the user credential, wherein the user credential enables the user to access the first RMM;

upon detecting by the operating system that the first RMM has been swapped for a second RMM, configuring the second RMM with the service configuration parameters and the user credential, to enable the user access to the second RMM

wherein the RMM is further configured to;

perform diagnostic functions on the processing system;

debug the processing system; and

upgrade software on the processing system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

configuring the storage server with the system configuration parameters.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising synchronizing the user credential by pushing an updated user credential of the storage server to the first RMM.

16. A method comprising:

generating a first user interface for receiving, via a configuration interface, system configuration parameters used to configure a processing system, wherein the system configuration parameters include a user credential to authenticate a user to the processing system;

generating a second user interface for receiving, via the configuration interface, service configuration parameters used to configure a first remote management module (RMM) of the processing system, the first RMM for monitoring the processing system wherein the first RMM is configured to continuously and independently operate to communicate a monitored status of the processing system to a remote administrative console irrespective of a failure of the processing system;

receiving, in the processing system, via a configuration hardware interface of the processing system separate from a monitoring hardware interface of the first RMM, the system configuration parameters from the first user interface and the service configuration parameters from the second user interface;

configuring, by the processing system, the first RMM with the service configuration parameters and the user credential without access by the user to the first RMM via the monitoring hardware interface, wherein the user credential enables the user to access the first RMM;

upon detection, by the processing system, that the first RMM has been swapped with a second RMM, configuring the second RMM with the service configuration parameters and the user credential to enable the user to access the second RMM

wherein the RMM is further configured to;

perform diagnostic functions on the processing system;

debug the processing system; and

upgrade software on the processing system.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored therein a set of instructions which, when executed by a processor of a processing system, cause the processing system to:

generate a configuration interface including;

a set of system configuration fields to allow a configuration entity to input to the processing system, through a first hardware interface, system configuration parameters for configuring the processing system, the system configuration parameters including a user credential to authenticate a user to the processing system; and

a set of remote management module (RMM) configuration fields to allow the configuration entity to input, through the first hardware interface, RMM configuration parameters for configuring a first RMM coupled with the processing system, wherein the first RMM includes a second hardware interface that is separate from the first hardware interface, and wherein the first RMM is configured to;

monitor functions and state of the processing system and continuously and independently communicate a monitored status of the processing system to a remote administrative console through the second hardware interface irrespective of a failure of the processing system;

receive via the configuration interface the system configuration parameters;

receive via the configuration interface the RMM configuration parameters;

configure the processing system utilizing the system configuration parameters;

and cause the first RMM to be configured with the RMM configuration parameters and the user credential; and

in response to detecting that the first RMM has been swapped for a second RMM, cause the second RMM to be configured with the RMM configuration parameters and the user credential;

wherein the RMM is further configured to;

perform diagnostic functions on the processing system;

debug the processing system; and

upgrade software on the processing system.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the processing system includes a storage server.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the failure of the processing system is a power failure.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein, upon the failure of the processing system, the first RMM issues a notification, via the second hardware interface, to the remote administrative console.