TWI742430B - Method of recovering firmware of baseboard management controller automatically - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of recovering firmware of baseboard management controller automatically is adapted to recover firmware of a baseboard management controller, and is implemented by a controlling unit that coupled to the baseboard management controller. The method includes: (A) starting to count time; (B) determining whether the controlling unit receives a status message from the baseboard management controller; (C) when the controlling unit determines that the controlling unit has received the status message, restarting timing result, and going back to step (A); (D) when the controlling unit determines that the controlling unit does not receive the status message, determining whether the timing result is bigger than a predefined time interval; (E) when the controlling unit determines that the timing result is bigger than the predefined time interval, replacing a boot loader of the baseboard management controller with a target boot loader, and restarting the baseboard management controller; (F) transmitting an abnormal notification to the baseboard management controller so as to replacing a firmware of a baseboard management controller with a target firmware.

Description

Method for automatically restoring firmware of substrate management controller

The present invention relates to a method for updating firmware, in particular to a method for automatically restoring the firmware of the substrate management controller applied to the substrate management controller.

A baseboard management controller (BMC) is a controller used to monitor the status of an electronic device (such as a server). The baseboard management controller can provide an intelligent platform management interface (IPMI, Intelligent Platform Management Interface) to monitor, control and report the status of the server, and the administrator can perform remote management functions through IPMI. However, when the baseboard management controller is abnormal and cannot be controlled through IPMI, engineers must manually restore the firmware of the baseboard management controller. The existing firmware recovery methods include the following three methods.

The first method must work under the condition that the BIOS of the server can be booted normally, and the administrator remotely controls the server to perform a firmware update program to restore the firmware of the baseboard management controller. The second method can work when the BIOS of the server cannot be booted normally. The administrator connects a computer to the serial port or debug interface of the baseboard management controller through a physical line, and executes the firmware on the computer. Update the program to restore the firmware of the baseboard management controller. The third method can also work when the BIOS of the server cannot be booted normally. The administrator connects a burner to the memory containing the firmware of the baseboard management controller through a physical line, and uses a The computer controls the burner to update the firmware of the baseboard management controller.

However, the firmware recovery methods of the above-mentioned baseboard management controller must be restored by the administrator, and if the BIOS of the server cannot be booted normally, the administrator cannot restore the firmware of the baseboard management controller remotely. Therefore, it is inconvenient to connect to the baseboard management controller in person to perform the recovery operation.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for the baseboard management controller to automatically restore the firmware without requiring manual repair by the administrator.

Therefore, the method for automatically restoring the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention is suitable for restoring the firmware of a baseboard management controller, and is implemented by a control unit electrically connected to the baseboard management controller. After loading the operating system of the baseboard management controller, periodically sending a status message indicating the normal operation of the baseboard management controller to the control unit, and the method of automatically restoring the firmware of the baseboard management controller includes a Step (A), one step (B), one step (C), one step (D), one step (E), and one step (F).

Step (A) is to start timing by the control unit.

Step (B) is to determine whether a status message from the baseboard management controller is received by the control unit.

In step (C), when the control unit determines that the status message is received, the control unit resets the timing result of step (A) and returns to step (A).

In step (D), when the control unit determines that the status message is not received, the control unit determines whether the timing result of step (A) is greater than a preset time period.

Step (E) is that when the control unit determines that the timing result of step (A) is greater than the preset time period, the control unit updates an original boot loader in the baseboard management controller to a target boot load. Enter the program and restart the baseboard management controller.

Step (F) is to send an abnormal notification indicating the abnormal operation of the baseboard management controller to the baseboard management controller by the control unit, so that the baseboard management controller executes the updated target boot loader, and After receiving the abnormal notification, download a target firmware and update its original firmware to the target firmware.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for the baseboard management controller to automatically restore the firmware without requiring manual repair by the administrator.

Therefore, the method for automatically restoring the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention is implemented by a baseboard management controller that is electrically connected to a control unit. The method includes one step (A) and one step (B). ), one step (C), and one step (D).

Step (A) is to execute a boot loader program by the baseboard management controller.

Step (B) is to use the substrate management controller to determine whether an abnormal notification from the control unit has been received, wherein the abnormal notification is caused by the control unit not receiving an indication that the substrate has not been received within a predetermined period of time. When managing the status message of the normal operation of the controller, a notification generated by the control unit indicating the abnormal operation of the baseboard management controller.

Step (C) is that when the baseboard management controller determines that it has received the abnormal notification from the control unit, the baseboard management controller downloads a target firmware.

Step (D) is to update the original firmware of the baseboard management controller to the target firmware.

