American Megatrends, Inc.

Jay Pancholi

Kayalvizhi Dhandapani

Clas Gerhard Sivertsen

Umasankar Mondal

Shibu Abraham

Roger Smith

Present disclosure relates to a system for programming and verifying backplane controller chip firmware on target backplane controller chips. The system includes a backplane controller chip validation board. In certain embodiments, the backplane controller chip validation board includes: (a) a program/verify/validate controller chip, (b) one or more backplane controller chip sockets for installing one or more target backplane controller chips, and (c) a backplane simulator. The program/verify/validate controller chip includes backplane controller chip firmware verification software, a USB interface, and a software storage. The backplane simulator is used to simulate functions of drives, LEDs, and other devices of a backplane for verifying all functions of backplane controller chip firmware. The backplane controller chip validation board is in communication with a host computer, and host computer has a user interface, a backplane controller chip programming and verifying software, a USB interface, and a software storage to store backplane controller chip firmware.

Techniques for programming and verifying backplane controller chip firmware

Certain aspects relate to monitoring and managing storage drives installed on a backplane and performing backplane controller firmware update through a universal serial bus (USB) interface. When the backplane controller is connected to a host computer via the USB interface, the backplane controller sends USB descriptors to the host computer through the USB interface such that the host computer recognizes the backplane controller as a specific human interface device (HID) device based on the USB descriptors. Thus, the backplane controller and the host computer may transmit backplane drive management messages, such as the result to monitor and manage the storage drives, or the control commands and control data to monitor and manage the storage drives and to update the firmware of the backplane controller, as USB HID reports in a predefined format based on the USB descriptors.

Monitoring and managing storage drives and performing backplane controller firmware using a USB interface

Present disclosure relates to backplane controller configured as human interface device (HID) device to communicate with host computer through USB interface. Backplane controller includes: processor, memory, HID universal serial bus (USB) interface, and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory stores certain USB descriptors, drive management module, USB HID device driver, and firmware of the backplane controller. Firmware performs one or more of following operations: (a) connecting to host computer through USB interface, (b) sending USB descriptors to host computer to act as specific HID device, (c) instructing USB HID device driver of backplane controller to generate first USB HID report, (d) sending USB HID report to host computer through USB interface, (e) receiving second USB HID report from host computer through USB interface, (f) instructing USB HID device driver to retrieve and process report data from second USB HID report. USB interface includes HID USB interface, USB interface bus, host USB interface.

Backplane controller capable of transferring and receiving data through USB interface

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a backplane initiator for testing enclosure management controller. The backplane initiator includes: an initiator board and an initiator control application. The initiator board includes initiator controller, at least one SGPIO interface, at least one SMBus interface, and a first communication interface. The initiator controller is configured to transmit control commands and data according to enclosure management protocol through the SGPIO interface and the SMBus interface to an EMC. The initiator control application, when executed on a computing device having a second communication interface in communication with the first communication interface, is configured to establish a communication channel with the initiator controller through the first and second communication interfaces, and instruct the initiator controller to transmit a first control command and first control data according to enclosure management protocol through the SGPIO interface and the SMBus interface to the EMC.

Techniques for testing enclosure management controller using backplane initiator

Certain aspects direct to data transfer between a baseboard management controller (BMC) and a host computer. When the BMC is connected to the host computer via a universal serial bus (USB) interface, the BMC sends USB descriptors to the host computer such that the host computer recognizes the BMC as a specific human interface device (HID) device based on the USB descriptors. To transfer data to the host computer, the BMC converts the data to an Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) message, and generates a USB HID report containing the IPMI message as the report data. The BMC then sends the USB HID report to the host computer through the USB interface. When the BMC receives a USB HID report from the host computer, the BMC retrieves the report data, which is an IPMI message, from the USB HID report, and process the IPMI message to obtain the data.

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Duluth, GA, United States of America

Jay Pancholi