System and method for provisioning a powered off server in a data center

1. An information handling system, comprising:

a battery;

a managed device;

a host processor to instantiate a hosted processing environment;

a wireless management module including a wireless transceiver, wherein when the host processor is unpowered, the wireless management module is periodically coupled to receive power from the battery and, when coupled to the battery, the wireless management module receives a request for a hardware inventory of hardware devices of the information handling system via the wireless transceiver; and

a baseboard management controller coupled to the wireless management module to manage the managed device out of band from the hosted processing environment, based upon configuration information, to receive the request from the wireless management module, to determine the hardware inventory in response to the request, to determine that a particular hardware device that is present on the information handling system is not being utilized by the information handling system, and to provide the hardware inventory and an indication that the particular hardware device is present but is not being utilized by the information handling system.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein, when the processor is unpowered, the management controller is coupled by a battery manager to receive power from the battery and the baseboard management controller manages the managed device.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a memory device, wherein the wireless management module stores the configuration information to the memory device.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein the memory device is coupled by the battery manager to the battery to retain the configuration information when the host processor is unpowered.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 , wherein in managing the managed device, the baseboard management controller retrieves the configuration information from the memory device and manages the managed device in response to powering up the host processor.

6. The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein the memory device comprises a non-volatile memory device.

7. The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein the configuration information comprises a firmware update for the managed device, and wherein in managing the managed device, the baseboard management controller retrieves the firmware update from the memory device and provides the firmware update to the managed device in response to powering up the host processor.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration information comprises a firmware update for the managed device.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 , wherein, when the host processor is unpowered, the baseboard management controller and a managed device are coupled by the battery manager to receive power from the battery and the management controller provides the firmware update to the managed device.

10. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein in periodically coupling the wireless management module to the battery, the wireless management module is coupled to the battery in accordance with a user configurable duty cycle.

11. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the baseboard management controller further determines an inventory of the information handling system and provides the inventory to the wireless management module.

12. A method, comprising:

periodically coupling, by a battery manager of an information handling system, a wireless management module including a wireless transceiver of the information handling system to a battery when a host processor of the information handling system is powered down;

receiving, by the wireless transceiver, a request to provide a hardware inventory of hardware devices of the information handling system, when the wireless management module is coupled to the battery;

managing, by a baseboard management controller of the information handling system coupled to the wireless management module, the managed device out of band from the host processor, wherein the managed device is managed based on configuration information;

receiving, by the baseboard management controller, the request from the wireless management module;

determining, by the baseboard management controller, the hardware inventory in response to the request;

determining, by the baseboard management controller, that a particular hardware device that is present on the information handling system is not being utilized by the information handling system; and

providing, by the baseboard management controller, the hardware inventory and an indication that the particular hardware device is present but is not being utilized by the information handling system.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

coupling, by the battery manager, the management controller to the battery when the host processor is unpowered, wherein the baseboard management controller manages the managed device when the host processor is unpowered.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

storing, by the wireless management module, the configuration information to a memory device of the information handling system.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

coupling, by the battery manager, the memory device to the battery to retain the configuration information when the host processor is unpowered.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein, managing the managed device is in response to powering up the host processor, and wherein in managing the managed device, method further comprises:

retrieving, by the baseboard management controller, the configuration information from the memory device.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

coupling, by the battery manager, when the host processor is unpowered, the baseboard management controller and the managed device to the battery; and

providing, when the host processor is unpowered, a firmware update to the managed device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including code for performing a method, the method comprising:

periodically coupling, by a battery manager of an information handling system, a wireless management module including a wireless transceiver of the information handling system to a battery when a host processor of the information handling system is powered down;

receiving, by the wireless transceiver a request to provide a hardware inventory of hardware devices of the information handling system, when the wireless management module is coupled to the battery;

managing, by a baseboard management controller of the information handling system coupled to the wireless management module, the managed device out of band from the host processor, wherein the managed device is managed based on configuration information;

receiving, by the baseboard management controller, the request from the wireless management module;

determining, by the baseboard management controller the hardware inventory in response to the request;

determining that a particular hardware device that is present on the information handling system is not being utilized by the information handling system; and

providing, by the baseboard management controller, the hardware inventory and an indication that the particular hardware device is present but is not being utilized by the information handling system.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , the method further comprising:

coupling, by the battery manager, the baseboard management controller to the battery when the host processor is unpowered, wherein the baseboard management controller manages the managed device when the host processor is unpowered.