Dynamic timeout determination for microcontroller management of firmware updates

1. A method for dynamic timeout computation during a microcontroller driven firmware update, the method comprising:

selecting by a processor of a server a firmware update to be applied by a microcontroller to firmware of the server;

computing by the processor a timeout value according to a function based upon a difference between a date of production of the server and a date of release of the firmware update;

transmitting by the processor a request to the microcontroller to apply the selected firmware update to the firmware; and,

determining by the processor a failure state responsive to the processor detecting a lapse in time from the request beyond the timeout value without response to the processor by the microcontroller.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is transmitted by a firmware update utility executing iii memory of the server by the processor of the server.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is included as part of a network interface card (NIC).

4. A server data processing system comprising:

a server with a processor, memory, firmware and a microcontroller configured to apply firmware updates to the firmware responsive to a request by the processor;

a firmware update utility executing in the memory of the server by the processor of the server; and,

a dynamic timeout computation module also executing in the memory of the server by the processor of the server, the module comprising program code enabled to select by the processor a firmware update to be applied to the firmware by the microcontroller, compute a timeout value by the processor according to a function based upon based upon a difference between a date of production of the server and a date of release of the firmware update, transmit by the processor a request to the microcontroller to apply the selected firmware update to the firmware, and to determine by the processor a failure state responsive to the processor detecting a lapse in time from the request beyond the timeout value without response to the processor by the microcontroller.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the microcontroller is included as part of a network interface card (NIC) disposed in the server.

6. A computer program product for dynamic timeout computation during a microcontroller driven Firmware update, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium comprising a storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code for selecting by a processor of a server a firmware update to the applied by a microcontroller to firmware of the server;

computer readable program code for computing by the processor a timeout value according to a function based upon a difference between a date of production of the server and a date of release of the firmware update;

computer readable program code for transmitting by the processor a request to the microcontroller to apply the selected firmware update to the firmware; and,

computer readable program code for determining by the processor a failure state responsive to detecting by the processor a lapse in time from the request beyond the timeout value without response to the processor by the microcontroller.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the request is transmitted by a firmware update utility executing in memory of the server by the processor of the server.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 , wherein the microcontroller is included as part of a network interface card (NIC).