Systems and methods for usage driven determination of update criticality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10628151-B2
Application number	US-201715674279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2017
Priority date	Aug 10, 2017
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a host system comprising a host system processor and a management controller communicatively coupled to the host system processor and configured to provide management of the information handling system. The management controller may be further configured to read a features-to-fixes database having one or more entries, each entry of the features-to-fixes database setting forth an association between an information handling resource feature and one or more firmware fixes, read a usage database having one or more entries, each entry of the usage database setting forth usage of information handling resource features by the information handling system, and compare entries of the features-to-fixes database and the usage database to determine at least one of a criticality and an applicability of the one or more firmware fixes to the information handling system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information handling system comprising:
a host system comprising a host system processor; and
a management controller communicatively coupled to the host system processor and configured to provide management of the information handling system and further configured to:
accessing a features-to-fixes database having one or more entries, each entry of the features-to-fixes database setting forth an association between a feature of an information handling resource and one or more firmware fixes, wherein the accessing of the features-to-fixes database includes:
building a features table associated with an information handling resource, wherein the features table includes one or more feature records wherein each of the one or more feature records indicates a corresponding feature supported by the information handling resource;
building a components table associated with the information handling resource wherein the components table includes one or more component records, wherein each of the one or more component records indicates a corresponding component of the information handling resource;
identifying associations between the one or more feature records and the one or more component records;
creating a fix record pertaining to a firmware fix for the information handling system;
creating associations between the fix record and one or more source records, wherein the one or more source records indicate source code affected by the firmware fix;
accessing information indicative of associations between the one or more source records and the one or more component records; and
generating associations between the one or more feature records and the fix record;

accessing a usage database having one or more entries, each entry of the usage database setting forth usage of a feature of information handling resource by the information handling system;
compare entries of the features-to-fixes database and the usage database to determine a criticality of the one or more firmware fixes such that a first of the firmware fixes has a first determined criticality, and a second of the firmware fixes has a second, different determined criticality; and
transmit a report indicative of the criticality of the one or more firmware fixes, the report including an indication of the first criticality and the second criticality.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the usage database comprises one or more feature records, each feature record setting forth information regarding whether an information handling resource feature associated with the feature record is enabled for use on the information handling system.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the usage database comprises one or more feature records, each feature record setting forth information regarding a usage frequency of an information handling resource feature associated with the feature record.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the usage database comprises one or more hardware records, each hardware record indicative of a presence within the information handling system of an information handling resource associated with the hardware record.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein creating associations between the one or more feature records and the one or more component records includes creating associations indicative the one or more components corresponding to each of the one or more features.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the fix record includes information indicative of a criticality of the firmware fix.

7. A method comprising:
accessing a features-to-fixes database having one or more entries, each entry of the features-to-fixes database setting forth an association between an information handling resource feature and one or more firmware fixes, wherein the accessing of the features-to-fixes database includes:
building a features table associated with an information handling resource, wherein the features table includes one or more feature records wherein each of the one or more feature records indicates a corresponding feature supported by the information handling resource;
building a components table associated with the information handling resource wherein the components table includes one or more component records, wherein each of the one or more component records indicates a corresponding component of the information handling resource;
identifying associations between the one or more feature records and the one or more component records;
creating a fix record pertaining to a firmware fix for the information handling system;
creating associations between the fix record and one or more source records, wherein the one or more source records indicate source code affected by the firmware fix;
accessing information indicative of associations between the one or more source records and the one or more component records; and
generating associations between the one or more feature records and the fix record;

reading a usage database having one or more entries, each entry of the usage database setting forth usage of information handling resource features by an information handling system;
comparing entries of the features-to-fixes database and the usage database to determine a criticality of the one or more firmware fixes to the information handling system such that a first of the firmware fixes has a first determined criticality, and a second of the firmware fixes has a second, different determined criticality; and
transmitting a report indicative of the criticality of the one or more firmware fixes, the report including an indication of the first criticality and the second criticality.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the usage database comprises one or more feature records, each feature record setting forth information regarding whether an information handling resource feature associated with the feature record is enabled for use on the information handling system.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the usage database comprises one or more feature records, each feature record setting forth information regarding a usage frequency of an information handling resource feature associated with the feature record.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the usage database comprises one or more hardware records, each hardware record indicative of a presence within the information handling system of an information handling resource associated with the hardware record.

11. An article of manufacture comprising:
a non-transitory read-only computer-readable medium; and
computer-executable instructions stored on the non-transitory read-only computer-readable medium, the instructions readable by a processor, and the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the processor to:
access a features-to-fixes database having one or more entries, each entry of the features-to-fixes database setting forth an association between an information handling resource feature and one or more firmware fixes wherein the accessing of the features-to-fixes database includes:
building a features table associated with an information handling resource, wherein the features table includes one or more feature records wherein each of the one or more feature records indicates a corresponding feature supported by the information handling resource;
building a components table associated with the information handling resource wherein the components table includes one or more component records, wherein each of the one or more component records indicates a corresponding component of the information handling resource;
identifying associations between the one

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Weilnau Wayne R
• Contreras Robert A

Classifications

• G06F8/658 Primary

  Incremental updates; Differential updates · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• G06F16/2455

  Query execution · CPC title