Computer system and booting method therefor and server used for the same

• US 20050246518A1
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Takahashi, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

To accelerate the booting time of a computer by a booting method using a communication network, a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs is used to boot a computer. The main memory image is managed in one batch on a server, and is regularly updated with the latest programs. When booting up the computer, only an initial load image which is the minimum part of the main memory image necessary to start the system is loaded, and remaining parts of the main memory image are suitably loaded in an on-demand manner after the system starts operating.

Claims

1. A computer, which loads an initial load image through a network from a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as the initial load image as one part of a main memory image, to write the initial load image into a main memory and boot a system using the written initial load image, wherein after the start of operation of the system, when a first access occurs to a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image, for each region of a predetermined width, the computer loads the main memory image from the server and writes the image into the main memory.

6. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the initial load image includes at least the minimum text and data of the operating system which are required to boot a system as well as programs and data which are necessary for the computer to load a block belonging to a main memory image part which is other than the initial load image in an on-demand manner from the server.

2. A computer consisting of a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit, wherein the network interface is connected through a network to a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image, and the data processing unit comprises:

means for loading the initial load image from the server through the network using the network interface and writing the initial load image into the main memory;

means for booting a system using the written initial load image;

means for detecting, after the start of operation of the system, that a first access occurs for each main memory image of a predetermined width, with respect to a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image; and

means for loading the main memory image of a predetermined width for which the first access is detected from the server through the network using the network interface, and writing the main memory image into the main memory.

3. A computer consisting of a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit, wherein the network interface is connected through a network to a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image, and the data processing unit comprises:

means for loading the initial load image from the server through the network using the network interface and writing the initial load image into the main memory;

means for booting a system using the written initial load image;

means for generating, after the start of operation of the system, an exception upon detecting that a first access occurs for each main memory image of a predetermined width, with respect to a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image; and

means for loading the main memory image of a predetermined width for which the exception is generated from the server through the network using the network interface, and writing the main memory image into the main memory.

4. A computer consisting of a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit, wherein the network interface is connected through a network to a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image, and the data processing unit comprises:

means for loading the initial load image from the server through the network using the network interface and writing the initial load image into the main memory;

means for booting a system using the written initial load image;

a page table, which is included in the initial load image, for storing a protection mode and mapping information of logical block addresses and physical block addresses of the system, wherein a predetermined protection mode which is unrelated to an original protection attribute is initialized regarding blocks belonging to a main memory image part other than the initial load image;

a protection information unit for maintaining location attributes indicating whether or not the original protection attribute of each logical block of the system and a physical block corresponding to the logical block are present on the server, wherein the information is included in the initial load image;

means for referring to the page table to translate a logical address included in a memory access request into a physical address, wherein the means for referring generates an exception when a protection mode of the access destination is the predetermined protection mode;

means for judging from the protection information unit a location attribute of a block of the logical address for which the exception is generated, and when the location attribute indicates that the physical block is present on the server, for loading a main memory image of the physical block from the server through the network using the network interface to write the main memory image into the main memory; and

means for changing a protection mode corresponding to the block of the logical address for which the exception is generated in the page table to the original protection attribute set in the protection information unit.

5. A computer consisting of a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit, wherein the network interface is connected through a network to a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image, and the data processing unit comprises:

means for loading the initial load image from the server through the network using the network interface and writing the initial load image into the main memory;

means for booting a system using the written initial load image;

a status table for storing sets of a physical block of the system and a status showing whether or not that physical block has been loaded, wherein at system boot time the status is initialized to a non-loaded state;

a protection information unit for storing location attributes showing whether or not the respective physical blocks of the system are present on the server; and

a memory access unit for accessing the main memory in accordance with a memory access request, wherein, when a location attribute of a physical block of an access destination is set to a non-loaded state in the status table and the location attribute of that physical block is indicated as being present on the server by the protection information unit, the memory access unit loads the main memory image of that physical block from the server through the network using the network interface to write the main memory image into the main memory and changes the status in the status table to loaded.

7. A method for booting a computer, wherein an initial load image is loaded through a network and written in a main memory of a computer from a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as the initial load image as one part of a main memory image, a system of the computer is booted using the written initial load image, and after the start of operation of the system, when a first access occurs to a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image, for each region of a predetermined width, the main memory image is loaded from the server and written into the main memory of the computer.

12. The method for booting a computer according to claim 7, wherein the initial load image includes at least the minimum text and data of the operating system which are required to boot a system as well as programs and data which are necessary for the computer to load a block belonging to a main memory image part that is other than the initial load image in an on-demand manner from the server.