The effect of the present invention is that the control unit calculates the timing result according to whether the status message from the baseboard management controller is received, and when the timing result is greater than the preset time period, the control unit controls the baseboard management The original boot loader in the device is updated to the target boot loader, and the baseboard management controller is restarted and the abnormal notification is sent to the baseboard management controller, so that the baseboard management controller does not need to be controlled by the manager In the case of, the original firmware can be updated to the target firmware and normal operation can be restored.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the method for automatically restoring the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention is implemented by a firmware update system 100. The firmware update system 100 includes a control unit 1 and an electrical connection to the control unit. The baseboard management controller 2 of the unit 1, a switch unit 3 electrically connected to the control unit 1 and the baseboard management controller 2, and a server terminal 4 connected to the baseboard management controller 2 via a communication network 200.

The substrate management controller 2 includes a substrate management control unit 21 and a substrate end memory unit 22. Wherein, the substrate-side memory unit 22 stores a firmware that can be executed by the substrate management control unit 21, and the firmware stored in the substrate-side memory unit 22 includes and loads the operating system and initialization hardware of the substrate management controller 2 It includes a boot loader (BootLoader), the core of the operating system of the baseboard management controller 2, and a file system.

The switch unit 3 is electrically connected to the control unit 1, the substrate management control unit 21, and the substrate end memory unit 22, and is controlled by the control unit 1 to conduct the connection between the control unit 1 and the substrate end memory unit 22 , Or conduct the connection between the substrate management control unit 21 and the substrate end memory unit 22. In this embodiment, the switch unit 3 communicates information with the control unit 1, the substrate management control unit 21, and the substrate-side memory unit 22 respectively through an SPI interface (Serial Peripheral Interface).

The server 4 stores a target firmware related to the baseboard management controller 2. In this embodiment, the implementation mode of the server 4 is, for example, a personal computer, a server, or a cloud host, but it is not limited to this. In addition, the target firmware also includes the bootloader (BootLoader) related to the operating system loaded into the baseboard management controller 2 and the initialization hardware, the operating system core of the baseboard management controller 2, and the file system Wait. In other embodiments, the target firmware may also include the operating system core of the baseboard management controller 2 and the file system, but not the bootloader.

The control unit 1 stores a target boot loader. The target boot loader is, for example, one that can be normally executed by the baseboard management controller 2 and is related to the operating system loaded into the baseboard management controller 2 and the initialization hardware. Boot Loader (BootLoader). In addition, the implementation of the control unit 1 is, for example, a complex programmable logic device 2 (Complex Programmable Logic Device, CPLD for short), but it is not limited to this.

It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the control unit 1 transmits signals through a plurality of general-purpose input/output pins (GPIO) electrically connected to the baseboard management controller 2. In particular, the control unit 1 transmits a restart signal to the baseboard management controller 2 through one of the first universal input/output pins of the universal input/output pins, so that the baseboard management controller 2 Restart. In addition, the control unit 1 transmits a notification signal to the baseboard management controller 2 through one of the second universal input/output pins of the universal input/output pins. The signal value of the notification signal can indicate whether the operation of the baseboard management controller 2 is abnormal. In addition, the control unit 1 transmits a switching signal to the switch unit 3 through a third universal input/output pin electrically connected to the switch unit 3 to switch the conduction mode of the switch unit 3. The signal value of the switching signal can indicate that the connection between the control unit 1 and the substrate-side memory unit 22 is turned on, or the connection between the substrate management control unit 21 and the substrate-side memory unit 22 is turned on. Furthermore, the control unit 1 also communicates information with the baseboard management controller 2 through an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) interface. For example, the baseboard management control unit 21 sends instructions to the baseboard management controller 2 A status message of normal operation is sent to the control unit 1.

The following will describe an embodiment of the method for automatically restoring the firmware of a baseboard management controller of the present invention implemented by the firmware update system 100 in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. This embodiment sequentially includes a normal running program and a monitoring program. And a decision update procedure.

1 and 2, the baseboard management controller 2 implements the normal operation procedure of the method for automatically recovering the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention. The normal operation procedure describes the procedure performed by the baseboard management controller 2 when loading the operating system of the baseboard management controller 2 and operating normally, and includes the following steps.

In step 51, the baseboard management control unit 21 executes an intelligent platform management interface (IPMI) command to periodically send the status message indicating the normal operation of the baseboard management controller 2 to the control unit 1.

1 and 3, the firmware update system 100 implements the monitoring program of the method for automatically recovering the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention. The monitoring program explains how the control unit 1 monitors whether the operation of the baseboard management controller 2 is abnormal, and includes the following steps.

In step 61, the control unit 1 starts timing.

In step 62, the control unit 1 determines whether the status message from the baseboard management controller 2 has been received. When the control unit 1 determines that the status message has been received, the process step 63 is performed; when the control unit 1 determines that the status message is not received, the process step 64 is performed.

