Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and a BMC are provided. The BMC receives an update package containing one or more updated software components of a firmware image of the BMC to replace corresponding existing software components running on the BMC. The BMC shuts down the existing software components and executes the one or more updated software components. The BMC calculates one or more first stability factors of the one or more updated software components. The BMC compares the one or more first stability factors with one or more second stability factors of the corresponding existing software components. The BMC determines whether to keep the updated software components based on a comparison result.

Abstract: A firmware is configured with a firmware management protocol (“FMP”) capable of updating a firmware logo image and a firmware logo image volume is defined within a firmware for storing a firmware logo image. A firmware logo image updater executing on a computing device receives a UEFI capsule that contains a firmware logo image. The firmware logo image updater stores the UEFI capsule in a UEFI system partition on a computer-readable storage medium accessible to the computing device. Upon a reboot of the computing device, the FMP is executed. The FMP retrieves the UEFI capsule from the UEFI system partition. The FMP then updates the firmware logo image volume with the firmware logo image stored in the UEFI capsule.

Abstract: A method and a cluster for testing orchestration are provided. The method comprises: assigning a plurality of testing containers each including a specification file to provide testing details and stored in a repository of a control plane, by a testing controller of the control plane, to a plurality of pods each including at least one storage volume configured to store the assigned testing containers; dispatching the plurality of pods, by a scheduler of the control plane through an application program interface (API) server of the control plane, to at least one node; running the plurality of pods, by the at least one node, to execute the assigned testing containers, until all the assigned testing containers stored in the at least one storage volume have been finished; reporting execution results of the finished testing containers to the API server; and if any execution result indicates a failure, assigning the corresponding testing container again to a different pod.

Abstract: Technologies are described for performing firmware attestation on system reset. When a managed computing system is reset, a baseboard management controller (“BMC”) generates a notification that the managed computing system has been reset and transmits the notification to an event listener executing in a management system by way of an out-of-band (“OOB”) network. The event listener receives the notification that the managed computing system has been reset and, in turn, causes a security manager executing in the management system to transmit a request for firmware attestation data to a platform security agent executing on the managed computing system. The security manager receives the firmware attestation data from the platform security agent by way of an in-band network and stores the firmware attestation data in a database for exposure to other program components for use in evaluating the trustworthiness of the firmware executing on the managed computing system.

Abstract: A firmware driver generates a REST Hypertext Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) request to an original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”)-defined uniform resource identifier (“URI”) for combined inventory data to an interface exposed by a baseboard management controller (“BMC”). The firmware driver receives the combined inventory data from the BMC in response to the request to the OEM-defined URI exposed by the BMC. The firmware driver performs an inventory of the managed computing system to obtain updated inventory data and determines if the updated inventory data and the combined inventory data are identical. If the updated inventory data and the combined inventory data are not identical, the firmware driver generates new combined inventory data for the managed computing system and posts (e.g., by way of a call to an HTTP POST method) the new combined inventory data for the managed computing system to the OEM-defined URI exposed by the BMC.

Abstract: A system and a method of offloading and migrating management controller functionalities using containerized services are provided. Specifically, a computing device may request a container image from a container management system by sending an instruction to the container management system to select a group of management functionalities to be provided in the container image. In response to receiving the instruction, the container management system retrieves a corresponding group of the services corresponding to the selected group of management functionalities, and creates the container image using the retrieved services. Upon receiving a request from the computing device for the container image, the container management system sends the container image to the computing device, such that the container image may be executed on the computing device to provide a virtual management device thereon. The container image is also capable of being migrated from the computing device to another computing device.

Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and a computer system are provided. The computer system includes a BMC. The BMC determines a booting configuration based on setting of the BMC. The BMC determines, from a firmware image and according to the booting configuration, a group of components, of an OS of the BMC, to be loaded into a memory of the BMC. The BMC determines, from the firmware image, storage locations of the group of components. The BMC obtains a first set of components of the group from one or more network locations according to the storage locations.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for remotely configuring multi-mode dual in-line memory modules (“multi-mode DIMMs”) using a firmware or a baseboard management controller (“BMC”). Technologies are also described for simultaneously initiating multiple commands for configuring multi-mode DIMMs using a BMC and for updating inventory data regarding multi-mode DIMMs stored by a BMC.

Abstract: A container management infrastructure is provided for deployment of management features using a containerized service on a management device and applications thereof are provided. In operation, the infrastructure receives, from a remote computing device, an instruction to select a group of management functionalities. In response, the infrastructure retrieves a corresponding group of the services corresponding to the selected group of management functionalities from a first cloud network, creates a container image using the retrieved group of the services, and deploy the container image to a second cloud network. The second cloud network receives and stores the container image. Upon receiving a request from a remote computing device for the container image, the second cloud network sends the container image to the remote computing device, such that the container image may be executed on the remote computing device to provide a virtual management device thereon.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for providing a Baseboard Management Controller (“BMC”)-based security processor. The disclosed BMC-based security processor can provide a hardware Root of Trust (“RoT”) for a computing platform without the addition of specialized silicon to the platform and while minimizing the number of attack points. The disclosed BMC-based security processor can also provide functionality for securely filtering requests made on certain buses in a computing platform. Through implementations of the features identified briefly above, and others described herein, various technical benefits can be achieved such as, but not limited to, increased security as compared to previous computing systems that utilize a BMC to provide a hardware RoT and reduced complexity and cost as compared to previous computing systems that utilize a separate hardware device, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (“FPGA”) or a microcontroller, to provide a hardware RoT.

