Method and system for dynamically purposing a computing device

• US 20020091805A1
• Filed: 01/29/2002
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Raghavan, Kartik N., Sutton, Paul C., Phillips, Thomas G., Waite, Ryan W. J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

A system and method for purposing a computing device is disclosed. The computing devices in a network are organized into groups referred to as Pods, each Pod of computing devices further comprising an aggregation node. The aggregation node monitors and controls the computing devices in the Pod. The aggregation node is used to copy a system image from the pristine partition of another computer device or from a library of system images to a target partition of the computer to be repurposed. Because the computing devices in the network are organized into Pods, with each Pod having an aggregation node, there is no single point of failure for the entire management and control of the network. The aggregation nodes for each Pod in the network can communicate with one another to most efficiently allocate resources among the various tasks to be performed by the computing resources in the network. Computing devices in the network can be repurposed and/or reassigned to different Pods based on the various criteria.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a computing device that is purposed to perform a first function to be purposed to perform a second function by operating with a new target system image, the computing device having a computer readable storage medium comprising a first target partition and a second target partition, wherein the first target partition is the active partition and the computing device is connected to a network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a prompt to initiate a repurposing operation; and

transferring the new target system image to the second target partition, whereby the computing device continues to perform the first function while the steps of the method are performed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prompt to initiate a repurposing operation is generated by an aggregation node.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the second target partition.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the location on the network of a new target system image.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the location on the network of the new target system image is a pristine partition of a second computing device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the location on the network of the new target system image is a library of at least one system image.

7. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions, which, when executed, perform the method of claim 1.

8. A method for dynamically repurposing computing devices in a network, wherein the network is comprised of at least a first Pod and a second Pod, at least a first computing device and at least a first aggregation node being associated with the first Pod, and at least a second computing device and at least a second aggregation node being associated with the second Pod, the at least first and second computing devices each having a computer readable storage medium comprising a default partition, a target partition and a pristine partition, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a prompt to perform a repurposing operation on the first computing device;

booting the first computing device from the default partition, the default partition having a default operating system;

installing a new target system image on the target partition of the first computing device; and

booting the first computing device from the target partition having the new target system image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein installing a new target system image on the target partition of the first computing device is comprised of:

receiving the location on the network of the new target system image;

configuring the target partition of the first computing device;

transferring the new target system image to the target partition of the first computing device; and

changing the association of the first computing device from the first Pod to the second Pod.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein installing a new target system image on the target partition of the first computing device is further comprised of transferring to the target partition of the first computing device a service for providing a status of the first computing device to the second aggregation node.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the new target system image is transferred to the default partition by an image transfer engine.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the image transfer engine performs a copy operation.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the location of the new target system image is the pristine partition of the second computing device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the location of the new target system image is a library of at least one system image.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein booting the first computing device from the target partition having the new target system image comprises:

running a startup program to setup the new target system image on the target partition; and

booting the computing device from the target partition to run the new target system image.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein booting the first computing device from the target partition having the new target system image further comprises:

generating a security identifier for the first computing device; and

assigning the security identifier to the computing device.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the prompt to perform a repurposing operation is generated by the first aggregation node.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first aggregation node generates the prompt to perform a repurposing operation based on an automated process.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the automated process is a load balancing program.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first aggregation node generates the prompt to perform a repurposing operation based on a user input.

21. A system for dynamically repurposing at least one computing device in a network of computing devices, comprising:

a first Pod of computing devices comprised of at least a first computing device purposed to perform a first task;

the at least first computing device including a computer readable storage medium comprising a default partition, a target partition and a pristine partition;

a second Pod of computing devices comprised of at least a second computing device purposed to perform a second task;

the at least second computing device including a computer readable storage medium comprising a pristine partition having a pristine copy of a target system image;

at least one aggregation node for monitoring the first Pod of computing devices and for managing the transfer of the pristine copy of the target system image from the pristine partition of the second computing device to the target partition of the first computing device; and

a communication infrastructure for linking the aggregation node and the first and second Pods of computing devices.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the default partition of the first computing device comprises:

a default operating system; and

a service for communicating the current status of the first computing device to the first aggregation node and for receiving and booting from the target partition the pristine copy of the target system image received from the pristine partition of the second computing device.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising an image transfer engine for transferring the pristine copy of the target system image from the pristine partition of the second computing device to the target partition of the first computing device.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the pristine copy of the target system image is comprised of at least one operating system and at least one application program.

