Collecting and altering firmware configurations of target machines in a software provisioning environment

• US 8,892,700 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul, Likins, Adrian Karstan, Vidal, Seth Kelby
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US12/393,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A provisioning server can provide and interact with a firmware tool on target machines. The firmware tool can communicate with the firmware of the target machines and collect data representing the configuration of the firmware of the target machines, independent of the types of the target machines. To communicate independent of the type of target machine, the firmware tool can include a translation library. The translation library enables the firmware tool to receive common instructions for interacting with firmware and convert those common instructions into specific instructions that are compatible with different types of the target machines.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a processor, a firmware tool to a target machine for execution on the target machine, wherein the firmware tool locally collects data representing a configuration of firmware of the target machine and wherein the firmware tool collects the data independent of a type of the target machine by using a translation library of the firmware tool to receive common instructions to interact with the firmware and convert the common instructions into specific instructions for a particular type of the target machine; and

receiving, by the processor, the data from the firmware tool.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing the data in a firmware record.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the data with previously stored data in a firmware record; and

providing the previously stored data to the firmware tool if the data differs from the previously stored data, the firmware tool to apply the previously stored data to the firmware of the target machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the data comprises:

instructing a network management server to collect the data from the firmware tool; and

receiving the data from the network management server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware tool is contained within a disk image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the firmware tool further comprises:

instructing a helper client on the target machine to retrieve the firmware tool.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

transmitting the firmware tool to the target machine over a network; and

sending instructions to alter a power state of the target machine after transmitting the firmware tool.

8. A system comprising:

a network interface to a network of target machines; and

a provisioning server, communicating with the network interface and a network management server, the provisioning server to;

provide a firmware tool to a target machine in the network for execution on the target machine, wherein the firmware tool locally collects data representing a configuration of firmware of the target machine and wherein the firmware tool collects the data independent of a type of the target machine by using a translation library included in the firmware tool to receive common instructions to interact with the firmware and convert the common instructions into specific instructions for a particular type of the target machine; and

receive the data from the firmware tool.

9. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server to store the data in a firmware record.

10. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server to:

compare the data with previously stored data in a firmware record; and

provide the previously stored data to the firmware tool if the data differs from the previously stored data, the firmware tool to apply the previously stored data to the firmware of the target machine.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein receiving the data comprises:

instructing the network management server to collect the data from the firmware tool; and

receiving the data from the network management server.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the firmware tool is contained in a disk image.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

instructing a helper client on the target machine to retrieve the firmware tool.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

transmitting the firmware tool to the target machine over the network; and

sending instructions to alter a power state of the target machine after transmitting the firmware tool.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing, by the processor, a firmware tool to a target machine for execution on the target machine, wherein the firmware tool locally collects data representing a configuration of firmware of the target machine and wherein the firmware tool collects the data independent of a type of the target machine by using a translation library included in the firmware tool to receive common instructions to interact with the firmware and convert the common instructions into specific instructions for a particular type of the target machine; and

receiving, by the processor, the data collected from the firmware tool.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

storing the data in a firmware record.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

comparing the data with previously stored data in a firmware record; and

providing the previously stored data to the firmware tool if the data differs from the previously stored data, the firmware tool to apply the previously stored data to the firmware of the target machine.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein receiving the data comprises:

instructing a network management server to collect the data from the firmware tool; and

receiving the data from the network management server.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the firmware tool is contained in a disk image.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

instructing a helper client on the target machine to retrieve the firmware tool.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein providing the firmware tool comprises:

transmitting the firmware tool to the target machine over a network; and

sending instructions to alter a power state of the target machine after transmitting the firmware tool.