Abstract: Technologies are described for verifying the integrity of data transmitted between a firmware and a baseboard management controller (“BMC”). During a first verification phase, a data integrity tool compares system inventory data provided by firmware protocols to a system inventory module to system inventory data in a device instance format. During a second verification phase, the data integrity tool verifies operation of a firmware conversion module by comparing the system inventory data in the device instance format to the system inventory data in a JavaScript Object Notation (“JSON”) format. During a third verification phase, the data integrity tool retrieves the system inventory data from a management server and compares the system inventory data retrieved from the management server to the system inventory data previously transmitted to the management server. Identified discrepancies can be utilized to modify the system inventory module, the firmware conversion module, or the management server.

Abstract: A method for generating a hybrid BMC system and a hybrid BMC system are provided. The method includes: selecting, among a plurality of BMCs, one BMC to be a host BMC; selecting, among the plurality of BMCs, another BMC to be a client BMC, wherein the client BMC uses a first communication protocol different from a second communication protocol used by the host BMC, the client BMC being configured to perform a first task, and the host BMC being configured to perform a second task different from the first task; and configuring an adapter module of the host BMC to interface with the client BMC through the first communication protocol and interface with the host BMC through a second communication protocol such that the host BMC performs the first task through the adapter module.

Abstract: The components of a firmware that are to be executed are identified, such as firmware device drivers and SMI interrupt handlers. Performance data is also obtained for the components. An inventory identifying the components and the performance data are provided to a BMC. The BMC provides the inventory and the performance data to a remote management client through an out-of-band (“OOB”) network connection. The BMC might also receive a blacklist instruction from the management client. The blacklist instruction provides an indication to the BMC that one or more of the components of the firmware are not to be executed by the computing system. The BMC provides the blacklist instruction to the firmware. The firmware adds the component, or components, identified in the blacklist instruction to a blacklist. The next time the computing system is booted, the firmware will not execute the components identified in the blacklist.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for remotely configuring multi-mode dual in-line memory modules (“multi-mode DIMMs”) using a firmware or a baseboard management controller (“BMC”). Technologies are also described for simultaneously initiating multiple commands for configuring multi-mode DIMMs using a BMC and for updating inventory data regarding multi-mode DIMMs stored by a BMC.

Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a pod manager. The pod manager receives receive a request for composing a target composed-node. The pod manager employs a first set of pooled hardware resources of the computing pod to build the target composed-node. The pod manager determines to reserve a second set of pooled hardware resources of the computing pod for a backup node of the target composed-node. The pod manager determines that the target composed-node has failed. The pod manager employs the second set of pooled hardware resources to build the backup node.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for providing a Baseboard Management Controller (“BMC”) -based security processor. The disclosed BMC-based security processor can provide a hardware Root of Trust (“RoT”) for a computing platform without the addition of specialized silicon to the platform and while minimizing the number of attack points. The disclosed BMC-based security processor can also provide functionality for securely filtering requests made on certain buses in a computing platform. Through implementations of the features identified briefly above, and others described herein, various technical benefits can be achieved such as, but not limited to, increased security as compared to previous computing systems that utilize a BMC to provide a hardware RoT and reduced complexity and cost as compared to previous computing systems that utilize a separate hardware device, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (“FPGA”) or a microcontroller, to provide a hardware RoT.

Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and a computer system are provided. The computer system includes a baseboard management controller (BMC). The BMC receives a first message from a first remote device on a management network. The BMC determines whether the first message is directed to a storage service or fabric service running on a host of the BMC. The host is a storage device. The BMC extracts a service management command from the first message, when the first message is directed to the storage service or fabric service. The BMC sends, through a BMC communication channel to the host, a second message containing the service management command to the host. The BMC communication channel established for communicating baseboard management commands between the BMC and the host.

Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and a device are provided. The device determines one or more feature components of firmware of a BMC to be tested. The device also determines a respective QA category from a plurality of QA categories for each of the one or more feature components. Each of the plurality of QA categories is associated with a set of feature components and a set of the test cases. The device further determines respective at least one test case for each of the one or more feature components based on the respective QA category of the each feature component. The test case specifies hardware and a procedure to be used to test the each feature component.

Abstract: A firmware update method and computer program product for updating firmware are provided. The method includes: generating a plurality of container files each corresponding to a hardware device among a plurality of hardware devices coupled to a computing system, wherein each container file includes a firmware update utility to be installed on the computing system to update a firmware installed on the corresponding hardware device; generating an image file of the computing system, wherein the image file has a container layer including the plurality of container files; booting the computing system using the image file, wherein the container files are executed consecutively; installing the firmware update utility of each container file on the computing system when each one of the container files is executed; and for each of the hardware devices, installing a firmware image thereon using the corresponding firmware update utility installed on the computing system.

Abstract: A firmware update method and computer program product for updating firmware are provided. The method includes: generating a plurality of container files each corresponding to a hardware device among a plurality of hardware devices coupled to a computing system, wherein each container file includes a firmware update utility to be installed on the computing system to update a firmware installed on the corresponding hardware device; generating an image file of the computing system, wherein the image file has a container layer including the plurality of container files; booting the computing system using the image file, wherein the container files are executed consecutively; installing the firmware update utility of each container file on the computing system when each one of the container files is executed; and for each of the hardware devices, installing a firmware image thereon using the corresponding firmware update utility installed on the computing system.