International Business Machines Corporation

Jaime F Nualart

Brian W Hart

Baltazar De Leon, Iii

Vikramjit Sethi

Marcus Bryan Grande

Tai-Chien Daisy Chang

A method and technique for updating firmware on a multi-protocol network adapter includes reading parameter values for a firmware update of a multi-protocol network adapter that specify classes of behavior for conducting the firmware update of the multi-protocol network adapter. An update tool determines a reset type defining a type of reset needed to activate the firmware update on the network adapter based on the parameter values, sends a message to the network adapter indicating that a firmware update process is beginning, sends a write request to the network adapter to write the firmware update to select communication protocol functions, and sends a reset request to select communication protocol functions to activate the firmware update using the reset type according to the parameter values.

Unified update tool for multi-protocol network adapter

A method and technique for updating firmware on a multi-protocol network adapter includes: reading parameter values for a firmware update to determine an update scope indicating one or more functions of the network adapter affected by the firmware update and a write scope indicating which of the one or more functions should receive a write request for writing the firmware update to the network adapter. The update tool is operable to: send a message indicating to the one or more functions based on the update scope that a firmware update process is beginning; send a write request to write the firmware update to the one or more functions based on the write scope; send a reset request to reset the one or more functions to activate the firmware update; and send a message indicating to the one or more functions that the firmware update process is completed.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Jaime F Nualart