Creating file systems within a file in a storage technology-abstracted manner

• US 20050132123A1
• Filed: 05/01/2004
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rogers, Andrew M., Tonkelowitz, Mark Scott, Glaum, Jeffery D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,614,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order

Abstract

Described is a system and method used in manufacturing computer devices, in which a single manufacturing image file contains an internal partition and file system layout into which individual operating system component packages are written. The image file is independent of any particular storage technology. To generate the file, a disk image utility tool inputs a memory configuration file and a package-to-partition mapping file to create the partitions/file systems within the image file. The operating system components (package) are written into the partitions. To store (e.g., flash) the image file'"'"'s data on a particular storage device, the image file is post-processed to customize the data for a particular storage device.

Claims

16. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

accessing a file that contains partitions, the partitions containing image data to install to a storage medium; and

processing the file to introduce any modifications to the partition and file system layout as required by a specific storage technology.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising, transferring data from the file into the storage medium corresponding to the specific storage technology.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising, accessing a memory configuration file to determine a location of at least one of the partitions within the output file.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the image data corresponds to packages, and further comprising, generating the file from a partition-to-package mapping file and a memory configuration file.

20. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions which when executed perform the method of claim 17.

21. In a computing environment, a system comprising:

a disk image utility process that inputs a partition-to-package mapping file containing partition information and package information, and based on the data in the files, outputs an image file using packages identified in the package information, the image file comprising a plurality of partitions identified in the partition information, with the contents of each package stored in one of the partitions based on the description; and

a post-process that processes the image file to introduce any modifications to the image as required by a specific storage technology.

1. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

accessing packages containing image data to install to a first storage medium;

accessing a description of partitions to which the package contents are to be written; and

generating an output file to a second storage medium, the output file containing partitions, with the contents of each package stored in one of the partitions based on the description.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, accessing a memory configuration file to determine a location of at least one of the partitions within the output file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the contents of at least one package corresponds to an operating system component, wherein one of the partitions comprises a system partition, and further comprising, writing the operating system component to the system partition based on the description.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the contents of at least one package corresponds to a kernel component, wherein one of the partitions comprises a RAM-based image partition, and further comprising, writing the kernel component to the RAM-based image partition based on the description.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the contents of at least one package corresponds to a kernel component, wherein one of the partitions comprises a ROM-based image partition, and further comprising, writing the kernel component to the ROM-based image partition based on the description.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the contents of at least one package corresponds to a update loader component, wherein one of the partitions comprises a binary image partition, and further comprising, writing the update loader to the binary image partition based on the description.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the output file comprises writing data to a partition that extends to the end of the file, and adjusting the size of the partition based on the actual amount of data written.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the output file comprises writing data to a partition that extends to the end of the file, adding a free space buffer after the end of the data written, and adjusting the size of the partition based on the actual amount of data written and the free space buffer.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, writing data to a master boot record in the file to define a partition.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein writing data to a master boot record comprises defining a user store partition.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising, writing additional data to the output file.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising, executing a post-process to prepare for transferring data from the output file into the first storage medium.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first storage medium comprises flash memory in which code therein can be executed in place, and further comprising, accessing a memory configuration file to fix up at least one of the partitions such that code therein will execute in place.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising, accessing a memory configuration file to determine which sections of the first storage medium are reserved.

15. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions which when executed perform the method of claim 1.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the disk image utility process further inputs a memory configuration file containing data indicative of how storage for a device is configured.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the device is configured with memory in which code therein can be executed in place, and wherein the memory configuration file is accessed to fix up at least one of the partitions such that code therein will execute in place.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the memory configuration file is accessed to determine which sections of device memory are reserved.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the contents of at least one package corresponds to an operating system component, wherein one of the partitions comprises a system partition, and wherein the disk image utility writes the operating system component to the system partition based on the description.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the contents of at least one package corresponds to a update loader component, wherein one of the partitions comprises a binary image partition, and wherein the disk image utility writes the update loader to the binary image partition based on the description.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the disk image utility writes data to a partition that extends to the end of the file, and adjusts the size of the partition based on the actual amount of data written.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein the disk image utility writes data to a partition that extends to the end of the file, adding a free space buffer after the end of the data written, and adjusts the size of the partition based on the actual amount of data written and the free space buffer.

29. The system of claim 21 wherein the disk image utility writes data to a master boot record in the file to define a partition.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the disk image utility defines a user store partition by writing data to the master boot record.

24-1. The system of claim 21 wherein the contents of at least one package corresponds to a kernel component, wherein one of the partitions comprises a RAM-based image partition, and wherein the disk image utility writes the kernel component to the RAM-based image partition based on the description.

25-2. The system of claim 21 wherein the contents of at least one package corresponds to a kernel component, wherein one of the partitions comprises a ROM-based image partition, and wherein the disk image utility writes the kernel component to the ROM-based image partition based on the description.

31. At least one computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure, comprising:

a first set of data comprising a master boot record that defines partitions in the data structure, each partition corresponding to a file system;

a second set of data comprising a binary partition;

a third set of data comprising a storage-based partition;

a fourth set of data comprising a system partition; and

wherein the data structure is processed to create an operating system image on a storage medium.

32. The computer-readable media having stored thereon the data structure of claim 31 wherein the binary partition contains update loader code.

33. The computer-readable media having stored thereon the data structure of claim 32 wherein the update loader code is compressed in the binary partition.

34. The computer-readable media having stored thereon the data structure of claim 31 wherein the storage-based partition comprises a RAM image partition containing kernel code.

35. The computer-readable media having stored thereon the data structure of claim 34 wherein the kernel code is compressed in the RAM image partition.

36. The computer-readable media having stored thereon the data structure of claim 31 wherein the storage-based partition comprises a ROM image partition containing kernel code.

37. The computer-readable media having stored thereon the data structure of claim 31 wherein the system partition contains operating system components.

38. The computer-readable media having stored thereon the data structure of claim 31 wherein the master boot record in the first set of data defines a user store partition as one of the defined partitions.

39. The computer-readable media having stored thereon the data structure of claim 31 further comprising a fifth set of data comprising initial program loader code.