UEFI and operating system driver methods for updating MAC address in LAN-based NIC

Abstract

An information handling system (IHS) unambiguously addresses networked devices connected by a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC) by detecting a device descriptor of LAN-based NIC, determining that the device descriptor indicates a capability for assigning a reserve media access control (MAC) address to the networked device, writing the reserve MAC address in the LAN-based NIC of the networked device, and associating the reserve MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure for the IHS.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of unambiguously addressing networked devices in an information handling system (IHS), the method comprising:
 detecting a device descriptor of a local area network (LAN) based (LAN)-based network interface controller (NIC) connected to a networked device that does not physically contain a unique MAC address; 
 determining that the device descriptor indicates a capability for assigning a reserve media access control (MAC) address to the networked device; 
 archiving an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address of the LAN-based NIC into a non-volatile storage of the LAN-based NIC; and 
 provisioning the reserve MAC address in the LAN-based NIC of the networked device; 
 associating the reserve MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure of the IHS; 
 detecting a presence of the networked device by an operating system of the IHS; 
 accessing a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol to expose a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver that is specific to the device descriptor; 
 loading the UEFI PXE driver into a UEFI platform; and 
 provisioning the LAN-based NIC with the reserve MAC address using the UEFI PXE driver in place of the archived OEM MAC address. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the LAN-based NIC provides LAN connectivity between the IHS and the networked device, the method further comprising:
 detecting the presence of the networked device by an operating system driver during one of a boot of the IHS and a hot plugging of a network system; and 
 the operating system driver provisioning the reserve MAC address in the LAN-based NIC for use in place of an OEM programmed MAC address of the LAN-based NIC; and 
 associating the MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure of the IHS. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 sending a command over an operating system to a basic input/output system (BIOS) interface to an of a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS; and 
 receiving the reserve MAC address from the UEFI BIOS. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 re-initializing an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address for the LAN-based NIC in response to a power cycle of the networked device. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 detecting a second device descriptor of a second networked device that is connected to the LAN-based NIC; and 
 provisioning a second reserve MAC address in the LAN-based NIC, where the second reserve MAC address is assigned to the second networked device and a first reserve the MAC address and second MAC address are unique reserve different MAC addresses. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 detecting the a second device descriptor of the networked device connected to a second LAN-based NIC to which the networked device is connected, the second device descriptor also indicating a capability for assigning a second MAC address to the second LAN-based NIC; and 
 provisioning the second based LAN-based NIC with the reserve MAC address that was previously assigned to and is associated with the networked device. 
 
     
     
       7. An information handling system (IHS) to unambiguously address networked devices, the IHS comprising:
 a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC); 
 a networked device connected to the LAN-based NIC, the LAN-based NIC external to the networked device; and 
 a system that manages an IHS inventory list database, the system physically interconnected to the networked device via the LAN-based NIC and having a processor operably in communication with the LAN-based NIC to:
 detect a device descriptor of the LAN-based NIC; 
 determine that the device descriptor indicates a capability for assigning a reserve media access control (MAC) address to the networked device that connects to the system via the LAN-based NIC; 
 archive an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address of the LAN-based NIC into a non-volatile storage of the LAN-based NIC; and 
 provision the LAN-based NIC with the reserve a MAC address; 
 associate the reserve MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure for the HIS; 
 detect the presence of the networked device by an operating system of the IHS; 
 access a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol to expose a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver that is specific to the device descriptor; 
 load the UEFI PXE driver into a UEFI platform; and 
 provision, by using the UEFI PXE driver, the LAN-based NIC with the reserve MAC address in place of the archived OEM MAC address. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The IHS of  claim 7 , wherein the LAN-based NIC provides LAN connectivity between the IHS and the networked device and the system is further operable to:
 detect the presence of the networked device by an operating system driver during one of a boot of the IHS and a hot plugging of a network system; and 
 provision the reserve MAC address in the LAN-based NIC by the operating system driver for use in place of an OEM programmed MAC address of the LAN-based NIC; and 
 associate the MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure of the IHS. 
 
     
     
       9. The IHS of  claim 8 , wherein the system is further operable to:
 send a command by an the operating system driver over an operating system to a basic input/output system (BIOS) interface to an Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS; and 
 receive the reserve MAC address from the UEFI BIOS. 
 
     
     
       10. The IHS of  claim 7 , wherein the system is further operable to:
 re-initialize an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address for the LAN-based NIC in response to a power cycle of the networked device. 
 
     
     
       11. The IHS of  claim 7 , wherein the system is further operable to:
 detect a second device descriptor of a second networked device that is connected to the LAN-based NIC; and 
 provision the LAN-based NIC with a second reserve MAC address that is assigned to the second networked device, the second MAC address being a different MAC address from the MAC address associated with the networked device. 
 
     
     
       12. The IHS of  claim 7 , wherein the system is operable to:
 detect the device descriptor of the networked device that is connected to a second LAN-based NIC; and 
 provision the second LAN-based NIC with a reserve the MAC address that is was previously assigned and associated with the networked device. 
 
