Network booting apparatus and method

• US 20080155245A1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 1E Limited
• Original Assignee: 1E Limited
• Inventors: Chang, Sophie, Lipscombe, Roger, Hammarskjold, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 8,312,115 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

An operating system deployment arrangement provides a database connected to a network for use in monitoring the boot status of machines connected to sub-networks of the network. A workstation connected to a sub-network is adapted to act as a server for a pre-installation environment to machines newly connecting to the sub-network or at the same geographical location. The workstation carries a program for detecting boot initiation messages broadcast on the sub-network and for progressing booting of newly connecting machines in accordance with boot action data held by the database. In particular, the workstation also sends a software agent and operating system deployment processes to a newly connected machine and the agent takes over progression of the booting process from the workstation. The data held in the database for any one machine is updated as booting progresses. Flexibility is provided both in administration of the boot action data held in the database and by means of user interaction software loaded to a newly connected machine in the course of booting.

Claims

1. Network booting apparatus, for use in booting a machine connected to a sub-network of a network,

which apparatus is adapted for use in computing equipment connected locally in relation to the sub-network, and comprises:

i) a boot initiation message detector for detecting a message sent by the machine to initiate a booting process;

ii) a database interrogator for interrogating a database in relation to boot action data stored in the database; and

iii) a network boot program source for use in providing a network boot program to the machine,

the boot initiation message detector being connected to the database interrogator to trigger an interrogation of the database on detection of an initiating message, and the network boot program source being arranged to provide the network boot program to the machine in accordance with said boot action data.

2. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the computing equipment is connected to the same sub-network as the machine and the boot initiation message detector is arranged to detect said message in the sub-network.

3. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the computing equipment is connected in the same geographical location as the machine and the boot initiation message detector is arranged to detect said message in the geographical location.

4. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the network boot program comprises a pre-installation environment together with boot action data.

5. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the network boot program comprises a pre-installation environment together with a further database interrogator for interrogating a database in relation to boot action data stored in the database.

6. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the computing equipment comprises a workstation.

7. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the network boot program source is adapted to select a network boot program for provision to the machine from two or more different network boot programs, the selection being made in accordance with said boot action data.

8. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the database interrogator, or at least one of the database interrogators, is adapted to include an identifier in relation to the machine when interrogating a database in relation to boot action data.

9. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the database interrogator, or at least one of the database interrogators, is adapted to interrogate a database outside the sub-network, via the network.

10. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the network boot program source is arranged to provide a selected network boot program from a storage location local to the machine.

11. Network booting apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said storage location comprises a location in the sub-network to which the machine is connected.

12. Network booting apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said storage location comprises a location in the same geographical location as the machine.

13. Network booting apparatus according to claim 7 wherein at least one of the at least two different network boot programs is arranged to cause the booting machine to cease booting from the network.

14. Network booting apparatus according to claim 5 wherein, on interrogation of a database by the further database interrogator, the network boot program comprising the further database interrogator is arranged to respond to a first type of boot action data by causing the further database interrogator to interrogate the database repeatedly until there is a change in boot action data.

15. Network booting apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the network boot program comprising the further database interrogator further comprises operating system installation apparatus for use in installing an operating system to the machine, the network boot program comprising the further database interrogator being arranged, on interrogation of a database, to respond to a second type of boot action data by causing the operating system installation apparatus to install an operating system to the machine from the network.

16. Network booting apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said further database interrogator is adapted to obtain operating system identification data from the database for use in said installation of an operating system.

17. Network booting apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the operating system installation apparatus is adapted to trigger the installation of an operating system by broadcasting a package location request on the sub-network which contains said operating system identification data.

18. Network booting apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the network boot program comprising the further database interrogator further comprises a data reader for obtaining hardware data in relation to the machine for use in obtaining said operating system identification data.

19. Network booting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein-the network boot program comprising the further database interrogator further comprises a database writer for entering or updating values in a database.

20. Network booting apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the database writer is adapted to enter to the database hardware data obtained by the data reader.

21. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a network boot program receiver for receiving one or more network boot programs via the network and storing the one or more programs in data storage available to the computing equipment.

22. Network booting apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the pre-installation environment provides a user interface for the machine and the network boot program comprising the further database interrogator is arranged, on interrogation of the database, to respond to a third type of boot action data by triggering a user prompt to the user interface.

23. Network booting apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said network boot program is arranged to receive operating system data from the user interface in response to the user prompt, for use in installation of an operating system to the machine.

24. Network booting apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the database writer is adapted to enter to the database operating system data obtained from the user interface.

25. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the boot action data may comprise a value indicating no action to be taken by the apparatus in response to the detection of an initiating message and the apparatus is adapted so to respond.

26. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the database interrogator and/or the further database interrogator are/is adapted to update values in a database in accordance with changes in booting status of the machine.

27. Network booting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the database interrogator and/or the further database interrogator are/is adapted to interrogate a database using one or more predefined methods.

28. Network booting apparatus according to claim 27 wherein the database interrogator and the further database interrogator are adapted to interrogate the same database with respect to the same variable stored in the database, using two different respective predefined methods such that for at least one instance of the variable each method returns a different value to its respective interrogator.

29. A network booting system comprising network booting apparatus according to claim 1 and further comprising an administrative console having a user interface for viewing and updating at least one variable stored in the database.

30. A network booting system according to claim 29 wherein the administrative console is provided with at least one rule, the rule being invoked on receipt by the database of an interrogation using a predefined method from the database interrogator, or one of the database interrogators, to determine a value returned by the method.

31. Operating system deployment apparatus comprising a database for storing boot action data, the database being accessible via a network having two or more sub-networks, and further comprising network booting apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims installed on computing equipment connected to at least one of said two or more sub-networks.

32. A method of booting a machine connected to a sub-network of a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

i) detecting a message sent by the machine to initiate a booting process;

ii) on detection of a message, interrogating a database in relation to boot action data stored in the database; and

iii) providing to the machine a network boot program, from a storage system connected to the sub-network, in accordance with the boot action data.

33. A method according to claim 32 wherein the message is detected in said sub-network.

34. A method according to claim 32 wherein the message is detected in the communications network in the same geographical location as the machine.

35. A method according to claim 32 wherein the network boot program comprises a database interrogator and the method further comprises the step of interrogating the database at least a second time in relation to boot action data stored therein.

36. A method according to claim 32 wherein the or each step of interrogating the database includes the provision of an identifier in relation to the machine such that the boot action data may be relevant to the respective machine.

37. A method according to claim 32 wherein the step of providing a network boot program comprises the step of selecting a network boot program from a group of two or more different network boot programs for provision to the machine, in accordance with the boot action data.