In step 63, the control unit 1 resets the timing result, and sets the signal value of the notification signal output by the second universal input/output pin to indicate that the baseboard management controller 2 is operating normally, and returns to Process step 61. It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the control unit 1 indicates that the baseboard management controller 2 is operating normally through the signal value of the notification signal output by the second universal input/output pin. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the control unit 1 can also send an abnormal notification to the substrate management controller 2 through other transmission interfaces only when the substrate management controller 2 is operating abnormally. When the controller 2 is operating normally, no notification is sent to the baseboard management controller 2.

In step 64, the control unit 1 determines whether the timing result is greater than a preset time period. When the control unit 1 determines that the timing result is not greater than the preset time period, it returns to step 62 to continue timing; when the control unit 1 determines that the timing result is greater than the preset time period (indicating that the baseboard management controller 2 has not been able to operate normally), proceed to process step 65. It is worth noting that the preset period of time must be longer than when the baseboard management controller 2 downloads and updates the target firmware from the server 4, and starts up and loads the operating system of the baseboard management controller 2 until execution The time required for the IPMI command to issue the status message for the first time.

In step 65, the control unit 1 sets the signal value of the switching signal output by the third universal input/output pin to indicate that the connection between the control unit 1 and the substrate-side memory unit 22 is turned on, so that the The switch unit 3 conducts the connection between the control unit 1 and the substrate-side memory unit 22.

In step 66, the control unit 1 updates the boot loader originally stored in the substrate-side memory unit 22 to the target boot loader.

In step 67, the control unit 1 sets the signal value of the switching signal output by the third universal input/output pin to indicate that the connection between the substrate management control unit 21 and the substrate end memory unit 22 is turned on, so as to The switch unit 3 is turned on between the substrate management control unit 21 and the substrate-side memory unit 22.

In step 68, the control unit 1 transmits the restart signal to the baseboard management controller 2 through the first universal input/output pin, so that the baseboard management controller 2 is restarted.

In step 69, the control unit 1 sets the signal value of the notification signal output by the second universal input/output pin to indicate that the BMC 2 is operating abnormally, so as to send an indication to the BMC 2 The abnormal operation is notified to the baseboard management controller 2, and step 61 is returned. It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the control unit 1 indicates whether the baseboard management controller 2 is operating abnormally through the signal value of the notification signal output by the second universal input/output pin. However, In other embodiments of the present invention, the control unit 1 may also send an abnormal notification indicating the abnormal operation of the BMC 2 to the BMC 2 through other transmission interfaces.

1 and 4, the firmware update system 100 implements the determination update procedure of the method for automatically recovering the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention. The determination update procedure explains how the baseboard management controller 2 determines whether to automatically restore the stored firmware, and includes the following steps.

In step 71, the baseboard management controller 2 restarts after receiving the restart signal from the control unit 1.

In step 72, the substrate management control unit 21 executes the boot loader stored in the substrate end memory unit 22.

In step 73, the substrate management control unit 21 determines whether the abnormal notification from the control unit 1 has been received. When the substrate management control unit 21 determines that the abnormal notification has not been received, the process proceeds to step 74; when the substrate management control unit 21 determines that the abnormal notification has been received (that is, in step 69, the control When the unit 1 does not receive the status message indicating the normal operation of the baseboard management controller 2 within the preset time period, the notification generated by the control unit 1 indicating the abnormal operation of the baseboard management controller 2 is shown in Fig. 3 ), proceed to step 75 of the process.

In step 74, after the baseboard management control unit 21 has executed the boot loader to complete the initial settings, the baseboard management control unit 21 continues to execute its original firmware to load the baseboard management controller 2 system. It is worth mentioning that when the baseboard management control unit 21 is successfully loaded into the operating system of the baseboard management controller 2 and operates normally, the baseboard management control unit 21 continues to perform the present invention and automatically restores the firmware of the baseboard management controller. The normal operation procedure of the method.

In step 75, the baseboard management control unit 21 transmits the status message indicating the normal operation of the baseboard management controller 2 to the control unit 1 through the I²C interface. Therefore, in step 63, after the control unit 1 receives the status message sent by the baseboard management control unit 21 in step 75, the control unit 1 resets the timing result, and the second universal input/output The signal value of the signal transmitted by the pin is set to indicate that the baseboard management controller 2 is operating normally.

In step 76, the baseboard management control unit 21 downloads the target firmware from the server 4 through a simple file transfer protocol (FTP).

In step 77, the substrate management control unit 21 updates the firmware originally stored in the substrate-side memory unit 22 to the target firmware.

It is worth mentioning that the control unit 1 stores the target boot loader, and when it detects that the baseboard management controller 2 cannot operate normally, the original boot loader in the baseboard management controller 2 Update to the target boot loader, so that the baseboard management controller 2 can restart smoothly and use a functioning boot loader for booting, so that when the baseboard management controller 2 receives the abnormal notification, The target firmware that can be normally executed by the baseboard management controller 2 can be downloaded from the server 4 through a simple file transfer communication protocol to restore normal operation. Since the control unit 1 only needs to restore the target boot loader, and the complete target firmware is downloaded by the baseboard management controller 2 from the server 4, the control unit 1 only needs to store the target boot loader The program does not need to store the complete target firmware, so data storage capacity can be saved.