     
     
       13. A system that unambiguously addresses networked devices in a distributed information handling system (IHS), the system comprising:
 a processor; 
 an operating system driver executed by the processor and in communication with a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC) that is external to and connected to a networked device, the operating system driver; 
 a memory comprising an IHS inventory list database managed by the system, the system physically interconnected to the networked device via the LAN-based NIC; and 
 a processor communicatively connected to the LAN-based NIC and which executes firmware including an operating system driver that makes the processor operable to:
 detect a device descriptor of the LAN-based NIC; 
 determine that the device descriptor indicates a capability for assigning a reserve media access control (MAC) address to the networked device that connects to the IHS via the LAN-based NIC; 
 archive an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address of the LAN-based NIC into a non-volatile storage of the LAN-based NIC; and 
 provision the LAN-based NIC with the reserve a MAC address; 
 associate the reserve MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure for the IHS; 
 detect a presence of the networked device by an operating system of the IHS; 
 access a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol to expose a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver that is specific to the device descriptor; 
 load the UEFI PXE driver into a UEFI platform; and 
 provision the LAN-based NIC with the reserve MAC address using the UEFI PXE driver in place of the archived OEM MAC Address. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 13 , wherein the LAN-based NIC provides LAN connectivity between the distributed IHS and the networked device and the operating system driver is makes the processor further operable to:
 detect the presence of the networked device during one of a boot of the IHS and a hot plugging of a network system; and 
 provision, by the operating system driver, the reserve MAC address in the LAN-based NIC for use in place of an OEM programmed MAC address of the LAN-based NIC; and 
 associate the MAC address with the networked device in an inventory data structure of the IHS. 
 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , further comprising an interface of the operating system executed by wherein the processor and is further operable to:
 send a command to a basic input/output system (BIOS) interface to an Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS; and 
 receive the reserve MAC address from the UEFI BIOS. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 13 , wherein the operating system driver is further operable to detect the presence of the networked device during of an operating system of the IHS, the IHS further comprising:
 an interface of the operating system executed by the processor and operable to access a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol to expose a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver that is specific to the device descriptor and to load the UEFI PXE driver into a UEFI platform that in turn provisions the LAN-based NIC with the reserve MAC address.   
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 13 , wherein the operating system driver is makes the processor further operable to:
 detect a second device descriptor of a second networked device that is connected to the LAN-based NIC; and 
 provision the LAN-based NIC with a second reserve MAC address, different from the MAC address associated with the networked device; and 
 associate the second MAC address with the second networked device. 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 13 , wherein the operating system driver is makes the processor operable to:
 detect the device descriptor of the networked device that is connected to a second LAN-based NIC having a device descriptor that also indicates a capability for assigning a MAC address to the networked device; and 
 provision the second LAN-based NIC with a reserve the MAC address that is associated with the networked device. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 1, wherein provisioning of the MAC address in the LAN-based NIC comprises reprogramming the LAN-based NIC with the MAC address received from a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) basic input/output system (BIOS). 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 1, wherein the LAN-based NIC is associated with a docking station or dongle to which the networked device physically connects, the method further comprising clearing the MAC address from the LAN-based NIC when the network device is detached from the LAN-based NIC. 
     
     
       21. The IHS of claim 7, wherein to provision the MAC address in the LAN-based NIC, the system is further operable to reprogram the LAN-based NIC with the MAC address received from a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) basic input/output system (BIOS). 
     
     
       22. The system of claim 13, wherein in provisioning the MAC address in the LAN-based NIC, the operating system driver makes the processor further operable to reprogram the LAN-based NIC with the MAC address received from a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) basic input/output system (BIOS). 
     
     
       23. A method comprising:
 detecting, during a boot of a networked device that locally connects to an IHS via a LAN-based network interface controller (NIC), a device descriptor in the LAN-based NIC, the device descriptor indicative of a capability for assigning a MAC address to the networked device;   in response to detecting the device descriptor, exposing an interface of a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol driver;   loading a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver into a UEFI platform; and   provisioning, using the UEFI PXE driver, the NIC with a MAC address.   
     
     
       24. The method of claim 23, wherein provisioning of the NIC with the MAC address comprises archiving an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) MAC address in a NIC internal non-volatile storage. 
     
     
       25. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:
 a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC);   a networked device connected to the LAN-based NIC, which locally connects with the IHS, the networked device having a processor operably in communication with the LAN-based NIC to:
 detect, during a boot of the networked device, a device descriptor in the NIC, the device descriptor indicative of a capability for assigning a MAC address to the networked device; 
 in response to detecting the device descriptor, expose an interface of a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol driver; 
 load a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver into a UEFI platform; and 
 provision, using the UEFI PXE driver, the NIC with a MAC address. 
   
     
     
       26. A system that addresses networked devices in a distributed information handling system (IHS), the system comprising:
 a local area network (LAN) based network interface controller (NIC); and   a networked device that locally connects within the distributed IHS via the LAN-based NIC, the networked device having a processor that is communicatively connected to the LAN-based NIC and which executes firmware that makes the processor operable to:
 detect, during a boot of the networked device, a device descriptor in the LAN-based NIC, the device descriptor indicative of a capability for assigning a MAC address to the networked device; 
 in response to detecting the device descriptor, expose an interface of a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) reserve MAC protocol driver; 
 load a UEFI Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) driver into a UEFI platform; and 
 provision, using the UEFI PXE driver, the NIC with a MAC address.