Distributed operating system management

• US 20060047946A1
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Maxsp Corporation
• Inventors: Keith, Robert O. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A system and method are provided for a distributed operating system manager. In one example, the method includes retrieving an internet protocol address of a boot server connected to a client computer via a network; determining whether the boot server is available via the network; transferring to the boot server a description of an operating system on the client computer; validating hardware credentials of the client computer; and determining whether to perform a remote boot process.

Claims

1. A method of managing an operating system over a network, wherein the network is configured to be connected to a boot server and to a client computer, the method comprising:

retrieving an internet protocol address of the boot server for the client computer;

determining whether the boot server is available via the network;

transferring to the boot server a description of an operating system on the client computer;

validating hardware credentials of the client computer; and

determining whether to perform a remote boot process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving an internet protocol address is performed by a read-only memory embedded dynamic host configuration client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving an internet protocol address comprises retrieving the internet protocol address from an external device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet protocol address is provided by one of the client computer or an internet service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before the transferring of the description of the operating system, contacting the boot server via a domain name system name of the boot server, wherein the domain name system name is a parameter of a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor configuration.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the description of the operating system includes:

a license key;

a universal unique identifier; and

a current version.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferring of the description includes using hypertext transfer protocol and extensible markup language.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after validating hardware credentials, receiving from the boot server an acknowledgment including the operating system image version, the directory image cyclic redundancy check value and the full image size.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether to perform the remote boot process comprises comparing a cyclic redundancy check value of a client directory image to a cyclic redundancy check value server directory image.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that the cyclic redundancy check values are unequal; and

receiving the server directory image from the boot server.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that the complimentary metal oxide semiconductor configuration is set to always load a fresh image; and

receiving the server directory image from the boot server.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

bypassing the remote boot process; and

using the operating system on the client computer.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing the remote boot process including:

creating a random access memory based file system;

selecting a correct bootstrap program based on an operating system model coded in the complimentary metal oxide semiconductor configuration;

downloading the bootstrap program from the boot server; and

passing program control to the bootstrap program.

14. A method of managing an operating system over a network, wherein the network is configured to be connected to a boot server and to a client computer, the method comprising:

moving an existing operating system directory on the client computer to a set-aside location;

downloading an operating system directory image from the boot server;

comparing cyclic redundancy check values of each file in the operating system directory with an existing file in the existing operating system directory; and

generating a new operating system directory based on the comparing of the cyclic redundancy check values.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the comparing the cyclic redundancy check values includes traversing the operating system directory image downloaded from the boot server with the existing operating system on the client computer.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the comparing the cyclic redundancy check values includes determining that a cyclic redundancy check value of a file in the operating system directory is equal to a cyclic redundancy check value of an existing file, and wherein the generating of the new operating system directory includes moving the existing file to the new operating system directory.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the comparing the cyclic redundancy check values includes determining that a cyclic redundancy check value of a file in the operating system directory is unequal to a cyclic redundancy check value of an existing file, and wherein the generating of the new operating system directory includes receiving a module from the boot server to replace the existing file and moving the module to the new operating system directory.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing user environment data in a user profile on the boot server; and

generating the user environment on the client computer.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

passing control of boot operations to an operating system boot block on the client computer; and

continuing the boot operations as a normal basic input-output system assisted boot.

20. A system for managing an operating system over a network, the system comprising:

a boot server including an internet protocol address; and

a client computer connected to the boot server via the network, the client computer including;

a dynamic host configuration protocol client configured to retrieve the internet protocol address of the boot server for the client computer; and

an input-output bitmap client configured to transfer to the boot server a description of an operating system on the client computer, wherein the boot server is configured to validate hardware credentials of the client computer, wherein the input-output bitmap client determines whether to perform a remote boot process.

21. A client computer for managing an operating system over a network, wherein the client computer is configured to be connected to a boot server via the network, the client computer comprising:

a dynamic host configuration protocol client configured to retrieve an internet protocol address of the boot server for the client computer; and

an input-output bitmap client configured to transfer to the boot server a description of an operating system on the client computer, wherein the boot server is configured to validate hardware credentials of the client computer, wherein the input-output bitmap client determines whether to perform a remote boot process.

22. A boot server for managing an operating system over a network, wherein the boot server is configured to be connected to a client computer via the network, the boot server comprising:

an internet protocol address; and

an operating system directory image for the operating system on the client computer, wherein the client computer includes a dynamic host configuration protocol client configured to retrieve an internet protocol address of the boot server for the client computer and an input-output bitmap client configured to contact the boot server, wherein the boot server is further configured to validate hardware credentials of the client computer, and wherein the input-output bitmap client determines whether to perform a remote boot process.

23. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more instructions for managing an operating system over a network, wherein the network is configured to be connected to a boot server and to a client computer, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following:

retrieving an internet protocol address of the boot server for the client computer;

determining whether the boot server is available via the network;

transferring to the boot server a description of an operating system on the client computer;

validating hardware credentials of the client computer; and

determining whether to perform a remote boot process.