Patent ID: 9619245
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A method of configuring and booting a computer system having a computer and a multi-function converged network adapter card coupled to the computer, the converged network adapter card including a set of at least two network interface ports to access, via a network, at least one of a preboot execution environment server target, an iSCSI target, and a Fiber Channel Disk Array target, comprising: reading, in response to a Power-On Self Test (POST) of the system BIOS of the computer, a single option ROM associated with the converged network adapter (CNA) card to obtain information for booting and configuration, the single option ROM storing information to support a preboot execution environment (PXE) boot, a Fiber Channel Over Ethernet (FCoE) boot, and an Internet Small Computer Interface (iSCSI) boot; discovering external targets communicatively coupled to the set of at least two network interface ports; using the single option ROM to automatically configure a plurality of network and storage adapters present on the computer system including configuring a plurality of different types of storage adapters to support communication with one or more of the discovered external targets communicatively coupled to the set of at least two network interface ports wherein an initialization routine stored on the single option ROM is called by the BIOS to scan for different types of adapters present from the group consisting of PXE, FCoE, and iSCSI; wherein the single option ROM has a sequence of images to support all of the protocols of the adapters of the CNA and support all of the boot solutions for the converged network adapter card; and wherein the network and storage protocols includes the Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI), Fiber Channel Over Ethernet (FCoE); wherein in response to discovering a PXE server target a PXE adapter is automatically exposed as BCV through a PNP structure, wherein in response to discovering an iSCSI target an iSCSI adapter is automatically exposed as BCV through a PNP structure, and wherein in response to discovering a FCoE target, a FCoE adapter is automatically exposed as BCV through a PNP structure.