Multi-tiered boot list

• US 20060179294A1
• Filed: 02/09/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chu, Simon C., Kern, Eric R., Piazza, William J., Dayan, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,330,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4405 Initialisation of multiprocessor systems

Abstract

An aggregated server blade system includes a plurality of individual server blades and a management module which can be designated as a bootable device. A boot list maintained and executed in each server blade includes a management module entry in its list of bootable devices. In response to the management module entry being selected or otherwise made active as the bootable device for a particular blade, an alternative bootable-devices list maintained on the management module is referenced and the boot process proceeds according to the alternative list.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a first computing device which traverses a first boot list specifying bootable devices from which bootable code is retrievable for execution; and

a second computing device which is operatively accessible by said first computing device and which maintains a second boot list specifying bootable devices from which bootable code is retrievable for execution;

wherein said first computing device is configurable to include a predetermined entry in the first boot list, and in response to traversing the first boot list and encountering the predetermined entry, said first computing device issues a command to said second computing device, and

wherein the second boot list is traversed in response to the issued command in search of boot code which is to be executed on said first computing device.

2. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said second computing device traverses the second boot list in response to the issued command, and in response to encountering accessible boot code at a device on the second list, said second computing device routes the boot code to said first computing device.

3. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said second computing device returns the second boot list to the first computing device in response to the command; and

said first computing device traverses the returned second boot list in search of the boot code;

wherein

if a listed device is directly accessible by said first computing device, said first computing device attempts to retrieve the boot code from the directly accessible device, and if boot code is encountered, executes the boot code, and

if a listed device is indirectly accessible, said first computing device issues a second command identifying the indirectly accessible device to the second computing device, wherein, in response to the second command, the second computing device attempts to retrieve the boot code from the indirectly accessible device, and if encountered, routes the boot code to said first computing device for execution thereon.

4. Apparatus comprising:

a chassis;

a blade which is removably mountable into said chassis and which traverses a first boot list specifying bootable devices from which bootable code is retrievable for execution;

a management module which is removably mountable into said chassis and operatively accessible by said blade and which maintains a second boot list specifying bootable devices from which bootable code is retrievable for execution; and

a storage device which is accessible by said management module and which stores boot code therein;

wherein

the second boot list is configurable to include said storage device,

said blade is configurable to include a predetermined entry in the first boot list, and in response to traversing the first boot list and encountering the predetermined entry, said blade issues a boot command to said management module, and

said management module traverses the second boot list in response to the issued boot command, and in response to encountering said storage device as the bootable device, accesses the boot code stored in said storage device and delivers the boot code to said blade.

5. Apparatus of claim 4, wherein the predetermined entry identifies said management module as the bootable device.

6. Apparatus of claim 5, wherein the management module further caches the accessed boot code to a cache having an access time which is faster than the access time of said storage device and subsequently delivers the boot code from the cache.

7. Apparatus of claim 4, wherein the predetermined entry denotes the device type for said storage device and the device type is passed along with the boot command to said management module.

8. Apparatus of claim 7, wherein

the denoted device type is a USB device type, and

said management module traverses the second boot list in first to last order and limits boot code retrieval to USB devices on the second boot list.

9. Apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second boot list is maintained at said management module for a plurality of said blades wherein the second boot list is traversed in response to receiving the boot command from any of said blades.

10. Apparatus of claim 9, wherein a plurality of second boot lists are maintained at said management module wherein each of the plurality of second boot lists are used in association with one or more of said blades.

11. Apparatus of claim 4, wherein the boot command identifies said blade and wherein said management module authenticates said blade as a prerequisite to traversing the second boot list for boot code access.

12. A method comprising:

traversing a first boot list which specifies bootable devices from which bootable code is retrievable for execution, the first boot list being maintained at a first computing device;

maintaining a second boot list specifying bootable devices from which bootable code is retrievable for execution, the second list being maintained at a second computing device;

wherein the first computing device is configurable for inclusion of a predetermined entry in the first boot list, and, in response to encountering the predetermined entry during said traversal of the first boot list by the first computing device,

issuing a boot command from the first computing device to the second computing device;

receiving the boot command at the second computing device;

traversing the second boot list at the second computing device in response to said reception of the boot command; and

accessing boot code stored in a storage device listed in the second list and sending the boot code to the first computing device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined entry identifies the second computing device as the bootable device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second computing device further caches the accessed boot code to a cache having an access time which is faster than the access time of the storage device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second boot list is maintained at the second computing device for one or more of the first computing device and a plurality of additional computing devices wherein the second boot list is traversed in response to receiving the boot command from any one or more of the first computing device and the plurality of additional computing devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a plurality of second boot lists are maintained at the second computing device wherein each of the plurality of second boot lists are used in association with one or more of the first computing device and the additional computing devices.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the boot command identifies which computing device originated the boot command and wherein the second computing device authenticates the identified computing device as a prerequisite to traversing the second boot list for boot code access.

18. A product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored therein, the computer readable program code in said product being effective to;

traverse a first boot list which specifies bootable devices from which bootable code is retrievable for execution, the first boot list being maintained at a first computing device;

maintain a second boot list specifying bootable devices from which bootable code is retrievable for execution, the second list being maintained at a second computing device;

wherein the first computing device is configurable for inclusion of a predetermined entry in the first boot list, and, in response to encountering the predetermined entry during said traversal of the first boot list by the first computing device, the code being further effective to;

issue a boot command from the first computing device to the second computing device;

receive the boot command at the second computing device;

traverse the second boot list at the second computing device in response to said reception of the boot command; and

access boot code stored in a storage device listed in the second list and sending the boot code to the first computing device.

19. The product of claim 18, wherein the predetermined entry identifies the second computing device as the bootable device and the second computing device further caches the accessed boot code to a cache having an access time which is faster than the access time of the storage device.

20. The product of claim 18, wherein the boot command identifies which computing device originated the boot command and wherein the second computing device authenticates the identified computing device as a prerequisite to traversing the second boot list for boot code access.