Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

International Business Machines Corporation

Edward Klodnicki

Thomas M Brey

James A O'Connor

Richard Bealkowski

Christopher Harry Austen

Nicholas M Williamson

Kai Guo

Jeffrey Michael Franke

William M Edmonds

Sumeet Kochar

Antonio Abbondanzio

Dhruv Manmohandas Desai

James Edward Hughes

Scott Neil Dunham

William Bradley Schwartz

Jeffery Michael Franke

Shiva R Dasari

Gary Roy Shippy

Donald Eugene Johnson

Nickolas John Gruendler

Jason Robert Almeida

Gregg Kent Gibson

Joesph E Bolan

Willie James Nathan, Jr

An apparatus includes a computer server having a chipset and a baseboard management controller, wherein the chipset includes a first serial bus controller, and wherein the baseboard management controller includes a second serial bus controller. The apparatus further includes a serial bus port disposed along an external panel of a server enclosure that houses the computer server, wherein the serial bus port is accessible for connection with a connector of a serial communication cable. Still further, the apparatus includes a switch that selectively connects the serial bus port to either the first serial bus controller or the second serial bus controller, wherein the switch is controlled by an output signal from the baseboard management controller.

Server having a dual-mode serial bus port enabling selective access to a baseboard management controller

Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for correcting a failure associated with a current firmware image are provided. Embodiments include a firmware selection module detecting the failure associated with the current firmware image stored in firmware memory corresponding to a component of a system. Embodiments also include the firmware selection module selecting from a plurality of backup firmware images, a replacement firmware image based on a status of at least one backup firmware image in response to detecting the failure. Embodiments also include the firmware selection module storing the selected replacement firmware image in the firmware memory.

Correcting a failure associated with a current firmware image

A mechanism is provided for enhancing remote presence capabilities. An update event for a main management module that manages a set of remote presence sessions for remote media established by a plurality of client systems is identified. A determination is made as to whether the main management module is currently maintaining a remote presence session for a remote media established by one of the plurality of client systems. Responsive to the main management module maintaining a remote presence session for the remote media, a handoff of the remote presence session for the remote media is initiated to an auxiliary management module. An update associated with the update event is then permitted to be performed on the main management module while maintaining the remote presence session for the remote media via the auxiliary management module.

Enhanced remote presence

Transferring files to a baseboard management controller ('BMC') in a computing system, including: receiving, by the BMC, a request to initiate an update of the computing system; identifying, by the BMC, an area in memory within the computing system for storing an update file; and transmitting, by the BMC, a request to register the BMC as a virtual memory device.

Transferring files to a baseboard management controller ('BMC') in a computing system

Transferring files to a baseboard management controller ('bmc') in a computing system

Techniques are disclosed for managing inventory data for components of a server system. In one embodiment, a global management controller is provided, that is operatively connected to a plurality of local management controllers. Each local management controller is configured to manage a subset of the components of the server system. Each local management controller is also configured to generate, for each component, a checksum based on vital product data (VPD) of the component. Each local management controller is also configured to compute a composite checksum based on the checksums generated for the components in the subset. The global management controller is configured to maintain a global view of the VPD in the computer system, based on the checksums and/or composite checksums.

Managing inventory data for components of a server system

A method and system are disclosed to enable and control over-subscription in a blade/chassis system and to provide the capability to recover in the event of the loss of a redundant power supply. An over-subscription policy is determined by a system administrator and is set in the chassis management module. Information regarding the maximum power allocation needed for each blade being powered by the power supply system is identified by the blade and stored in its VPD or otherwise made available to the chassis management module. The management module of the chassis in which the blades and power supplies are located uses this information to manage the subscription of blades and the over-subscription of blades when appropriate. If throttling is required, the system also allows a predetermined blade priority to be used to identify which blades will be reduced in power.

Power management using spare capacity of redundant power supply in blade environment

Updating firmware on multiple systems or nodes within a merged networked environment includes providing firmware update code and a firmware update utility to a primary node. The firmware update utility determines the presence of a multi-node partition and detects the partition's configuration. The configuration determination includes determining the location of a remote service processor on each secondary node. The primary node creates an image of the firmware update code and distributes the created image to each of the secondary node service processors over a sideband link. Each of the remote service processors would then restart their respective systems. The node's BIOS detects the presence of the firmware update code on the service processor and forces the node to boot the update code directly. After the firmware update is complete, the firmware update code is deleted. When it subsequent restart occurs, the nodes will boot to the merged state.

Firmware update mechanism in a multi-node data processing system

A chassis controller can identify a blade that spans more than one power plane. If power is healthy and available on all power planes then the blade may be granted permission to power on. The chassis controller validates that when a blade spans multiple power planes that the necessary power is available before permitting the blade to go to fully power operation.

Apparatus, method and article of manufacture for determining power permission for a blade spanning power back planes

Growing community of inventors

Durham, NC, United States of America

Edward Klodnicki