US-12627853-B2 - Console information recording dongle system

US12627853B2US 12627853 B2US12627853 B2US 12627853B2US-12627853-B2

Abstract

A console information recording dongle system includes a networking device having a networking device console port, and a console information recording dongle device. The console information recording dongle device includes a dongle device console connector that is connected to the networking device console port, a storage device, and a console information recording engine that is coupled to the dongle device console connector and the storage device. The console information recording engine receives console information generated by the networking device through the dongle device console connector via the networking device console port, and stores the console information in the storage device. The console information recording dongle device may also include a dongle device console port, and may transmit the console information that was received via the dongle device console connector through the dongle device console port.

Inventors

PADMANABHAN NARAYANAN
Kumarapuram Parameswaran Balasubramanian
Vamshidhar Varre

Assignees

DELL PRODUCTS L.P.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240506

Claims (20)

1 . A console information recording dongle system, comprising: a networking device including a networking device console port that is configured to be coupled to a console server device via a cable; and a console information recording dongle device including: a dongle device console connector that is directly connected to the networking device console port; a storage device; and a console information recording engine that is coupled to the dongle device console connector and the storage device, wherein the console information recording engine is configured to: receive, through the dongle device console connector via the networking device console port, console logs generated by the networking device during initialization of the networking device; and store the console information in the storage device.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the networking device includes a networking device power port, the console information recording dongle device includes a dongle device power connector that is connected to the networking device power port and the console information recording engine, and the console information recording engine is configured to: operate using power received through the dongle device power port via the networking device power port on the networking device.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the console information recording dongle device defines a storage device slot, and includes a storage device connector that is located adjacent to the storage device slot and that is coupled to the console information recording engine, and wherein the storage device connector is configured to: engage the storage device when the storage device is moved into the storage device slot to couple the storage device to the console information recording engine.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the console information recording dongle device includes a dongle device console port that is coupled to the console information recording engine, and wherein the console information recording engine is configured to: transmit, via the dongle device console port, the console logs that were received via the dongle device console connector.
5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the console information recording engine is configured to: receive, via the dongle device console port, networking device information; and transmit, through the networking device console port via the dongle device console connector, the networking device information to the networking device.
6 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the console information recording engine is configured to: receive, via the dongle device console port, a console configuration instruction; and configure, in response to receiving the console configuration instruction, a console connection between the networking device console port and the dongle device console connector.
7 . An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising: a dongle chassis; a dongle device console connector that is included on the dongle chassis and that is configured to directly connect to a networking device console port that is configured to be coupled to a console server device via a cable; a storage device connector that is included on the dongle chassis and that is configured to connect to a storage device; a processing system that is housed in the dongle chassis and that is coupled to the dongle device console connector and the storage device connector; and a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a console information recording engine that is configured to: receive, via the dongle device console connector, console logs generated by a networking device during initialization of the networking device when the dongle device console connector is connected to the networking device console port; and store the console information in a storage device that is connected to the storage device connector.
8 . The IHS of claim 7 , further comprising: a dongle device power connector that is included on the dongle chassis, that is coupled to the processing system, and that is configured to connect to a networking device power port, wherein the console information recording engine is configured to: operate using power received through the dongle device power port via the networking device power port when the dongle device power connector is connected to the networking device power port.
9 . The IHS of claim 7 , further comprising: a storage device slot defined on the dongle chassis; and a storage device connector that is included on the dongle chassis adjacent to the storage device slot and that is configured to: engage the storage device when the storage device is moved into the storage device slot to couple the storage device to the processing system.
10 . The IHS of claim 7 , further comprising: a dongle device console port that is included on the dongle chassis and that is coupled to the processing system, wherein the console information recording engine is configured to: transmit, via the dongle device console port, the console logs that were received via the dongle device console connector.
11 . The IHS of claim 10 , wherein the console information recording engine is configured to: receive, via the dongle device console port, networking device information; and transmit, through the networking device console port via the dongle device console connector, the networking device information to a networking device when the dongle device console connector is connected to the networking device console port that is included on that networking device.
12 . The IHS of claim 10 , wherein the console information recording engine is configured to: receive, via the dongle device console port, a console configuration instruction; and configure, in response to receiving the console configuration instruction, a console connection between the networking device console port and the dongle device console connector when the dongle device console connector is connected to the networking device console port.
13 . The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the dongle device console connector is a Registered Jack 45 (RJ-45) type connector, and the storage device connector is a Micro Secure Digital (MicroSD) card.
14 . A method for recording console information from a computing device using a dongle device, comprising: directly connecting, by a dongle device console connector on a console information recording dongle device, to a networking device console port on a networking device that is configured to be coupled to a console server device via a cable; receiving, by the console information recording dongle device through the dongle device console connector via the networking device console port, console logs generated by the networking device during initialization of the networking device; and storing, by the console information recording dongle device in a storage device that is included in the console information recording dongle device, the console information.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising: connecting, by a dongle device power connector on the console information recording dongle device, to a networking device power port on the networking device; receiving, by the console information recording dongle device through the dongle device power connector via the networking device power port, power provided by the networking device; and operating, by the console information recording dongle device, using the power.
16 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising: engaging, by a storage device connector on the console information recording dongle device when the storage device is moved through a storage device slot defined by the console information recording dongle device, the storage device.
17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising: transmitting, by the console information recording dongle device via a dongle device console port included on the console information recording dongle device, the console logs that were received via the dongle device console connector.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising: receiving, by the console information recording dongle device via the dongle device console port, networking device information; and transmitting, by the console information recording dongle device through the networking device console port via the dongle device console connector, the networking device information to the networking device.
19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising: receiving, by the console information recording dongle device via the dongle device console port, a console configuration instruction; and configuring, by the console information recording dongle device in response to receiving the console configuration instruction, a console connection between the networking device console port and the dongle device console connector.
20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the dongle device console connector is a Registered Jack 45 (RJ-45) type connector, and the storage device connector is a Micro Secure Digital (MicroSD) card.

