Patent ID: 9262155
Filing Date: 2016-02-16
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A method for supporting controlled and secure firmware update of a host channel adapter (HCA) of a host node in a middleware machine environment, wherein the host node uses the HCA to connect to a shared resource over a network fabric, the method comprising: managing the network fabric with a fabric administrator system; providing the host node with a normal boot image which provides access to a local file system of the host node but no access to firmware of the HCA of the host node, wherein when loaded with the normal boot image, the host node is accessible to a host administrator and not the fabric administrator system; providing the host node with a special boot image which provides access to firmware of the HCA of the host node but no access to the local file system of the host node, wherein when loaded with the special boot image, the host node is accessible to a fabric administrator system and not the host administrator; using the fabric administrator system to provide a plurality of encrypted firmware updates on the network fabric; receiving said plurality of encrypted firmware updates from the network fabric at said host node via the HCA; communicating a selection of a particular encrypted firmware update of the said plurality of encrypted firmware updates from a host administrator of the host node to the HCA, wherein said communicating is performed while the host node is loaded with the normal boot image; decrypting in said HCA, in response to said selection, said particular encrypted firmware update of the said plurality of encrypted firmware updates in order to generate a decrypted firmware update; and operating said HCA to install said decrypted firmware update; wherein said decrypting and operating said HCA to install said decrypted firmware is performed while the host node is loaded with the special boot image.