IP Library Granted Patent US 11,509,529
Granted Patent B2
US 11,509,529 · App. 17/002,915 · Granted Nov 22, 2022

Switch component secure upgrade system

Inventors: Padmanabhan Narayanan (Redmond, WA); Paavaanan Tamillraivan Nandhini (Guduvanchery, IN); Karthik Gengan (Chennai, IN)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
H04L41/082G06F8/654H04L67/34
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,509,529
App. No.
17/002,915
Granted
Nov 22, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A switch component secure upgrade system includes a dual-ported switch component, a central processing system that is connected to the switch component via the components read-only port, and a management controller system that is connected to the switch component via the components read-write port. The management controller system receives a component upgrade request that is encrypted with a management controller public key, decrypts the component upgrade request using a management controller private key, and validates the component upgrade request, which is signed with a release management private key, using a release management public key. In response to validating the component upgrade request, the management controller system validates a component upgrade payload that is included in the component upgrade request and, in response, upgrades the switch component via the read-write port using the component upgrade payload.

Claims (62)

1. A method for securely updating a switch component, comprising:

receiving, by a management controller system, a component upgrade request that is encrypted with a management controller public key;

decrypting, by the management controller system, the component upgrade request using a management controller private key;

validating, by the management controller system, the component upgrade request, which is signed with a release management private key, using a release management public key;

validating, by the management controller system in response to validating the component upgrade request, a component upgrade payload that is included in the component upgrade request; and

upgrading, by the management controller system in response to validating the component upgrade payload, a switch component using the component upgrade payload and via a read-write communication channel that is the only read-write communication channel connected to the switch component that is also connected to a central processing system via a read-only channel that prevents the central processing system from upgrading the switch component.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the switch component is provided an Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) device, a boot flash device, a diagnostic storage device, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device, or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the switch component is a dual-ported switch component that includes a first port that is coupled to the read-write communication channel and a second port that is coupled to the read-only channel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the decrypting the component upgrade request using the management controller private key includes:

decrypting an encrypted key to retrieve a Content Encryption Key (CEK), which is included in the component upgrade request and encrypted with the management controller public key, using the management controller private key; and

decrypting, using the CEK, the component upgrade payload.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the decrypting the component upgrade payload using the CEK includes:

extracting, using the CEK, a component upgrade token that includes the component upgrade payload.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the validating the component upgrade payload that is included in the component upgrade request includes:

confirming a switch identifier that is included in the component upgrade payload and that identifies a switch device that includes the switch component;

confirming component upgrade information in the component upgrade payload that describe one or more upgrade operations for the switch component; and

determining that at least one component upgrade condition for the one or more upgrade operations is satisfied.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upgrading the switch component using the component upgrade payload includes:

disabling write protection for the read-write communication channel; and

writing data included in the component upgrade payload to the switch component.

8. A switch component secure upgrade system, comprising:

a switch component;

a central processing system that is connected to the switch component via a read-only communication channel that prevents the central processing system from upgrading the switch component; and

a management controller system that is connected to the switch component via a read-write communication channel that allows the management controller system to upgrade the switch component, wherein the management controller system is configured to:

receive a component upgrade request that is encrypted with a management controller public key;

decrypt the component upgrade request using a management controller private key;

validate the component upgrade request, which is signed with a release management private key, using a release management public key;

validate, in response to validating the component upgrade request, a component upgrade payload that is included in the component upgrade request; and

upgrade, in response to validating the component upgrade payload, the switch component via the read-write communication channel using the component upgrade payload.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the switch component is provided an Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) device, a boot flash device, a diagnostic storage device, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device, or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD).

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the switch component is a dual-ported switch component that includes a first port coupled to the read-only communication channel, and a second port coupled to the read-write communication channel.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the decrypting the component upgrade request using the management controller private key includes:

decrypting an encrypted key to retrieve a Content Encryption Key (CEK), which is included in the component upgrade request and encrypted with the management controller public key, using the management controller private key; and

decrypting, using the CEK, the component upgrade payload.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the decrypting the component upgrade payload using the CEK includes:

extracting, using the CEK, a component upgrade token that includes the component upgrade payload.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the validating the component upgrade payload that is included in the component upgrade request includes:

confirming a switch identifier that is included in the component upgrade payload and that identifies a switch device that includes the switch component;

confirming component upgrade information in the component upgrade payload that describe one or more upgrade operations for the switch component; and

determining that at least one component upgrade condition for the one or more upgrade operations is satisfied.

14. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

a management controller processing system; and

a management controller memory system that is coupled to the management controller processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the management controller processing system, cause the management controller processing system to provide a management agent that is configured to:

receive a component upgrade request that is encrypted with a management controller public key;

decrypt the component upgrade request using a management controller private key;

validate the component upgrade request, which is signed with a release management private key, using a release management public key;

validate, in response to validating the component upgrade request, a component upgrade payload that is included in the component upgrade request; and

upgrade, in response to validating the component upgrade payload, a switch component using the component upgrade payload and via a read-write communication channel that is the only read-write communication channel connected to the switch component that is also connected to a central processing system via a read-only channel that prevents the central processing system from upgrading the switch component.

15. The IHS of claim 14 , wherein the switch component is provided an Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) device, a boot flash device, a diagnostic storage device, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device, or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD).

16. The IHS of claim 14 , wherein the switch component is a dual-ported switch component that includes a first port that is coupled to the read-write communication channel and a second port that is coupled to the read-only channel.

17. The IHS of claim 14 , wherein the decrypting the component upgrade request using the management controller private key includes:

decrypting an encrypted key to retrieve a Content Encryption Key (CEK), which is included in the component upgrade request and encrypted with the management controller public key, using the management controller private key; and

decrypting, using the CEK, the component upgrade payload.

18. The IHS of claim 17 , wherein the decrypting the component upgrade payload using the CEK includes:

extracting, using the CEK, a component upgrade token that includes the component upgrade payload.

19. The IHS of claim 14 , wherein the validating the component upgrade payload that is included in the component upgrade request includes:

confirming a switch identifier that is included in the component upgrade payload and that identifies a switch device that includes the switch component;

confirming component upgrade information in the component upgrade payload that describe one or more upgrade operations for the switch component; and

determining that at least one component upgrade condition for the one or more upgrade operations is satisfied.

20. The IHS of claim 14 , wherein the upgrading the switch component using the component upgrade payload includes:

disabling write protection for the read-write communication channel; and

writing data included in the component upgrade payload to the switch component.

Assignments (10)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0523) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 060332/0664 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0434) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 060332/0740 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0609) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 062021/0570 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 054591 FRAME 0471 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058001/0463 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0523 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0609 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0434 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 13, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 054591/0471 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE SECOND AND THIRD INVENTOR'S NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 053606 FRAME: 0949. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT . Recorded Sep 18, 2020
From: NARAYANAN, PADMANABHAN; TAMILLRAIVAN NANDHINI, PAAVAANAN; GENGAN, KARTHIK
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 053813/0727 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 26, 2020
From: NARAYANAN, PADMANABHAN; TAMILIRAIVAN NANDHINI, PAAVAANAN; GENGAN/, KARTHIK
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 053606/0949 →
Continuity (1)
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