Automated standalone bootstrapping of hardware inventory

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9917736-B2
Application number	US-201414496869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	Jan 30, 2012
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems, methods, and computer storage media for automated standalone bootstrapping of hardware inventory that includes a provisioning workflow of discovering, validating, and configuring hardware inventory. In an exemplary embodiment, an in-rack computing device, such as a chassis manager or selected blade, initializes an intra-rack communication network with a hardware inventory of the rack. The in-rack computing device initiates intra-rack communication with the hardware inventory in the rack, using the intra-rack communication network, to discover at least a set of computing units in a hardware inventory. Intra-rack communications that include traffic received from the set of computing units. The in-rack computing device validates operational configurations of the hardware inventory based on comparing expected operational configuration parameters with actual operational configuration parameters, at least a portion of the operational configuration parameters retrieved from the information carried within the traffic received from the set of computing units.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for standalone bootstrapping hardware inventory in racks, the method comprising:
initializing, using an in-rack computing device, an intra-rack communication network with a hardware inventory in a rack;
initiating, in the intra-rack communication network, communication between the in-rack computing device and the hardware inventory in the rack to discover the hardware inventory in the rack, wherein intra-rack communication comprises traffic received from a set of computing units; and
validating operational configurations of the hardware inventory based on comparing expected operational configuration parameters with actual operational configuration parameters of the hardware inventory determined based at least in part on:
accessing a template file that describes topology of the hardware inventory to validate discovered hardware inventory in the rack;
receiving a data packet from the at least one selected computing unit;
using the data packet to identify operational configuration parameters of the set of computing units; and
comparing identified operational configurations parameters with the expected operational configuration parameters of the hardware inventory, a portion of the expected operational configuration parameters retrieved from the template file.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the in-rack computing device is a chassis manager, wherein the chassis manager is communicatively coupled to the hardware inventory and physically coupled to the hardware inventory via a physical structural frame of the rack.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the in-rack computing device is a computing unit selected from the set of computing units, wherein the computing unit is selected based on a leader election mechanism.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein initializing the intra-communication network is automatically triggered for the rack based on the in-rack computing device receiving power.

5. The media of claim 1 , wherein initiating communication further comprises:
sending from the chassis manager signals to a top-of-rack (TOR) switch to discover the hardware inventory;
answering Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) requests from the hardware inventory and assigning IP addresses based on:
collecting media access control (MAC) addresses for the hardware inventory;
adding the MAC addresses to the DHCP server as an eligible candidate for configuring IP addresses;
adding the IP addresses and subnet masks to the DHCP server to be utilized to answer DHCP requests; and
answering DHCP requests from the hardware inventory with dynamically assigned IP addresses; and
establishing network connectivity between the hardware inventory and the chassis manager.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, via a reporting mechanism, receiving and communicating status and events associated with a hardware inventory, wherein the status and events are based on the provisioning service validation results.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the template file includes a topology schema that specifies an expected location of the at least one selected computing unit, and wherein the topology schema is employed by a user device to verify the hardware inventory is properly wired, and wherein the topology schema comprises at least one of wiring rules, device configuration, or device locations.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the template file includes a hardware schema that specifies which components are expected to reside within the at least one selected computing unit, and wherein the hardware schema is employed by a user device to verify an internal configuration of the at least one computing unit.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hardware inventory represents components in the rack, wherein the network device represents a top-of-rack (TOR) switch located within the rack, wherein the set of computing units represents a set of blades inserted into the rack.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hardware inventory further comprises a serial-access device and a user device, wherein the set of blades are interconnected between the serial-access device and the TOR switch, wherein hardware inventory intra-rack communication is performed via the serial-access device.

11. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for standalone bootstrapping rack hardware inventory, the method comprising:
determining that a top-of-rack (TOR) switch is accessible via a serial-based connection;
determining whether a configuration of the TOR switch is a default configuration or a custom configuration, wherein when a TOR switch is in a default configuration the provisioning service proceeds with provisioning the TOR switch for discovery, validation, and configuration of the hardware inventory, and wherein when a TOR switch is in a custom configuration the provisioning service terminates provisioning the TOR switch;
initializing an intra-rack communication network with the TOR switch and additional hardware inventory in a rack;
instructing the TOR switch and the serial-access device to listen for signals to discover a set of computing units that are interconnected between the TOR switch and the serial-access device;
accessing a template file that describes a topology of the hardware inventory; and
validating operational configurations of the hardware inventory based on comparing expected operational configuration parameters with actual operational configuration parameters, at least a portion of the operational configuration parameters compared based on the template file and the information carried within the data packets received from the set of computing units.

12. The media of claim 11 , further comprising:
upon receiving power, determining whether the provisioning service is enabled to configure a hardware inventory of a rack, wherein when the provisioning service is enabled to configure a hardware inventory, the provisioning service proceeds with provisioning the hardware inventory, and wherein when the provisioning service is not enabled to configure a hardware inventory, the provisioning service terminates provisioning the TOR switch.

13. The media of claim 11 , further comprising, via a reporting mechanism, receiving and communicating status and events associated with a hardware inventory, wherein the status and events are based on the provisioning service validation results.

14. The media of claim 11 , wherein the reporting mechanism is associated with one or more interfaces for communicating the validation results, wherein the validation results are communicated based on an interface selected from at least one of: a display interface integrated with a chassis manager, a display interface of a user device, and a network interface.

15. The media of claim 11 , determining that a return manufacturer authorization (RMA) service exists such that validation results associated with the hardware inventory are communicated for additional processing based on the RMA service.

16. A computer system for performing a method for standalone bootstrapping rack hardware inventory, the computer system comprising:
a rack;
at least one network device residing within the rack, wherein the at least one network device is selected from:
(a) a top-of-rack (TOR) switch for sending data packets over a network-based connection; and
(b) a serial-access device for invoking generation of the data packets upon receiving instructions over a serial-based connection;
a set of blades inserted within the ra

Assignees

• Microsoft Corp
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Jubran Marwan E
• Gershaft Aleksandr M
• Tsybulnyk Vitalii
• Gopinadhan Vipins

Classifications

• H04L41/12

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title

• H04L41/0853

  by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information · CPC title

• Y04S40/164

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y04S40/162

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H04L41/0856 Primary

  by backing up or archiving configuration information · CPC title