SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR DISCOVERING A NEW SERVER CONNECTED WITHIN AN AUTOMATED DATA CENTER

• US 20070019626A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bhagwat, Dinesh, LAHIRI, SAURAV, Choudri, Sandeep
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A technique for automatically discovering a new server connected within an automated data center. In one example embodiment, this is performed by connecting and powering a new server to one or more data center resources of the automated data center. The new server is then booted-up by loading a temporary OS image from a manager server. Server-specific attributes for the new server are then obtained using the loaded initial temporary OS image by the management server. An SNMP trap is then received from each of the one or more data center resources by the management server upon powering the new server. Each of the received SNMP traps includes physical connection information associated with a connection between the new server and one of the one or more data center resources. An inventory database is then updated by storing the received physical connection information associated with SNMP trap and the obtained server-specific attributes.

Claims

1. A method for automatically discovering a new server connected within an automated data center comprising:

connecting a new server to one or more data center resources of the automated data center;

booting-up the new server by loading a temporary OS image from a management server;

obtaining, by means of the management server, server-specific attributes for the new server using the loaded initial temporary OS image;

receiving, by means of the management server, an SNMP trap from each of the one or more data center resources, wherein each received SNMP trap includes physical connection information associated with a connection between the new server and one of the one or more data center resources; and

updating, by means of the management server, an inventory database of the automated data center by storing the received physical connection information and the obtained server-specific attributes associated with each of the one or more data center resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each SNMP trap includes notification information related to connecting of the new server to an associated data center resource.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

shutting down the new server upon updating the inventory database with the received physical connection information and the obtained server-specific attributes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

provisioning the new server using the server-specific attributes and the physical connection information stored in the inventory database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein booting-up the new server by loading the temporary OS image from the management server comprises:

booting-up the new server using a network boot routine with the management server as the network boot server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein booting the new server by loading the temporary OS image comprises:

creating a SAN (storage area network) disk with a preloaded OS image accessible by the new server using the management server;

accessing the OS image in the created SAN disk by the new server; and

booting-up the new server with the accessed OS image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the server-specific attributes for the new server using the loaded initial temporary OS image by the management server comprises:

running one or more commands to fetch the server-specific attributes from the new server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the server-specific attributes for the new server using the loaded initial temporary OS image by the management server comprises:

running a script file having one or more commands to fetch the server-specific attributes from the new server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the new server-specific attributes are selected from the group comprising MAC address, architecture, model number, serial number, admin user information, admin password, logical IP address, WWNs of FC cards.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical connection information is selected from the group comprising network switch connection information, fiber channel switch connection information, and terminal server connection information.

11. An article comprising:

a storage medium having instructions that, when decoded by a computing platform, result in execution of a method comprising;

connecting a new server to one or more data center resources of the automated data center;

booting-up the new server by loading a temporary OS image from a management server;

obtaining server-specific attributes for the new server using the loaded initial temporary OS image by the management server;

receiving an SNMP trap by the management server from each of the one or more data center resources, and wherein each received SNMP trap includes physical connection information associated with a connection between the new server and one of the one or more data center resources; and

updating an inventory database of the automated data center by storing the received physical connection information and the obtained server-specific attributes associated with each of the one or more data center resources by the management server.

12. The article of claim 11, further comprising:

shutting down the new server upon updating the inventory database with the received physical connection information and the obtained server-specific attributes.

13. The article of claim 11, further comprising:

provisioning the new server using the server-specific attributes and the physical connection information stored in the inventory database.

14. The article of claim 11, wherein booting-up the new server by loading the temporary OS image from the management server comprises:

booting-up the new server using a network boot routine with the management server as the network boot server.

15. The article of claim 11, wherein booting the new server by loading the temporary OS image comprises:

creating a SAN (storage area network) disk with a preloaded OS image accessible by the new server using the management server;

accessing the OS image in the created SAN disk by the new server; and

booting-up the new server with the accessed OS image.

16. The article of claim 11, wherein obtaining the server-specific attributes for the new server using the loaded initial temporary OS image by the management server comprises:

running one or more commands to fetch the server-specific attributes from the new server.

17. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein code which when decoded by the processor, the code causes the processor to perform a method comprising;

connecting a new server to one or more data center resources of the automated data center;

booting-up the new server by loading a temporary OS image from a management server;

obtaining server-specific attributes for the new server using the loaded initial temporary OS image by the management server;

receiving an SNMP trap by the management server from each of the one or more data center resources, and wherein each received SNMP trap includes physical connection information associated with a connection between the new server and one of the one or more data center resources; and

updating inventory database of the automated data center by storing the received physical connection information and the obtained server-specific attributes associated with each of the one or more data center resources by the management server.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

shutting down the new server upon updating the inventory database with the received physical connection information and the obtained server-specific attributes.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

provisioning the new server using the server-specific attributes and the physical connection information stored in the inventory database.

20. An automated data center comprising:

one or more data center resources;

an inventory management database;

a new server coupled to the one or more data center resources; and

a management server coupled to the inventory management database and the one or more data center resources, wherein the management server comprises;

a bootp server, wherein the new server boots-up by loading a temporary OS image from the bootp server upon connecting and powering the new server to the one or more data center resources and the management server;

fetch server attribute module that obtains new server-specific attributes using the loaded initial temporary OS image;

an SNMP manager, wherein the SNMP manager receives an SNMP trap from each of the one or more data center resources, wherein each received SNMP trap includes physical connection information associated with the connection between the new server and one of the one or more data center resources; and

an auto update module that updates the inventory management database with the received physical connection information associated with each of the one or more data center resources and the obtained server-specific attributes.

21. The automated data center of claim 20, wherein each SNMP trap received by the SNMP manager includes notification information related to connecting of the new server to an associated data center resource.

22. The automated data center of claim 20, wherein the new server is shut-down upon updating the inventory database with the received physical connection information and the obtained server-specific attributes, and wherein the new server is provisioned using the updated server-specific attributes and the physical connection information in the inventory database.

23. The automated data center of claim 20, wherein the new server boots-up using a network boot routine with the management server as the network boot server.

24. The automated data center of claim 20, further comprising:

a SAN;

a SAN disk coupled to the SAN, wherein the SAN disk includes a preloaded OS image; and

a configure SAN module coupled to the SAN, wherein the configure SAN module configures the SAN such that the SAN disk with the preloaded OS image is made available to the new server, wherein the new server accesses the preloaded OS image in the SAN disk, and wherein the new server boots-up with the accessed OS image.

25. The automated data center of claim 20, wherein the bootp server runs a script file having one or more commands to fetch the server-specific attributes from the new server.

26. The automated data center of claim 20 wherein the new server-specific attributes are selected from the group comprising MAC address, architecture, model number, serial number, admin user information, admin password, logical IP address, WWNs of FC cards.

27. The automated data center of claim 20, wherein the physical connection information is selected from the group comprising network switch connection information, fiber channel switch connection information, and terminal server connection information.