8. A method for booting a computer consisting of a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit, comprising;

a step of connecting the network interface through a network to a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image;

in the data processing unit, a step of loading the initial load image from the server through the network using the network interface to write the initial load image into the main memory;

a step of booting a system using the written initial load image;

after the start of operation of the system, a step of detecting that a first access occurs for each main memory image of a predetermined width, with respect to a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image; and

a step of loading the main memory image of a predetermined width for which the first access is detected from the server through the network using the network interface to write the main memory image into the main memory.

9. A method for booting a computer consisting of a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit, comprising;

a step of connecting the network interface through a network to a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as an initial load image which is one part of the main memory image;

in the data processing unit, a step of loading the initial load image from the server through the network using the network interface to write the initial load image into the main memory;

a step of booting a system using the written initial load image;

after the start of operation of the system, a step of generating an exception upon detecting that a first access occurs for each main memory image of a predetermined width, with respect to a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image; and

a step of loading the main memory image of a predetermined width for which the exception is generated from the server through the network using the network interface to write the main memory image into the main memory.

10. A method for booting a computer consisting of a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit, comprising;

a step of connecting the network interface through a network to a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image;

in the data processing unit, a step of loading the initial load image from the server through the network using the network interface to write the initial load image into the main memory;

a step of booting a system using the written initial load image;

a step of referring to a page table which stores a protection mode and mapping information of logical block addresses and physical block addresses of the system, in which a predetermined protection mode which is unrelated to an original protection attribute is initialized regarding blocks belonging to a main memory image part which is other than the initial load image to translate a logical address included in a memory access request into a physical address;

a step of generating an exception when a protection mode of the access destination is the predetermined protection mode;

a step of judging a location attribute of a block of the logical address for which the exception is generated from a protection information unit which stores location attributes showing whether or not the original protection attribute of each logical block of the system and a physical block corresponding to the logical block are present on the server;

when the location attribute indicates that the physical block is present on the server, a step of loading the main memory image of the physical block from the server through the network using the network interface to write the main memory image into the main memory of the computer; and

a step of changing a protection mode corresponding to the block of the logical address for which the exception is generated in the page table to the original protection attribute which is set in the protection information unit.

11. A method for booting a computer consisting of a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit comprising;

a step of connecting the network interface through a network to a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image;

in the data processing unit, a step of loading the initial load image from the server through the network using the network interface to write the initial load image into the main memory; and

a step of booting a system using the written initial load image,

wherein a memory access unit accesses the main memory in accordance with a memory access request using a status table which stores sets of a physical block of the system and a status showing whether or not that physical block is loaded, the status being initialized to a non-loaded state at system boot time, and a protection information unit which contains location attributes showing whether or not each physical block of the system is present on the server, and when a location attribute of a physical block of an access destination is set to a non-loaded state in the status table and the location attribute of that physical block is indicated as present on the server by the protection information unit, and the memory access unit loads the main memory image of that physical block from the server through the network using the network interface to write the main memory image into the main memory, and changes the status in the status table to a loaded-state.

13. A server comprising:

a memory for storing a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs of a computer as well as an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image;

a network interface for communicating with the computer through a network;

and control means for, upon receiving a load request for the initial load image from the computer, reading the initial load image from the memory to send it to the computer which is the request source through the network using the network interface; and

means for, upon receiving a load request from the computer for a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image, reading the requested main memory image of a predetermined size from the memory to send it to the computer through the network using the network interface.

14. The server according to claim 13, further comprising an image location table having flags showing, for each region of a predetermined width of the boot-up main memory image, whether or not the region belongs to the initial load image, wherein the control means refers to the image location table to determine the initial load image.

15. A computer program which causes a computer comprising a main memory, a network interface and a data processing unit to function as:

means for loading an initial load image through a network from a server which manages a boot-up main memory image of an OS and application programs as well as the initial load image as one part of a main memory image to write the initial load image into the main memory;

means for booting a system using the written initial load image;

means for detecting, after the start of operation of the system, that a first access occurs for each main memory image of a predetermined width, with respect to a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image; and

means for loading the main memory image of a predetermined width for which the first access is detected from the server through the network using the network interface, and writes the main memory image into the main memory.

16. A server program that causes a computer which composes a server comprising a memory which stores an initial load image which is one part of a main memory image of a boot -up main memory image of an OS and application programs of a computer, and a network interface which communicates with the computer through a network, to function as control means for, upon receiving a load request for the initial load image from the computer, reading the initial load image from the memory and sending it to the computer which is the request source through the network using the network interface, and upon receiving a load request from the computer for a remaining part of the main memory image which is other than the initial load image, reading the requested main memory image of a predetermined size from the memory, and sending it to the computer through the network using the network interface.