Method to map an inventory management system to a configuration management system

• US 20040015957A1
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Singhal, Sharad, Zara, Anna M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,013,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A method comprising 1) discovering a new unit deployed within a data center; 2) finding a configuration template for the discovered unit; and 3) automatically installing software on the discovered unit based upon the configuration template.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

discovering a new unit deployed within a data center;

finding a configuration template for the discovered unit; and

automatically installing software on said discovered unit based upon said configuration template.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein discovering includes:

determining whether said unit requires soft configuration; and

if said unit requires soft configuration, then receiving a network request for configuration data from said unit.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein said discovering further includes:

determining if the MAC (Media Access Control) address sent with said network request is of a known MAC.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein determining includes:

extracting the MAC of the network device which originated said network request;

comparing the determined MAC with a list of known MACs, said MAC being known if said determined MAC is also found in said list.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein if said MAC is known, then discovering further includes:

finding an asset ID in an asset records database, said asset ID based upon said MAC.

6. A method according to claim 5 further comprising:

determining the state of said unit;

if said state is one of initial and re-install, then proceeding with said finding of a configuration template; and

if said state is not one of initial and re-install then proceeding with the normal boot sequence of said unit.

7. A method according to claim 3 further comprising:

if said determined MAC is not known, then proceeding with intruder diagnostics.

8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

prior to a new unit being deployed, associating the unit with an asset record.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein associating includes:

creating said asset record with a specific asset ID, said asset ID tied to a fixed parameter of said unit;

waiting for said unit to be received and prepared for assembly;

correlating said received unit with said created asset record.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein said correlating includes:

reading bar-code information on components of said unit;

determining which one of a plurality of asset records contains parameters that match said bar-code information; and

associating said unit with said determined asset record, said determined asset record being the same as said created asset record for said unit.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein said unit is mountable within a rack of said data center.

12. A method according to claim 9 wherein said fixed parameter is the MAC address of the primary Network Interface Card (NIC) of said unit.

13. A system comprising:

a data center deployable unit (node) connectable to a network;

a management system server configured to manage a database of asset records, one of said asset records corresponding to said node, said management system server maintaining and updating state information about said node in its corresponding asset record, said management system server connected to said network; and

a software configuration system server configured to automatically install software on said node once said node is deployed and connected to said network, said software configuration system server connected to said network.

14. A system according to claim 13 wherein said software configuration system is instructed on the manner and content of said installation by a software configuration template.

15. A system according to claim 13 further wherein said management system server is configured to:

determine whether said node requires soft configuration; and

if said node requires soft configuration, then receiving a network request from said node.

16. A system according to claim 15 wherein said management system server determines if the MAC of the network device which initiated said request is a known MAC, said network device a part of said node.

17. A system according to claim 13 wherein said node is a computer system mountable within a rack in said data center.

18. A system according to claim 16 wherein said network device is a Network Interface Card (NIC).

19. A system according to claim 14 wherein said management system server finds the asset ID corresponding to said node upon said node sending a network request message.

20. A system according to claim 19 wherein said management system server is further configured to:

determine the state of said unit;

if said state is one of initial and re-install, then proceed with said finding of said configuration template; and

if said state is not one of initial and re-install then allow said node to proceed with the normal boot sequence of said unit.

21. A system according to claim 13 wherein said management system server is configured to associate said node with its said corresponding asset record.

22. A system according to claim 21 wherein said management system sever is further configured to:

create said asset record with a specific asset ID, said asset ID tied to a fixed parameter of said unit;

wait for said unit to be received and prepared for assembly; and

correlate said received unit with said created asset record.

23. An article comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which when executed cause:

discovering a new unit deployed within a data center;

finding a configuration template for the discovered unit; and

automatically installing software on said discovered unit based upon said configuration template.

24. An article according to claim 23 wherein discovering includes:

determining whether said unit requires soft configuration; and

if said unit requires soft configuration, then receiving a network request from said unit.

25. An article according to claim 24 wherein said discovering further includes:

determining if the MAC (Media Access Control) address sent with said network request is a known MAC.

26. An article according to claim 25 wherein if said MAC is known, then discovering further includes:

finding an asset ID in an asset records database, said asset ID based upon said MAC.

27. An article according to claim 26 that further causes:

determining the state of said unit;

if said state is one of initial and re-install, then proceeding with said finding of a configuration template; and

if said state is not one of initial and re-install then proceeding with the normal boot sequence of said unit.

28. An article according to claim 23 that further causes:

prior to a new unit being deployed, associating the unit with an asset record.

29. An article according to claim 28 wherein associating includes:

creating said asset record with a specific asset ID, said asset ID tied to a fixed parameter of said unit;

waiting for said unit to be received and prepared for assembly;

correlating said received unit with said created asset record.