Abstract: Systems and methods provide witness sled hardware installed in a chassis and supported during network failures using management resources of the chassis. A chassis may include data storage devices and Information Handling Systems (IHSs), each configured to store data redundantly to the data storage devices, such as part of a vSAN (Virtual Storage Area Network). The witness sled is configured to provide witness functions, such as to arbitrate discrepancies in the redundantly stored data. The chassis also includes a chassis management controller (CMC) configured to initiate a connection with the witness sled via a management signaling pathway in response to a notification indicating a network fault in a high-speed connection used by the IHSs in communicating with the witness sled. The CMC receives witness transactions from theses IHSs and utilizes the connection initiated via the management signaling pathway to submit the transactions for processing by the witness sled.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide witness sled hardware installed in a chassis and supported during failures using management resources of the chassis. A chassis may include data storage devices and Information Handling Systems (IHSs), each storing data redundantly to the storage devices, such in a vSAN. The witness sled provides witness functions, such as arbitrating discrepancies in the redundantly stored data. The chassis includes a chassis management controller (CMC) that maintains a copy of witness transactions stored by the witness sled based on transaction data transmitted by the witness sled to the CMC via the management signaling pathway. The CMC notifies the IHSs of witness operations supported by the CMC in response to a detected fault in the witness sled and utilizes the copy of witness transactions to process witness transactions from the IHSs while the witness sled is not operational.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide witness sled hardware that may be installed in a chassis and that may be updated using management resources of a chassis in which the witness sled is installed. A chassis may include data storage devices and Information Handling Systems (IHSs), each including one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) configured to cause each respective IHS to store data redundantly to the data storage devices, such as part of a vSAN (Virtual Storage Area Network). The chassis also includes a witness sled configured to provide witness functions, such as to arbitrate discrepancies in the redundantly stored data. The chassis may further include a chassis management controller that receives updates to the witness sled, such as to the witness sled operating system. The update is deconflicted with any pending updates and is transmitted to the witness sled while accounting for the limited resources of the compute sled.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide witness sled hardware installed in a chassis and supported during network failures using management resources of the chassis. A chassis may include data storage devices and Information Handling Systems (IHSs), each configured to store data redundantly to the data storage devices, such as part of a vSAN (Virtual Storage Area Network). The witness sled is configured to provide witness functions, such as to arbitrate discrepancies in the redundantly stored data. The chassis also includes a chassis management controller (CMC) configured to initiate a connection with the witness sled via a management signaling pathway in response to a notification indicating a network fault in a high-speed connection used by the IHSs in communicating with the witness sled. The CMC receives witness transactions from theses IHSs and utilizes the connection initiated via the management signaling pathway to submit the transactions for processing by the witness sled.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide witness sled hardware that may be installed in a chassis and that is configurable using management resources of a chassis in which the witness sled is installed. The chassis may include data storage devices and Information Handling Systems (IHSs), each including one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) that execute instructions that cause a respective IHS to store data redundantly to the plurality of data storage devices, such as part of a vSAN (Virtual Storage Area Network). The witness sled is configured to provide witness functions, such as arbitrating discrepancies in the redundantly stored data. The chassis includes a management controller that is configured to interface with the witness sled to set up high-speed network connections supported by the witness sled in order to configure the witness sled for providing witness functions within the vSAN, while accounting for the limited resources of the compute sled.

Abstract: A system can receive, in association with a user account, an operating system image that is encrypted with a private key, a manifest generated from a first instance of a manifest generator tool that is configured to identify system provisioning artifacts that is encrypted with the private key, and a public key. The system can install the operating system image on a computing device. The system can generate, with a second instance of the manifest generator tool, a first identification of system provisioning artifacts from the installing of the operating system image.

Abstract: A system can receive, in association with a user account, an operating system image that is encrypted with a private key, a manifest generated from a first instance of a manifest generator tool that is configured to identify system provisioning artifacts that is encrypted with the private key, and a public key. The system can install the operating system image on a computing device. The system can generate, with a second instance of the manifest generator tool, a first identification of system provisioning artifacts from the installing of the operating system image.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, an interface configured for hot-insertion of information handling resources, and a management controller configured to provide out-of-band management of the information handling system. The management controller may be configured to: receive a first notification that an information handling resource has been hot-removed from the interface; and in response to the first notification, disable power to the interface to prevent initialization of an information handling resource that is hot-inserted at the interface.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a management controller configured to direct a basic input/output system to generate an advanced configuration power interface (ACPI) event that is triggered by an update of a host interface attribute. A processor provides at least one function to publish and configure a host interface, where the host interface is associated with a management service. The processor may also detect the ACPI event triggered by the update of the host interface attribute. Subsequent to the detection of the ACPI event, a structure of the host interface associated with the management service and a supported authentication type and security information associated with the supported authentication type may be determined. The processor may authenticate to the host interface via the supported authentication type using the security information and update an operating system variable associated with the update of the host interface attribute.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, an interface configured for hot-insertion of information handling resources, and a management controller configured to provide out-of-band management of the information handling system. The management controller may be configured to: receive a first notification that an information handling resource has been hot-removed from the interface; and in response to the first notification, disable power to the interface to prevent initialization of an information handling resource that is hot-inserted at the interface.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a basic input/output system (BIOS) configured to initialize the information handling system, and a management controller coupled to the processor and configured to provide out-of-band management of the information handling system. The BIOS may be configured to: subsequent to initialization of an operating system of the information handling system, receive a notification that an information handling resource has been hot-inserted into the information handling system; and delay processing of the information handling resource by the operating system until the management controller has performed a platform-specific configuration change to the information handling resource.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a basic input/output system (BIOS) configured to initialize the information handling system, and a management controller coupled to the processor and configured to provide out-of-band management of the information handling system. The BIOS may be configured to: subsequent to initialization of an operating system of the information handling system, receive a notification that an information handling resource has been hot-inserted into the information handling system; and delay processing of the information handling resource by the operating system until the management controller has performed a platform-specific configuration change to the information handling resource.

Abstract: A method and system provide local key management for storage enclosures. The method includes retrieving first security content from a security vault of a service processor, then dynamically detecting a hardware interface communicatively coupled to the service processor. A data storage device, communicatively coupled to the hardware interface is dynamically detected. A dynamic determination is made as to whether the data storage device is a self-encrypting capable data storage device. In response to the data storage device being a self-encrypting capable data storage device, a second security content is retrieved from the data storage device, and a validation regarding an association between the first security content and the second security content is made. Finally, in response to a positive validation of the association between the first security content and the second security content, security keys are transmitted to the data storage device, and access to the data storage device is enabled.

Abstract: A method and system provide local key management for storage enclosures. The method includes retrieving first security content from a security vault of a service processor, then dynamically detecting a hardware interface communicatively coupled to the service processor. A data storage device, communicatively coupled to the hardware interface is dynamically detected. A dynamic determination is made as to whether the data storage device is a self-encrypting capable data storage device. In response to the data storage device being a self-encrypting capable data storage device, a second security content is retrieved from the data storage device, and a validation regarding an association between the first security content and the second security content is made. Finally, in response to a positive validation of the association between the first security content and the second security content, security keys are transmitted to the data storage device, and access to the data storage device is enabled.