In step 78, the baseboard management control unit 21 restarts according to the updated target firmware, and returns to step 72 of the process.

In summary, the method for automatically restoring the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention uses the control unit 1 to continuously determine whether a status message related to the baseboard management controller 2 is received within a preset period of time. When the status message is not received within the preset time period, it means that the baseboard management controller 2 may not be able to operate normally. At this time, the control unit 1 first loads the original boot-up program in the baseboard management controller 2 Update to the target boot loader to ensure that the baseboard management controller 2 can be restarted smoothly and use a functional boot loader for booting. In addition, the control unit 1 sends the abnormal notification to the baseboard management The controller 2 enables the baseboard management controller 2 to download the target firmware from the server 4 after restarting and update and restart, so as to enable the baseboard management controller 2 to be controlled without the need for an administrator to control it. Automatically restore the firmware, so that even if the BIOS fails to boot normally, if the baseboard management controller 2 is abnormal, the baseboard management controller can still be automatically updated through the method of the present invention to automatically restore the firmware of the baseboard management controller. The firmware of the controller 2 can restore the function of the baseboard management controller 2, so it can indeed achieve the purpose of the invention.

However, the above are only examples of the present invention. When the scope of implementation of the present invention cannot be limited by this, all simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application of the present invention and the content of the patent specification still belong to Within the scope covered by the patent of the present invention.

200: Communication network 1: control unit 2: baseboard management controller 21: baseboard management control unit 22: Board end memory unit 3: Switch unit 4: server 51: steps 61~69: Steps 71~78: steps

Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a firmware update system according to an embodiment of the method for automatically restoring the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention; 2 is a flowchart illustrating the normal operation procedure of the embodiment of the method for automatically recovering the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the monitoring program of an embodiment of the method for automatically recovering the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention; and 4 is a flowchart illustrating the determination update procedure of an embodiment of the method for automatically recovering the firmware of the baseboard management controller of the present invention.

61~69: Steps

Claims (4)

A method for automatically restoring the firmware of a baseboard management controller is suitable for restoring the firmware of a baseboard management controller, and is implemented by a control unit that is electrically connected to the baseboard management controller, and the baseboard management controller is used on-board After entering the operating system of the baseboard management controller, periodically send a status message indicating the normal operation of the baseboard management controller to the control unit. The baseboard management controller includes a baseboard management control unit and a base-side memory unit The control unit is also electrically connected to a switch unit electrically connected to the substrate management control unit and the substrate end memory unit. The method includes the following steps: (A) the control unit starts timing; (B) the control unit determines whether A status message from the baseboard management controller is received; (C) When the control unit determines that the status message has been received, the control unit resets the timing result of step (A) and returns to step (A) ); (D) When the control unit determines that the status message is not received, the control unit determines whether the timing result of step (A) is greater than a preset time period; (E) When the control unit determines step (A) When the timing result is greater than the preset time period, the control unit updates an original boot loader in the baseboard management controller to a target boot loader, and restarts the baseboard management controller, where step (E ) Includes the following sub-steps (E-1) when the control unit determines that the timing result of step (A) is greater than the preset time period, the control unit controls the switch unit to turn on the connection between the control unit and the substrate-side memory unit, (E-2) The control unit updates the original boot loader of the board-side memory unit to the target boot loader, (E-3) the control unit controls the switch unit to turn on the board management control unit and The connection of the board-side memory unit, and (E-4) the control unit restarts the baseboard management controller; and (F) the control unit sends an abnormal notification indicating the abnormal operation of the baseboard management controller to the baseboard management The controller, so that the baseboard management controller executes the updated target boot loader, and after receiving the abnormal notification, downloads a target firmware and updates its original firmware to the target firmware. The method for automatically recovering the firmware of the baseboard management controller as described in claim 1, after step (D), further includes the following steps: (G) when the control unit determines that the timing result of step (A) is not greater than the When the time is preset, go back to step (B). The method for automatically recovering the firmware of a baseboard management controller as described in claim 1, wherein: in step (F), the control unit outputs a signal to the baseboard management controller through a universal input and output pin The signal value of the signal indicates the abnormal operation of the baseboard management controller, so as to send the abnormal notification to the baseboard management controller. The method for automatically recovering the firmware of the baseboard management controller according to claim 3, wherein: in step (C), when the control unit determines that the status message has been received, the control unit changes the universal type The input and output pins output the The signal value of the signal is changed to indicate that the baseboard management controller is operating normally.

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