Common boot environment for a modular server system

• US 20030097487A1
• Filed: 11/20/2001
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rietze, Paul D., Whitcombe, Bob
• Granted Patent: US 6,904,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/325
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/18 Packaging or power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4405 Initialisation of multiprocessor systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system

Abstract

A method and apparatus to provision a plurality of server blades from a modular server system with operating system software is described.

Claims

1. A modular server system, comprising:

a midplane having a system management bus and a plurality of blade interfaces;

a plurality of server blades connected to said blade interfaces, with each server blade having a server blade system management bus connected to said system management bus; and

a storage blade connected to one of said blade interfaces, said storage blade having a storage blade system management bus connected to said system management bus, said storage blade to store operating system (OS) software for said plurality of server blades.

2. The modular server system of claim 1, wherein each server blade comprises a provisioning module to provision each server blade with said OS software.

3. The modular server system of claim 1, wherein said storage blade comprises:

a hard disk drive;

a hard disk drive controller; and

a provisioning module to provision each server blade with said OS software.

4. The modular server system of claim 3, wherein said hard disk drive is one of a plurality of hard disk drives configured as a redundant array of independent discs (RAID) system.

5. The modular server system of claim 4, wherein said RAID system is a level five RAID system.

6. The modular server system of claim 4, wherein said RAID system includes a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM).

7. The modular server system of claim 4, wherein said provisioning module comprises:

a connection module to create a connection with a server blade;

an identification module to determine an identifier for said server blade;

a search module to retrieve an OS identifier associated with said server blade identifier; and

a loading module to retrieve an OS associated with said OS identifier from said RAID system and load said identified server blade with said OS.

8. The modular server system of claim 7, wherein a plurality of server blades use a same OS.

9. The modular server system of claim 7, wherein a plurality of server blades use a different OS.

10. A storage blade, comprising:

a hard disk drive;

a hard disk drive controller; and

a provisioning module to provision a plurality of server blades with OS software stored on said hard disk drive.

11. The storage blade of claim 10, wherein said hard disk drive is one of a plurality of hard disk drives configured as a redundant array of independent discs (RAID) system.

12. The storage blade of claim 11, wherein said hard disk drive controller is a RAID controller.

13. The storage blade of claim 12, wherein said RAID system is a level five RAID system.

14. The storage blade of claim 13, wherein said RAID system includes a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM).

15. The storage blade of claim 13, wherein said provisioning module comprises:

a connection module to create a connection with a server blade;

an identification module to determine an identifier for said server blade;

a search module to retrieve an OS identifier associated with said server blade identifier; and

a loading module to retrieve an OS associated with said OS identifier from said RAID system and load said identified server blade with said OS.

16. A method to provision a plurality of servers, comprising:

receiving a request to load an operating system (OS) from each of a plurality of server blades;

determining an identifier for each of said plurality of server blades;

searching for an OS identifier associated with said server blade identifier;

retrieving an OS from a storage system using said OS identifier; and

loading each server blade with its retrieved OS.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said receiving comprises:

creating a connection between each of said server blades and said storage system; and

receiving said request over said connection.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said determining comprises receiving said server blade identifier with said request from each server blade.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said server blade identifier is a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) address.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said searching comprises searching for said OS identifier in an OS identifier list.

21. A method to provision a plurality of servers, comprising:

creating a connection with a storage blade, said storage blade having a plurality of operating system (OS) software;

sending a request to provision said server blade with one of said OS software; and

receiving OS software in response to said request.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said request includes a server blade identifier and an OS identifier.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said server blade identifier is a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) address.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving said request at said storage blade;

identifying an OS for said server blade using said OS identifier; and

sending said OS to said server blade over said connection.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

storing said OS software in memory; and

executing said OS software.

26. An article comprising:

a storage medium;

said storage medium including stored instructions that, when executed by a processor, result in provisioning a plurality of servers by receiving a request to load an operating system (OS) from each of a plurality of server blades, determining an identifier for each of said plurality of server blades, searching for an OS identifier associated with said server blade identifier, retrieving an OS from a storage system using said OS identifier, and loading each server blade with its retrieved OS.

27. The article of claim 26, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, further result in said receiving by creating a connection between each of said server blades and said storage system, and receiving said request over said connection.

28. The article of claim 26, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, further result in said determining by receiving said server blade identifier with said request from each server blade.

29. An article comprising:

a storage medium;

said storage medium including stored instructions that, when executed by a processor, result in provisioning a plurality of servers by creating a connection with a storage blade, said storage blade having a plurality of operating system (OS) software, sending a request to provision said server blade with one of said OS software, and receiving OS software in response to said request.

30. The article of claim 29, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by a processor, further result in receiving said request at said storage blade, identifying an OS for said server blade using said OS identifier, and sending said OS to said server blade over said connection.