25. The system of claim 22, further comprising an installation service for installing on the default partition of the first computing device a default operating system and a service for communication a status of the first computing device to the first aggregation node.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least first computing device and the at least second computing device each further comprise at least one network interface to the communication infrastructure.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the at least first computing device and the at least second computing device each comprise two network interfaces to the communication infrastructure.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the communication infrastructure is a local area network.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the communication infrastructure is a wireless network.

30. A method for purposing a computing device having a computer readable storage medium comprising a default partition and a target partition, wherein the computing device is connected to a computing network and is a member of a Pod within the network comprised of at least one computing device, the Pod further comprising at least one aggregation node for monitoring and managing the computing devices that comprise the Pod, comprising the steps of:

installing a default operating system image on the default partition, the default operating system image including a service for providing a status of the computing device to the aggregation node;

booting the computing device from the default partition having the default operating system;

installing a target system image on the target partition of the computer readable storage medium; and

booting the computing device from the target partition having the target system image.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the computing device is connected to the computing network by a network interface with facilities for automatically assigning the computing device a network identifier address.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein installing a default operating system image comprises:

identifying the computing device to an installation service;

installing a default operating system on the default partition of the computing device; and

installing on the default partition a service for providing a status of the computing device to the controller.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein installing a target system image further comprises:

receiving a prompt to perform a purposing operation;

receiving the location on the network of a system image to be installed on the target partition; and

transferring the selected system image to the target partition of the computer readable storage medium.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the system image to be installed is located on a pristine partition of at least a second computing device connected to the computing network.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the system image to be installed is located in a library of at least one system image.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein installing a target system image further comprises transferring to the target partition a service for providing a status of the computing device to the aggregation node.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the selected system image is transferred to the default partition by an image transfer engine.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the image transfer engine performs a copy operation.

39. The method of claim 30, wherein booting the computing device from the target partition further comprises:

running a startup program to setup the system image on the target partition; and

booting the computing device from the target partition having the system image.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein booting the computing device from the target partition further comprises:

generating a unique security identifier for the computing device, and

assigning the unique security identifier to the computing device.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein the system image transferred to the target partition is comprised of at least one operating system and at least one application program.

42. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions, which, when executed, perform the method of claim 30.

43. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for purposing computing devices in a network, wherein the network is comprised of at least a first Pod and a second Pod, at least a first computing device and at least a first aggregation node being associated with the first Pod, and at least a second computing device and at least a second aggregation node being associated with the second Pod, the at least first and second computing devices each having a computer readable storage medium having a default partition, a target partition and a pristine partition, which, when executed, comprise:

booting the first computing device from the default partition having a default operating system;

installing a new target system image on the target partition of the first computing device; and

booting the first computing device from the target partition having the new target system image.

44. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the computer executable instructions for installing a new target system image on the target partition of the first computing device, when executed, comprise:

receiving the location on the network of the new target system image;

configuring the target partition of the first computer; and

changing the association of the first computing device from the first Pod to the second Pod.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the computer executable instructions for installing a new target system image on the target partition of the first computing device, when executed, further comprises transferring to the target partition of the first computing device a service for providing a status of the first computing device to the second aggregation node.

46. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the location of the new target system image is the pristine partition of the second computing device.

47. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the location of the new target system image is a library of at least one system image.

48. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein the computer executable instructions for booting the first computing device from the target partition having the new target system image, when executed, comprise:

running a startup program to setup the new target system image on the target partition; and

booting the computing device from the target partition to run the new target system image.

49. The computer readable medium of claim 48, wherein the computer executable instructions for booting the first computing device from the target partition having the new target system image, when executed, further comprise:

generating a security identifier for the first computing device; and

assigning the security identifier to the first computing device.

50. A method for dynamically preparing an operating system for a computing device in a network based on a hardware profile of the computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

adding the computing device as a node in the network;

running a program module to determine the hardware profile of the computing device;

providing a specific operating system based on the hardware profile of the computing device;

installing the specific operating system on the computing device.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising installing the program module to determine the hardware profile of the computing device on a computer readable storage medium on the computing device.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the computing device is further comprised of a computer readable storage medium having at least a default partition and wherein the specific operating system is installed on the default partition, the method further comprising the step of booting the computing device from the default partition having the specific operating system.

53. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions, which, when executed, perform the method of claim 50.