Dell Products Inc.

Pavan Kumar Gavvala

Rama Rao Bisa

Johan Rahardjo

Naveen Karthick Chandrasekaran

Manjunath Vishwanath

Deepaganesh Paulraj

Mahesh Babu Ramaiah

Manjunath Am

Akkiah Choudary Maddukuri

Elie Antoun Jreij

Rajeshkumar Ichchhubhai Patel

Darshan Hebbar

Chitrak Gupta

Isaac Qin Wang

Jeremiah James Bartlett

Chandrasekhar R

Shantanu Kumar Pradhan

Chandrashekar Nelogal

John Ross Palmer

Robert G Bassman

Kala Sampathkumar

Balamurugan Gnanasambandam

Sivakami Velusamy

Prakash Balasaheb Pawar

Andre James Dumouchelle

Chandrasekhar Puthilathe

Abhishek Ramachandra Manganawar

Systems and methods provide multi-modal based updates to firmware utilized by a hardware component of an IHS (Information Handling System), where the firmware updates are managed by a remote access controller of the IHS that provides remote management of the hardware component. The remote access controller receives a notification of an update to an agreement for utilization of the hardware component, where the agreement indicates firmware modes authorized for use by the hardware component. Firmware modes are identified that are locally stored by the hardware component. Any firmware modes are identified that are authorized for use by the hardware component based on the updated first agreement and that are not locally stored by the hardware component, and the identified firmware modes are retrieved for local storage by the hardware component. In this manner, firmware utilized in an IHS remains consistent with applicable service agreements.

Systems and methods for multi-modal firmware updates

Embodiments of systems and methods to provide a firmware update to multiple storage units configured with different interfaces in an Information Handling System (IHS) are disclosed. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, an IHS may include computer-executable instructions to receive a firmware update image associated with the storage units, and for each of the storage units, identify an update profile based on the type of interface associated with the storage unit, the interface configured to provide communication between the storage unit and the IHS, and perform a firmware update on the storage unit according to the update profile.

Systems and methods for topology aware firmware updates

Embodiments of systems and methods to provide a firmware update to devices configured in a redundant configuration in an Information Handling System (IHS) are disclosed. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, an IHS may include computer-executable instructions to receive a firmware update image associated with the firmware device, determine that the firmware update image possesses a critical sub-image portion, and schedule a firmware update to be performed in the future on the firmware device using the one firmware update image. The firmware update image conforms to a Platform Level Data Model (PLDM) protocol that is configured to perform rebootless firmware updates.

Systems and methods for supporting rebootless firmware updates

Embodiments of systems and methods to provide a firmware update to devices configured in a redundant configuration in an Information Handling System (IHS) are disclosed. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, an IHS may include first and second Remote Access Controllers (RACs) that each includes computer-executable instructions to receive, by the first RAC, a firmware update image associated with the firmware device, and commence transfer of the firmware update image to the firmware device to perform a firmware update on the firmware device using an update mode that restricts another update request to the firmware device until the first RAC finishes or cancels the firmware update. When the transfer is halted prior to completion, the program instructions cause the second RAC to determine where the firmware update image transfer was halted, and commence transferring the remainder of the firmware update image that has not yet been transferred to the firmware device.

Systems and methods for coordinated firmware update using multiple remote access controllers

Systems and methods provide multi-channel transmission of a firmware image to a hardware component of an IHS (Information Handling System), where the firmware image is transmitted by a remote access controller of the IHS that supports remote management of the IHS. Upon a firmware being initiated, the remote access controller determines an available bandwidth of a first signaling pathway of the hardware component and also determines an available bandwidth of a second signaling pathway of the hardware component. One portion of the firmware image is transmitted to the hardware component using the first signaling pathway, where a size of that portion is selected based on the available bandwidth of the first signaling pathway. Another portion of the firmware image is transmitted to the hardware component using the second signaling pathway, where a size of that portion is selected based on the available bandwidth of the second signaling pathway.

Systems and methods for multi-channel rebootless firmware updates

Systems and methods include a remote access controller of an IHS (Information Handling System) that provides remote management of the IHS. The remote access controller initiates an update of firmware used to operate a hardware component of the IHS by transmitting a firmware image to the hardware component via a first signaling pathway connecting the remote access controller to the hardware component. The remote access controller detects a failure in transmission of the firmware image to the hardware component via the first signaling pathway and identifies a second signaling pathway connecting the remote access controller to the hardware component. The remote access controller resumes transmission of the firmware image to the hardware component via the second signaling pathway and the firmware used to operate the hardware component is updated using the transmitted firmware image.

Systems and methods for error recovery in rebootless firmware updates

Embodiments of systems and methods to provide a firmware update to devices configured in a redundant configuration in an Information Handling System (IHS) are disclosed. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, an IHS may include computer-executable instructions to receive a firmware update image associated with the storage unit, receive an indication that the storage unit requires a reboot of the IHS, and when the storage unit is experiencing minimal I/O usage, reset the storage unit using the firmware update image. The firmware update image is configured to perform rebootless firmware updates on the storage unit.

