Hardware diagnostics and software recovery on headless server appliances

• US 9,280,433 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Saretto, Cesare John, Gray, James C., Lyon, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US13/349,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2284 by power-on test, e.g. power-on self test [POST]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system

Abstract

Described is a headless server appliance configured with a secondary actuation mechanism that when actuated, enters the headless server appliance into a diagnostic mode. For example, the diagnostic mode may correspond to a secondary operating system booted from a BIOS component activated by the secondary actuation mechanism. In the diagnostic mode, primitives may be communicated between a client device coupled (e.g., via a network or USB connection) to the headless server appliance, such as to provide the client device with access to the headless server appliance'"'"'s hard disk. Other primitives, such as communicated via APIs, may provide the client device with access to the BIOS. The secondary operating system and/or client device may perform diagnostics and recovery operations on the headless server appliance. For example, the client device or similar source may restore or update the primary operating system image to a storage medium of the headless server appliance.

Claims

1. A headless server appliance, comprising:

a hard disk;

a Universal Serial Bus (USB) mass storage device that is configured to access and control the hard disk, the USB mass storage device being independent of an operating system of the headless server appliance;

a USB hub connected to the USB mass storage device and a USB port, the USB hub being independent of an operating system of the headless server appliance; and

an actuation mechanism that when actuated enters the headless server appliance into a diagnostic mode in which the USB hub is exposed to a client device that is coupled to the headless server appliance via the USB port, such exposure enabling the client device to interact with the USB mass storage device independently of the operating system of the headless server appliance for the purpose of reading data from the hard disk to the client device and writing data from the client device to the hard disk.

2. The headless server appliance of claim 1 wherein the actuation mechanism comprises a button.

3. The headless server appliance of claim 1 wherein the actuation mechanism comprises connection of a device to the headless server appliance.

4. The headless server appliance of claim 3 wherein the actuation mechanism comprises connection of the client device to the headless server appliance via the USB port.

5. The headless server appliance of claim 1 wherein the actuation mechanism comprises the receipt of data over a network connection.

6. The headless server appliance of claim 1 further comprising a BIOS coupled to the actuation mechanism, the BIOS activated by the actuation mechanism to enter the headless server appliance into the diagnostic mode.

7. The headless server appliance of claim 6, wherein hardware of the headless server appliance in combination with the BIOS exposes the USB hub to the client device in the diagnostic mode.

8. The headless server appliance of claim 1, further comprising a diagnostic mode API that is exposed to the client device as one or more USB devices accessible via the USB port.

9. The headless server appliance of claim 8, wherein the diagnostic mode API provides the client device with at least one functionality of a set, the set including, providing access to the hard disk, running recovery software, performing diagnostics, running a utility, running a disk check, repairing a primary operating system, writing a new copy of the primary operating system onto the hard disk, recovering data off of at least one hard disk, or any combination thereof.

10. The headless server appliance of claim 1 wherein the client device operates a diagnostic program that communicates with the headless server appliance, or operates a recovery process that writes a primary operating system to a storage medium of the headless server appliance, or operates both the diagnostic program and the recovery process.

11. The headless server appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a second hard disk;

wherein, in the diagnostic mode, the client device is enabled to interact with the USB mass storage device for the purpose of accessing the second hard disk.

12. The headless server appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a second hard disk; and

a second USB mass storage device;

wherein, in the diagnostic mode, the client device is enabled to interact with the second USB mass storage device for the purpose of accessing the second hard disk.

13. A headless server appliance, comprising:

a hard disk;

a Universal Serial Bus (USB) mass storage device that is configured to control and access the hard disk, the USB mass storage device being independent of an operating system of the headless server appliance;

a USB port connected to the USB mass storage device; and

means for entering the headless server appliance into a secondary state in which a diagnostic program executing upon a client device coupled to the headless server appliance via the USB port is enabled to perform diagnostic functions upon the headless server appliance, the diagnostic functions including at least interacting with the USB mass storage device to write data from the client device to the hard disk.

14. The headless server appliance of claim 13 wherein the means for entering the headless server appliance into the secondary state comprises an actuation mechanism coupled to a BIOS of the headless server appliance.

15. The headless server appliance of claim 13, further comprising:

a USB hub that connects the USB port to the USB mass storage device; and

a BIOS that exposes the USB hub to the client device during the secondary state.

16. The headless server appliance of claim 13, further comprising:

a diagnostic mode API that is exposed to the client device as one or more USB devices accessible via the USB port.

17. The headless server appliance of claim 13, wherein the diagnostic functions further include at least one of running recovery software, performing diagnostics, running a utility, running a disk check, repairing a primary operating system, writing a new copy of the primary operating system onto the hard disk, recovering data off of at least one hard disk, or any combination thereof.

18. A method of operating a headless server appliance, comprising:

detecting the actuation of an actuation mechanism of the headless server appliance;

responsive to detecting the actuation of the actuation mechanism, causing basic input output system (BIOS) boot logic to boot the headless server appliance into a diagnostic mode;

during operation of the diagnostic mode, exposing a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub that is independent of an operating system of the headless server appliance to an external client device that is coupled to the headless server appliance via a USB port, the USB hub being connected to a USB mass storage device that is independent of the operating system of the headless server appliance and that is configured to access and control a hard disk of the headless server appliance independently of an operating system of the headless server appliance; and

responsive to interaction between the external client device and the USB mass storage device via the USB port and USB hub, writing data from the client device to the hard disk drive of the headless server appliance.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

during operation of the diagnostic mode, exposing a diagnostic mode API to the client device as one or more USB device accessible via the USB port.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

via the diagnostic mode API, providing the client device with at least one functionality of a set, the set including, providing access to the hard disk, running recovery software, performing diagnostics, running a utility, running a disk check, repairing a primary operating system, writing a new copy of the primary operating system onto the hard disk, recovering data off of at least one hard disk, or any combination thereof.