Method and apparatus for updating server firmware in server, and server

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10762033-B2
Application number	US-201815889996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	May 11, 2017
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method and apparatus for updating server firmware in a server. The server is based on a Purley platform, a South Bridge chip of the server is electrically connected to a BMC through an ESPI bus, and the BMC is electrically connected to a firmware memory storing server firmware and a BMC memory through the ESPI bus. An embodiment of the method includes: performing a read operation on an image file for updating the server firmware stored in the BMC memory by using the BMC, when a preset upgrading condition is satisfied; and updating the server firmware stored in the firmware memory based on information read from the read operation. This embodiment achieves an updating of server firmware without additional hardware.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
employing a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to perform an out-of-band update of server firmware in a server by performing actions, the BMC being directly mounted on a South Bridge chip of the server and being electrically connected with the South Bridge chip through an ESPI bus, and the BMC being electrically connected with a firmware memory storing server firmware and with a BMC memory through the ESPI bus, the server being based on a Purley platform, ESPI bus, the actions including:
continuously detecting whether a preset upgrading condition is satisfied, and performing, through the ESPI bus, a read operation on an image file stored in the BMC memory by using the BMC, when the preset upgrading condition is satisfied, wherein the image file is for updating the server firmware; and
updating, through the ESPI bus, the server firmware stored in the firmware memory based on information read from the read operation.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein before the performing a read operation on the image file stored in the BMC memory by using the BMC, the method further comprises:
receiving the image file remotely uploaded by a user by using a network interface and a serial interface of the BMC, and storing the image file in the BMC memory.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the preset upgrading condition includes restarting the server.

4. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
employing a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to perform an out-of-band update of server firmware in a server by performing actions, the BMC being directly mounted on a South Bridge chip of the server and being electrically connected with the South Bridge chip through an ESPI bus, and the BMC being electrically connected with a firmware memory storing server firmware and with a BMC memory through the ESPI bus, the server being based on a Purley platform, the actions including:
continuously detecting whether a preset upgrading condition is satisfied, and performing, through the ESPI bus, a read operation on an image file stored in the BMC memory by using the BMC, when the preset upgrading condition is satisfied, wherein the image file is for updating the server firmware; and
updating, through the ESPI bus, the server firmware stored in the firmware memory based on information read from the read operation.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein before the performing a read operation on the image file stored in the BMC memory by using the BMC, the operations further comprises:
receiving the image file remotely uploaded by a user by using a network interface and a serial interface of the BMC and store the image file in the BMC memory.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the preset upgrading condition comprises restarting the server.

7. A server being based on a Purley platform and comprising:
a South Bridge chip;
a firmware memory storing server firmware;
a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) memory configured to store an image file for updating the server firmware; and
a BMC directly mounted on the South Bridge chip and being electrically connected with the South Bridge chip through an ESPI bus, and the BMC being electrically connected with a firmware memory storing server firmware and with a BMC memory through the ESPI bus, the BMC is configured to:
perform an out-of-band update of the server firmware by continuously detecting whether a preset upgrading condition is satisfied, and performing, through the ESPI bus, a read operation on the image file stored in the BMC memory, when the preset upgrading condition is satisfied, wherein the image file is for updating the server firmware; and
update, through the ESPI bus, the server firmware stored in the firmware memory based on information read from the read operation.

8. The server according to claim 7 , wherein the BMC is further configured to:
receive the image file remotely uploaded by a user by using a network interface and a serial interface of the BMC and store the image file in the BMC memory.

9. The server according to claim 7 , wherein the preset upgrading condition comprises restarting the server.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:
employ a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to perform an out-of-band update of server firmware in a server by performing actions, the BMC being directly mounted on a South Bridge chip of the server and being electrically connected with the South Bridge chip through an ESPI bus, and the BMC being electrically connected with a firmware memory storing server firmware and with a BMC memory through the ESPI bus, the server being based on a Purley platform, the actions including: continuously detecting whether a preset upgrading condition is satisfied, and performing, through the ESPI bus, a read operation on an image file stored in the BMC memory by using the BMC, when the preset upgrading condition is satisfied, wherein the image file is for updating the server firmware; and updating, through the ESPI bus, the server firmware stored in the firmware memory based on information read from the read operation.

Assignees

• Beijing Baidu Netcom Sci & Tec

Inventors

• Cao Kai
• Song Lei
• Jiang Xu

Classifications

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F8/60

  Software deployment · CPC title

• G06F8/66

  of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM] · CPC title

• G06F8/61

  Installation · CPC title

• G06F9/5027

  the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals · CPC title