Systems and methods for supporting NVMe SSD rebootless firmware updates

In various embodiments, a remote access controller supporting remote management of an Information Handling System (IHS). The remote access controller receives a first firmware image comprising first firmware for a first hardware component of the IHS. A personality of the first firmware is determined and at least a portion of the first firmware is stored to a first region of a persistent storage of the first hardware component, where the first region is designated as storing firmware for adapting the first hardware component to the first personality. In response to a detected reconfiguration of the IHS, the remote access controller generates a notification of the first firmware that is stored by the first hardware component and that is usable to adapt operation of the first hardware component to the first personality.

Systems and methods for personality based firmware updates

An information handling system includes a processor, a system baseboard management controller (BMC), and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) add-in card. The FPGA add-in card includes an FPGA and a card BMC. The FPGA is programmed with a plurality of accelerated function units (AFUs) to perform processing tasks for the processor. The card BMC receives a first indication from the system BMC, the first indication to halt a first processing task associated with a first AFU, halts the first processing task in response to the first indication, receives a second AFU from the system BMC, and reprograms the FPGA with the second AFU.

System and method to change field-programmable gate array personality from a baseboard management controller

An information handling system includes a processor, a system baseboard management controller (BMC), and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) add-in card. The FPGA add-in card includes an FPGA programmed with accelerated function units (AFUs) to perform processing tasks for the processor. The AFUs include AFUs of a common type. A card BMC provides a temperature indication to the system BMC. The system BMC determines that a temperature of the FPGA add-in card exceeds a temperature threshold based upon the temperature indication, selects one of the common AFUs to be disabled, and directs the card BMC to disable the selected AFU. The card BMC disables the first AFU and not the second AFU in response to the direction to disable the first AFU.

System and method for power management of field-programmable gate arrays and load balancing of personality bitstreams from a baseboard management controller

An information handling system includes a device and a baseboard management controller. The device is configured to communicate with a processor of the information handling system. The baseboard management controller is configured to communicate with the device via an in-band communication channel. The baseboard management controller determines whether data is received from the device via an in-band communication channel, and determines whether the baseboard management controller may communicate with the device via an out-of-band communication channel. In response to the data not being received and the baseboard management controller not able to communicate with the device, the baseboard management controller detects a failure of the device. In response to the detection of the failure of the device, the baseboard management controller isolates the device.

System and method for isolating a failed card

Embodiments are described for recovery, via a sideband management bus, of firmware of a device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) card installed within an IHS (Information Handling System). A remote access controller of the IHS generates a security key for the device and transmits it to the device. The remote access controller requests the device to report the current version of the firmware in use by the device. The response from the device is authenticated based on the security key. If the current firmware version reported by the device is consistent with the master firmware version, the device is halted and the current firmware of the device is replaced with the master firmware. The device is initialized based on the master firmware used to update the device firmware.

System and method to recover FPGA firmware over a sideband interface

An information handling system includes a first graphics processing unit (GPU) with a first high-speed interface, a second GPU with a second high-speed interface coupled to the first high-speed interface, and a baseboard management controller (BMC). The first GPU is configured to receive a command to provide management data to the BMC, and to provide first management data associated with the first GPU to the first GPU via the first high-speed interface in response to receiving the command. The second GPU is configured to receive the command, to receive the first management data via the second high-speed interface in response to receiving the command, and to provide the first management data and second management data associated with the second GPU to the BMC in further response to the command.

System and method for graphics processing unit management infrastructure for real time data collection

An information handling system includes a processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) including an interrupt interface coupled to the processor, and a low-speed interface, and a baseboard management controller (BMC) coupled to the low-speed interface. The GPU is configured to receive a first command from the BMC via the low-speed interface to halt processing data, to send a first interrupt to the processor via the interrupt interface in response to receiving the first command, to determine that the processor has halted sending data to the first GPU in response to the first interrupt, and to send a first reply to the command in response to determining that the processor has halted sending data. The BMC is configured to reboot the first GPU without rebooting the processor in response to receiving the first reply.

System and method for graphics processing unit firmware updates

An information handling system includes a processor, and first and second field-programmable gate array (FPGA) add-in cards. The processor determines a configuration of the information handling system, the configuration defining architectural relationships among the first and second FPGA add-in cards and elements of the information handling system, determines that an accelerated function unit (AFU) performs its associated processing task more efficiently on the first FPGA add-in card than on the second FPGA add-in card based upon the configuration, and programs the first AFU on the first FPGA card in based upon the determination that the first AFU performs its associated processing task more efficiently on the first FPGA add-in card than on the second FPGA add-in card.

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Bengaluru, India

Pavan Kumar Gavvala