Patent ID: 8640118

Claim:
A method for updating firmware on a plurality of system boards of a computer, the method comprising the steps of: a first system board determining that a firmware update is available for the first system board, and in response, the first system board updating a firmware image on a portable and removable storage device which is currently plugged into the first system board within the computer to store the firmware update; during execution of a subsequent boot sequence for the computer, the first system board determining that (i) the firmware image on the first system board does not match the updated firmware image on the portable and removable storage device and (ii) the updated firmware image on the portable and removable storage device is a later version of the firmware image on the first system board, and in response to (i) and (ii), collectively, the first system board replacing the firmware image on the first system board with the updated firmware image on the portable and removable storage device; and subsequently, during execution of another boot sequence for the computer, a second system board, which has replaced the first system board in the computer and has the portable and removable storage device plugged into the second system board, determining (i) that the updated firmware image on the portable and removable storage device does not match a firmware image on the second system board, (ii) the updated firmware image on the portable and removable storage device is a later version of the firmware image on the second system board, and (iii) that vital product data (VPD) on the second system board does not match vital product data on the portable and removable storage device, and in response to (i), (ii), and (iii), collectively, the second system board replacing the firmware image on the second system board with the updated firmware image from the portable and removable storage device and replacing the vital product data on the second system board with the vital product data on the portable and removable storage device.