ROBUST FIRMWARE UPDATE WITH RECOVERY LOGIC

• US 20130125107A1
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wyse Technology Incorporated (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: BANDAKKA, Jyothi, VENKATANARANAPPA, Sridhara Chinya
• Granted Patent: US 8,869,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

The updating of firmware components on a client device is described. Operations may include facilitating parsing of a firmware update configuration file on the client device, wherein the firmware update configuration file identifies an update repository, one or more firmware updates, and update package information for each of the firmware updates; facilitating validation of each firmware update by comparing, for each firmware update, the update package information with information of an update package stored in the update repository; facilitating receiving the update package for each firmware update from the update repository; facilitating performing a backup of firmware components on the client device corresponding to the firmware updates; and facilitating updating of the firmware components using the received update packages.

Claims

1. A method for updating firmware components of a client device using a firmware update module running on the client device, the method comprising:

facilitating parsing of a firmware update configuration file on the client device, wherein the firmware update configuration file identifies a firmware update repository, one or more firmware updates, and a firmware update package name, size, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value for each of the one or more firmware updates;

facilitating validation of each of the one or more firmware updates by comparing, for each of the one or more firmware updates, the firmware update package name and size identified in the firmware update configuration file and a firmware update package name and size stored in the firmware update repository;

facilitating receiving, on the client device, from the firmware update repository, the firmware update package for each of the one or more firmware updates, calculating a CRC value of each received firmware update package, and comparing the calculated CRC value with the CRC value identified for the firmware update package in the firmware update configuration file;

facilitating performing a backup of one or more firmware components on the client device corresponding to the one or more firmware updates; and

facilitating updating of the one or more firmware components on the client device using the received firmware update package for each of the one or more firmware updates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more firmware updates include an update for at least one of a master boot record (MBR), a basic input/output system (BIOS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) memory, a firmware update module, and an operating system on the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware update module is stored in a dedicated partition of a non-volatile memory of the client device, the method further comprising:

facilitating booting the client device from the dedicated partition of the non-volatile memory storing the firmware update module.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

facilitating booting the client device using a pre-boot execution (PXE) module of the client device; and

facilitating retrieving, as part of the booting of the client device, the firmware update module from a PXE server in communication with the client device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware update module and the firmware update configuration file are stored in a removable storage device connected to the client device, the method further comprising:

facilitating booting the client device from the removable storage device storing the firmware update module and the firmware update configuration file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is in communication with a remote management server, the method further comprising:

facilitating scheduling, on the remote management server, a firmware update for updating firmware components of the client device; and

facilitating receiving, on the client device from the remote management server, the firmware update configuration file.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

facilitating determination that the updating of a particular firmware component of the one or more firmware components on the client has failed; and

in response to the determination, facilitating restoring of the particular firmware component on the client device from the backup of the firmware component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device comprises a non-volatile memory having first and second partitions, the method further comprising:

prior to facilitating updating of a firmware components located on the first partition of the non-volatile memory, facilitating setting of the second partition of the non-volatile memory as the primary boot partition on the client device.

9. A machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by one or more processors to perform one or more operations for updating firmware components of a client device using a firmware update module running on the client device, the one or more operations comprising:

facilitating parsing of a firmware update configuration file on the client device, wherein the firmware update configuration file identifies a firmware update repository, one or more firmware updates, and a firmware update package name, size, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value for each of the one or more firmware updates;

facilitating validation of each of the one or more firmware updates by comparing, for each of the one or more firmware updates, the firmware update package name and size identified in the firmware update configuration file and a firmware update package name and size stored in the firmware update repository;

facilitating receiving, on the client device, from the firmware update repository, the firmware update package for each of the one or more firmware updates, calculating a CRC value of each received firmware update package, and comparing the calculated CRC value with the CRC value identified for the firmware update package in the firmware update configuration file;

facilitating performing a backup of one or more firmware components on the client device corresponding to the one or more firmware updates; and

facilitating updating of the one or more firmware components on the client device using the received firmware update package for each of the one or more firmware updates.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more firmware updates include an update for at least one of a master boot record (MBR), a basic input/output system (BIOS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) memory, a firmware update module, and an operating system on the client device.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the firmware update module is stored in a dedicated partition of a non-volatile memory of the client device, and wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating booting the client device from the dedicated partition of the non-volatile memory storing the firmware update module.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating booting the client device using a pre-boot execution (PXE) module of the client device; and

facilitating retrieving, as part of the booting of the client device, the firmware update module from a PXE server in communication with the client device.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the firmware update module and the firmware update configuration file are stored in a removable storage device connected to the client device, and wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating booting the client device from the removable storage device storing the firmware update module and the firmware update configuration file.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the client device is in communication with a remote management server, and wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating scheduling, on the remote management server, a firmware update for updating firmware components of the client device; and

facilitating receiving, on the client device from the remote management server, the firmware update configuration file.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating determination that the updating of a particular firmware component of the one or more firmware components on the client has failed; and

in response to the determination, facilitating restoring of the particular firmware component on the client device from the backup of the firmware component.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the client device comprises a non-volatile memory having first and second partitions, and wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

prior to facilitating updating of a firmware components located on the first partition of the non-volatile memory, facilitating setting of the second partition of the non-volatile memory as the primary boot partition on the client device.

