IP Library Granted Patent US 11,334,416
Granted Patent B2
US 11,334,416 · App. 16/663,946 · Granted May 17, 2022

System and method for transferring peripheral firmware core data

Inventors: Andrew Butcher (Cedar Park, TX); Lee Eric Ballard (Georgetown, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
G06F11/0778G06F11/2025G06F11/3006G06F11/3037G06F11/3051
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,334,416
App. No.
16/663,946
Filed
Oct 25, 2019
Granted
May 17, 2022
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2113
USPC
714/38.11
Abstract

An information handling system includes a first memory to store firmware core data for a peripheral device. A second memory includes a video framebuffer portion and a firmware core data portion. In response to a firmware exception within the peripheral device, the second memory receives the firmware core data. A baseboard management controller communicates with the peripheral device and with the second memory. The baseboard management controller queries the peripheral device for firmware storage capabilities of the peripheral device, and notifies a user of the information handling system that a firmware crash of the peripheral device has occurred. In response to the firmware crash of the peripheral device, the baseboard management controller receives the firmware core data from the peripheral device.

Claims (46)

1. An information handling system, comprising:

a peripheral device including a first memory device to store firmware core data for the peripheral device;

a second memory device including a video framebuffer portion and a firmware core data portion, the second memory device to receive the firmware core data in response to a firmware exception within the peripheral device; and

a baseboard management controller to communicate with the peripheral device and with the second memory device, the baseboard management controller including a third memory device discrete from the first and second memory devices, wherein the third memory device is a non-volatile memory device, the baseboard management controller to query the peripheral device for firmware storage capabilities of the peripheral device, to notify a user of the information handling system that a firmware crash of the peripheral device has occurred, and in response to the firmware crash of the peripheral device, to receive the firmware core data from the peripheral device and to store the firmware core data to the third memory device;

wherein the baseboard management controller queries the peripheral device for firmware storage capabilities of the peripheral device via a sideband communication, and wherein when the peripheral device enables sideband communication, the peripheral device is further to send the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller utilizing a PCIe Vendor Defined Message.

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

a video driver to communicate with the second memory device and with the baseboard management controller, the video driver to read the firmware core data from the video framebuffer and to provide the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 , wherein the video driver further to monitor the second memory device for a storage of the firmware core data from the peripheral device to the second memory device, and in response to the storage of the firmware core data, to copy the firmware core data from the firmware core data portion to the video framebuffer of the second memory device.

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

a service module to communicate with the second memory device and with the baseboard management controller, the service module to read the firmware core data from the firmware core data portion and to provide the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 , wherein the service module further to register with the peripheral device, to receive health data for the peripheral device, and to notify the baseboard management controller of a firmware exception of the peripheral device.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the baseboard management controller notify the user of the information handling system that the firmware crash of the peripheral device has occurred via an out-of-band communication.

7. A method, comprising:

detecting a firmware exception within a peripheral device of an information handling system;

querying, by a baseboard management controller, a first memory device of the peripheral device for firmware storage capabilities of the peripheral device;

notifying, by the baseboard management controller, a user of the information handling system that the firmware exception of the peripheral device has occurred, wherein the firmware exception is a firmware crash;

in response to the firmware exception of the peripheral device, receiving, by the baseboard management controller, the firmware core data from the peripheral device, and storing the firmware core data to a second memory device of the baseboard management controller, wherein the second memory device is a non-volatile memory device, and wherein the first memory device is discrete from the second memory device;

querying, by the baseboard management controller, the peripheral device for firmware storage capabilities of the peripheral device via a sideband communication; and

sending, by the peripheral device, the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller utilizing a PCIe Vendor Defined Message when the peripheral device enables sideband communication.

8. The method of claim 7 , the receiving of the firmware core data from the peripheral device further comprises:

reading, by a video driver, the firmware core data from the video framebuffer; and

providing, by the video driver, the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

monitoring, by the video driver, the second memory device for the storage of the firmware core data from the peripheral device to the second memory device; and

in response to the storage of the firmware core data, copying, by the video driver, the firmware core data from the firmware core data portion to the video framebuffer of the second memory device.

10. The method of claim 7 , the receiving of the firmware core data from the peripheral device further comprises:

reading, by a service module, the firmware core data from the firmware core data portion; and

providing, by the service module, the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

registering, by the service module, with the peripheral device;

receiving, by the service module, health data for the peripheral device; and

notifying, by the service module, the baseboard management controller of a firmware exception of the peripheral device.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the notifying of the firmware crash to the user of the information handling system by the baseboard management controller is via an out-of-band communication.

13. An information handling system, comprising:

a peripheral device including a first memory device to store firmware core data for the peripheral device;

a second memory device including a video framebuffer portion and a firmware core data portion, the second memory device to receive the firmware core data in response to a firmware exception within the peripheral device;

a processing unit to communicate with the peripheral device and with the second memory device, the processing unit to provide a direct memory access transfer of the firmware core data from the peripheral device to the firmware core data portion of the second memory device; and

a baseboard management controller to communicate with the peripheral device, with the processing unit, and with the second memory device, the baseboard management controller including a third memory device discrete from the first and second memory devices, wherein the third memory device is a non-volatile memory device, the baseboard management controller to query the peripheral device for firmware storage capabilities of the peripheral device, to notify a user of the information handling system that a firmware crash of the peripheral device has occurred, and in response to the firmware crash of the peripheral device, to receive the firmware core data from the peripheral device and to store the firmware core data to the third memory device;

wherein the baseboard management controller queries the peripheral device for firmware storage capabilities of the peripheral device via a sideband communication, and wherein when the peripheral device enables sideband communication, the peripheral device is further to send the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller utilizing a PCIe Vendor Defined Message.

14. The information handling system of claim 13 , further comprising:

a video driver to communicate with the second memory device and with the baseboard management controller, the video driver to read the firmware core data from the video framebuffer and to provide the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller.

15. The information handling system of claim 14 , wherein the video driver further to monitor the second memory device for a storage of the firmware core data from the peripheral device to the second memory device, and in response to the storage of the firmware core data, to copy the firmware core data from the firmware core data portion to the video framebuffer of the second memory device.

16. The information handling system of claim 13 , further comprising:

a service module to communicate with the second memory device and with the baseboard management controller, the service module to read the firmware core data from the firmware core data portion and to provide the firmware core data to the baseboard management controller.

17. The information handling system of claim 16 , wherein the service module further to register with the peripheral device, to receive health data for the peripheral device, and to notify the baseboard management controller of a firmware exception of the firmware of the peripheral device.

18. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the baseboard management controller notify the user of the information handling system that the firmware crash of the peripheral device has occurred via an out-of-band communication.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (051302/0528) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); SECUREWORKS CORP.
Reel/Frame 060438/0593 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053311/0169) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0742 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 051449 FRAME 0728 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.; EMC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058002/0010 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0169 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 31, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.; EMC CORPORATION
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 051449/0728 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Dec 16, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; SECUREWORKS CORP.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 051302/0528 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 25, 2019
From: BUTCHER, ANDREW; BALLARD, LEE
To: DELL PRODUCTS, LP
Reel/Frame 050827/0485 →
Continuity (1)
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