Management processors, methods and articles of manufacture

1. A method comprising:

in response to receiving, at a management processor, an internal management request from an operating environment via a network card interface, generating, at the management processor, a management response using management information stored in a cache of the management processor, the management information associated with an external device managed by the management processor via a port, the internal management request being a request to generate and send the management response to the operating environment;

sending the management response to the operating environment via the network card interface without exporting the internal management request via the port;

when the operating environment is available, forwarding an external management request from the management processor to the operating environment via the network card interface;

generating at the management processor, second external management response information in response to the external management request; and

combining, at the management processor, third external management response information received from the operating environment via the network card interface with the second external management response information.

2. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to the external management request received via the port, determining at the management processor whether the operating environment is available; and

when the operating environment is not available, generating an external management response at the management processor from first external management response information stored in the cache without passing the external management request to the operating environment.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising exporting the combined second and third external management information via the port.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

sending a second internal management request to the operating environment via the network card interface; and

updating the cache based on second management response information received from the operating environment via the network card interface.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein, the internal management request from the operating environment includes a request for status information for devices managed by the management processor.

6. A method comprising:

in response to receiving, at a management processor, an internal management request from an operating environment via a network card interface, generating, at the management processor, a management response using management information stored in a cache of the management processor, the management information associated with an external device managed by the management processor via a port, the internal management request being a request to generate and send the management response to the operating environment;

sending the management response to the operating environment via the network card interface without exporting the internal management request via the port;

in response to receiving an external management request when the operating environment is available, generating a second management response at the management processor from second management response information stored in the cache without passing the external management request to the operating environment;

generating at the management processor, second management response information in response to the external management request; and

combining at the management processor, third management response information received from the operating environment via the network card interface with the second management response information.

7. A management processor comprising:

a network card interface to communicatively couple the management processor to an operating environment;

a cache to store management information associated with an external device, the external device managed by the management processor via a port; and

a request processor to:

process an internal management request from the operating environment, the internal management request being a request to generate and send a management response to the operating environment,

generate the management response using the management information without exporting the internal management request via the port, and

send the management response to the operating environment,

wherein the request processor is to forward a received external management request to the operating environment via the network card interface, and to combine response information received from the operating environment with response information generated at the management processor.

8. A management processor as defined in claim 7 , wherein the request processor is to export the combined response information to a sender of the external management request.

9. A management processor as defined in claim 7 , wherein the cache is further to store management response information received from the operating environment, wherein the request processor is to:

determine whether the operating environment is available; and

when the operating environment is not available, generate the response information at the management processor from the management response information stored in the cache without passing the external management request to the operating environment.

10. A management processor as defined in claim 7 , wherein the request processor is to:

send a second internal management request to the operating environment via the network card interface; and

update the cache based on a second management response received from the operating environment.

11. A management processor as defined in claim 7 , wherein the internal management request from the operating environment includes a request for status information for devices managed by the management processor.

12. A management processor as defined in claim 7 , wherein the network card interface comprises a virtualized network card interface.

13. A tangible computer readable storage disc or storage device comprising computer readable instructions that when executed, cause a processor to at least:

generate a management response using management information associated with an external device managed by the processor via a port, the management information stored in a cache of the processor, and the management response being generated in response to an internal management request received at the processor from an operating environment via a network card interface without exporting the internal management request via the port, the internal management request being a request to generate and send the management response to the operating environment;

send the management response to the operating environment via the network card interface;

forward an external management request received at the processor from an external requester to an operating environment via a network card interface;

combine first response information received from the operating environment with second response information generated at the processor; and

export the combined first and second response information from the processor to the external requester.

14. A tangible computer readable storage disc or storage device comprising computer readable instructions that when executed, cause a processor to at least:

generate a management response using management information associated with an external device managed by the processor via a port, the management information stored in a cache of the processor, wherein the management response is generated in response to an internal management request received at the processor from an operating environment via a network card interface without exporting the internal management request via the port, the internal management request being a request to generate and send the management response to the operating environment;

send the management response to the operating environment via the network card interface;

determine whether the operating environment is available;

when the operating environment is not available, obtain third management response information from the cache without passing an external management request to the operating environment; and

export the combined third and second response information from the processor to the external requester.

15. A tangible computer readable storage disc or storage device as defined in claim 14 , wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to at least:

send a second internal management request to the operating environment via the network card interface; and

update the cache based on fourth management response information received from the operating environment.