Description

BACKGROUND The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to a dongle device that externally connects to and records console information generated by an information handling system. As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. Information handling systems such as, for example, switch devices and/or other networking devices known in the art, typically include management ports that provide for the transmission of a variety of management information to and from the switch device. For example, many conventional switch devices include a pair of RJ-45 type ports that are configured to provide a serial console connection and an Out-Of-Band (OOB) Ethernet management connection, respectively, to the switch device. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the serial console connection discussed above is often provided by directly connecting a laptop/notebook computing device to the “console” RJ-45 type port via an Ethernet cable, or coupling the “console” RJ-45 type port to a console server device via an Ethernet cable, while the OOB Ethernet management connection is often provided by coupling the “OOB Ethernet management” RJ-45 type port to an Ethernet network via an Ethernet cable. A user may then subsequently use the serial console connection to directly communicate with the switch device using the laptop/notebook computing device, or to communicate with the switch device via the console server device (e.g., using a telnet, Secure SHell (SSH), and/or other remote connection to the console server device), while using the OOB Ethernet management connection to communicate with the switch device (e.g., using telnet, SSH, and/or other remote connection to the switch device). However, while the OOB Ethernet management connection available via the OOB Ethernet management RJ-45 type port on switch devices is required relatively often (e.g., for initial image install operations, “day 0/day 1” software provisioning, and switch orchestration and monitoring), the serial console connection available via the console RJ-45 type port on switch devices is required sparingly and on a need basis, and the inventors of the present disclosure have determined that the serial console connection available via the console RJ-45 type port on switch devices is typically unused by switch device users. For example, many switch device users (e.g., “hyperscalers”, relatively large enterprises, network “edge” providers, etc.) do not use the serial console connection available via the console RJ-45 type port on switch devices due to the relatively high capital and operational expenditures that accompany console infrastructure. The failure to use the serial console connection available via the console RJ-45 type port on switch devices raises issues, as that serial console connection provides for the transmission of a variety of information that can be particularly valuable when the switch device experiences issues. For example, situations may arise in which the OOB Ethernet management connection provided via the OOB Ethernet management RJ-45 type port becomes unavailable such as, for example, when the switch device is stuck in a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) mode (e.g., due to storage device unavailability, memory unavailability, or other Power-on Start-Up (POST) issues that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure), when the switch device experiences bootloader issues, when a Networking Operating System (NOS) for the switch device “hangs” or otherwise becomes unavailable during initialization (i.e., before a “system ready” point in initial