17. A hardware apparatus for updating firmware components of a client device using a firmware update module running on the client device, the hardware apparatus comprising:

one or more modules configured to perform one or more operations comprising;

facilitating parsing of a firmware update configuration file on the client device, wherein the firmware update configuration file identifies a firmware update repository, one or more firmware updates, and a firmware update package name, size, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value for each of the one or more firmware updates;

facilitating validation of each of the one or more firmware updates by comparing, for each of the one or more firmware updates, the firmware update package name and size identified in the firmware update configuration file and a firmware update package name and size stored in the firmware update repository;

facilitating receiving, on the client device, from the firmware update repository, the firmware update package for each of the one or more firmware updates, calculating a CRC value of each received firmware update package, and comparing the calculated CRC value with the CRC value identified for the firmware update package in the firmware update configuration file;

facilitating performing a backup of one or more firmware components on the client device corresponding to the one or more firmware updates; and

facilitating updating of the one or more firmware components on the client device using the received firmware update package for each of the one or more firmware updates.

18. The hardware apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more firmware updates include an update for at least one of a master boot record (MBR), a basic input/output system (BIOS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) memory, a firmware update module, and an operating system on the client device.

19. The hardware apparatus of claim 17, wherein the firmware update module is stored in a dedicated partition of a non-volatile memory of the client device, and wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating booting the client device from the dedicated partition of the non-volatile memory storing the firmware update module.

20. The hardware apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating booting the client device using a pre-boot execution (PXE) module of the client device; and

facilitating retrieving, as part of the booting of the client device, the firmware update module from a PXE server in communication with the client device.

21. The hardware apparatus of claim 17, wherein the firmware update module and the firmware update configuration file are stored in a removable storage device connected to the client device, and wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating booting the client device from the removable storage device storing the firmware update module and the firmware update configuration file.

22. The hardware apparatus of claim 17, wherein the client device is in communication with a remote management server, and wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating scheduling, on the remote management server, a firmware update for updating firmware components of the client device; and

facilitating receiving, on the client device from the remote management server, the firmware update configuration file.

23. The hardware apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

facilitating determination that the updating of a particular firmware component of the one or more firmware components on the client has failed; and

in response to the determination, facilitating restoring of the particular firmware component on the client device from the backup of the firmware component.

24. The hardware apparatus of claim 17, wherein the client device comprises a non-volatile memory having first and second partitions, and wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

prior to facilitating updating of a firmware components located on the first partition of the non-volatile memory, facilitating setting of the second partition of the non-volatile memory as the primary boot partition on the client device.

25. An apparatus for updating firmware components of a client device using a firmware update module running on the client device, the apparatus comprising:

means for facilitating parsing of a firmware update configuration file on the client device, wherein the firmware update configuration file identifies a firmware update repository, one or more firmware updates, and a firmware update package name, size, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value for each of the one or more firmware updates;

means for facilitating validation of each of the one or more firmware updates by comparing, for each of the one or more firmware updates, the firmware update package name and size identified in the firmware update configuration file and a firmware update package name and size stored in the firmware update repository;

means for facilitating receiving, on the client device, from the firmware update repository, the firmware update package for each of the one or more firmware updates, calculating a CRC value of each received firmware update package, and comparing the calculated CRC value with the CRC value identified for the firmware update package in the firmware update configuration file;

means for facilitating performing a backup of one or more firmware components on the client device corresponding to the one or more firmware updates; and

means for facilitating updating of the one or more firmware components on the client device using the received firmware update package for each of the one or more firmware updates.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more firmware updates include an update for at least one of a master boot record (MBR), a basic input/output system (BIOS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) memory, a firmware update module, and an operating system on the client device.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the firmware update module is stored in a dedicated partition of a non-volatile memory of the client device, the apparatus further comprising:

means for facilitating booting the client device from the dedicated partition of the non-volatile memory storing the firmware update module.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for facilitating booting the client device using a pre-boot execution (PXE) module of the client device; and

means for facilitating retrieving, as part of the booting of the client device, the firmware update module from a PXE server in communication with the client device.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the firmware update module and the firmware update configuration file are stored in a removable storage device connected to the client device, the apparatus further comprising:

means for facilitating booting the client device from the removable storage device storing the firmware update module and the firmware update configuration file.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the client device is in communication with a remote management server, the apparatus further comprising:

means for facilitating scheduling, on the remote management server, a firmware update for updating firmware components of the client device; and

means for facilitating receiving, on the client device from the remote management server, the firmware update configuration file.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for facilitating determination that the updating of a particular firmware component of the one or more firmware components on the client has failed; and

means for, in response to the determination, facilitating restoring of the particular firmware component on the client device from the backup of the firmware component.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the client device comprises a non-volatile memory having first and second partitions, the apparatus further comprising:

means for, prior to facilitating updating of a firmware components located on the first partition of the non-volatile memory, facilitating setting of the second partition of the non-volatile memory as the primary boot partition on the client device.