Automated state migration while deploying an operating system

• US 20070113226A1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Baron, Anthony, Sardesai, Shantanu, Nanda, Sukanta, Drew, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,913,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Migration of a user state from a source computing device to a destination computing device using a state migration point (SMP) is disclosed. The destination computing device may be the same as the source computing device but with a different operating system. The user state is securely stored by the SMP until the user state is restored on the destination computing device or a predetermined period of time has elapsed. Additional SMPs can be added without an architectural change. SMPs can be used to simultaneously migrate the states of multiple users of the source computing device to multiple destination computing devices. The SMPs can be restricted to migrate only the user states of computing devices with particular IP subnets. The SMPs can retain user states for a period of time after restoration in order to provide a backup, if necessary.

Claims

1. A server management system for migrating a user state of a computing device from a source computing device to a destination computing device, comprising:

(a) at least one state migration point (“

SMP”

) suitable for securely storing the user state of said computing device in a state migration point directory (“

SMP directory”

);

(b) at least one management point (“

MP”

) for storing an identity of said source computing device and said destination computing device and a location of said at least one SMP; and

(c) a software module for;

(i) determining the identity of said source computing device and said destination computing device and the location of said at least one SMP from said at least one MP;

(ii) transferring the user state of said source computing device to said SMP directory of said at least one SMP for secure storage in said SMP directory; and

(iii) transferring the user state of said source computing device securely stored in said SMP directory to said destination computing device.

2. The server management system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of SMPs and wherein said MP stores a list of said plurality of SMPs and said software module sequentially polls the SMPs on said list to locate a SMP having a capacity to store the user state of said computing device in the SMP directory of the SMP being polled.

3. The server management system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of MPs, each of said MPs storing the identity of said source computing device and said destination computing device and the location of said at least one SMP and wherein software module randomly selects one of said plurality of MPs to determine the identity of said source computing device and said destination computing device and said at least one SMP.

4. The server management system of claim 3 comprising a plurality of SMPs and wherein said plurality of MPs each store a list of said plurality of SMPs and said software module sequentially polls the SMPs on said list to locate a SMP having a capacity to store the user state of said computing device in the SMP directory of the SMP being polled.

5. The server management system of claim 1 wherein said source computing device and said destination computing device are a same computing device.

6. A method of migrating a user state of a computing device from a source computing device to a destination computing device, comprising:

obtaining a list of a plurality of state migration points (“

SMPs”

), each suitable for securely storing the user state of said computing device;

identifying an SMP included in the list of SMPs having a capacity to securely store the user state of said computing device;

transferring a user state of said source computing device to the identified SMP for securely storing the state of said source computing device; and

transferring the user state of said source computing device securely stored in the identified SMP from the identified SMP to said destination computing device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said source computing device includes a plurality of user states and wherein each of said plurality of user states is transferred to a separately identifiable location of said identified SMP and is separately stored at said separately identifiable location in said identified SMP.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said destination computing device includes a plurality of separate computing devices and wherein said plurality of user states are each transferred from said SMP to an associated one of said plurality of separate computing devices.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said SMP creates a secure directory and wherein said user state of said source computing device is transferred to said secure directory for storage.

10. The method of claim 6 including storing said list of a plurality of SMPs in a plurality of management points (“

MPs”

).

11. The method of claim 10 also including storing association information that identifies and associates said source computing device and said destination computing device in said plurality of MPs.

12. The method of claim 6 including determining if said source computing device and said destination computing device are associated and only transferring the user state of said source computing device to said destination computing device if said source computing device and said destination computing device are associated.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein said source computing device and said destination computing device are a same computing device.

14. A method of migrating a user state of a computing device from a source computing device to a destination computing device, comprising:

associating said source computing device with said destination computing device;

identifying a state migration point (“

SMP”

) suitable for securely storing said user state;

transferring a user state associated with said source computing device to said SMP;

determining if a selected destination computing device is associated with said source computing device; and

transferring the user state from said SMP to said selected destination computing device only if said selected destination computing device is associated with said source computing device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said source computing device and said destination computing device have MAC addresses and wherein said source computing device and said destination computing device are associated using said MAC addresses.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said SMP suitable for securely storing said user state is identified by randomly checking a list of SMPs to identify an SMP having a capacity to store said user state.

17. The method of claim 14 including associating one source computing device with one or more destination computing devices.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said SMP also stores information identifying said source computing device associated with the transferred user state.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein said source computing device includes a plurality of user states and wherein said destination computing device includes a plurality of computing devices.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein said source computing device and said destination computing device are different computing devices.