Method and System for Fault-Tolerant Remote Boot in the Presence of Boot Server Overload/Failure with Self-Throttling Boot Servers

• US 20080183812A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stern, Bradford A., Paul, Chakkalamattam J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,624,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

A method and system are presented for facilitating a PXE-compliant (Preboot Execution Environment) remote boot process between clients and multiple available servers on a network. Each server device can respond to a PXE-extended DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Request message from any client device on the network. Each client can receive responses from the alternate servers, select a server from one of those responses, and be directed by that response to complete the remote boot process from the same server. Each server also employs a self-throttling process to prevent the server from responding to new PXE-extended DHCP request messages from additional clients while the server has insufficient resources to remote boot additional clients with the required quality of service. This automatically redirects those additional clients to other servers that can provide the required quality of service without affecting the remote boot of clients already being serviced by the server.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. An apparatus within a server device for facilitating a remote boot process in a client device, wherein the client device and the server device reside on a network, the apparatus comprising:

determining means for determining whether or not the server device is able to service an additional boot request;

receiving means for receiving at the server device a boot request from the client device, wherein the server device is one of a plurality of boot servers on the network, and wherein the server device is able to respond to a boot request from any client device on the network;

sending means for sending a boot response to the client device in response first to determining that the server device is able to service an additional boot request and second to receiving at the server device the boot request from the client device, wherein the boot response directs the client device to download boot files from the server device; and

employing means for employing a self-throttling process to prevent the server device from servicing an additional remote boot process for an additional client device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising:

first executing means for executing a proxy DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) service on the server device for processing the boot request, wherein the boot request is formatted as a PXE-extended (Preboot Execution Environment extended) DHCP Request message, and wherein the boot response is a PXE-extended DHCP Ack message.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising:

second executing means for executing a boot service on the server device for processing a PXE-extended Boot Service Discover message from a client.

23. An apparatus within a server device for facilitating a PXE-compliant (Preboot Execution Environment compliant) remote boot process in a client device, wherein the client device and the server device reside on a network, the apparatus comprising:

determining means for determining that the server device has sufficient resources to service a remote boot process for an additional client device;

first receiving means for receiving at the server device a PXE-extended DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Request message from the client device, wherein the server device is one of a plurality of boot servers on the network, and wherein the server device is able to respond to a PXE-extended DHCP Request message from any client device on the network;

first processing means for processing the received PXE-extended DHCP Request message within a Proxy DHCP service on the server device;

first sending means for sending from the server device a PXE-extended DHCP Ack message to the client device in response first to determining that the server device has sufficient resources to service a remote boot process for an additional client device and second to processing the received PXE-extended DHCP Request message, wherein the PXE-extended DHCP Ack message directs the client device to download boot files from the server device; and

employing means for employing a self-throttling process to prevent the server device from servicing an additional remote boot process for an additional client device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

second receiving means for receiving at the server device a PXE-extended Boot Service Discover message from the client device;

second processing means for processing the received PXE-extended Boot Service Discover message within a boot service on the server device; and

second sending means for sending from the server device a PXE-extended Boot Service Ack message to the client device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising:

third receiving means for receiving at the server device an NBP (Network Bootstrap Program) Download Request message from the client device;

third processing means for processing the received NBP Download Request message within a TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) service on the server device; and

downloading means for downloading from the server device an NBP file to the client device.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

first executing means for executing a boot service daemon for monitoring an availability of the server device to adequately service additional remote boot processes.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising:

first computing means for computing the availability of the server device to adequately service an additional remote boot process based upon resources within the server device.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising:

second computing means for computing the availability of the server device to adequately service an additional remote boot process based upon resources within at least two boot servers in the plurality of boot servers on the network.

31. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

first communicating means for communicating an indication of available resources within the server device to at least one other boot server in the plurality of boot servers on the network.

32. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

means for stopping or suspending the Proxy DHCP service on the server device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

33. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

restarting means for restarting the Proxy DHCP service on the server device if the server device has sufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

34. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

second communicating means for communicating an execution status of the Proxy DHCP service on the server device to at least one other boot server in the plurality of boot servers on the network.

26-27. -27. (canceled)

35-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A computer program product in a computer readable storage medium for use within a server device for facilitating a remote boot process in a client device, wherein the client device and the server device reside on a network, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for receiving at the server device a boot request from the client device, wherein the server device is one of a plurality of boot servers on the network, and wherein the instructions for determining whether or not the server device is able to service an additional boot request;

instructions for receiving at the server device a boot request from the client device, wherein the server device is one of a plurality of boot servers on the network, and wherein the server device is able to respond to a boot request from any client device on the network;

instructions for sending a boot response to the client device, wherein the boot response directs the client device to download boot files from the server device in response first to a execution of the instructions for determining that the server device is able to service an additional boot request and second to execution of the instructions for receiving at the server device the boot request from the client device; and

instructions for employing a self-throttling process to prevent the server device from servicing an additional remote boot process for an additional client device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

38. The computer program product of claim 37 further comprising:

instructions for executing a proxy DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) service on the server device for processing the boot request, wherein the request is formatted as a PXE-extended (Preboot Execution Environment extended) DHCP Request message, and wherein the boot response is a PXE-extended DHCP Ack message.

39. The computer program product of claim 37 further comprising:

instructions for executing a boot service on the server device for processing a PXE-extended Boot Service Discover message from a client.

40. A computer program product in a computer readable storage medium for use within a server device for facilitating a PXE-compliant (Preboot Execution Environment compliant) remote boot process in a client device, wherein the client device and the server device reside on a network, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for determining that the server device has sufficient resources to service a remote boot process for an additional client device;

instructions for receiving at the server device a PXE-extended DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Request message from the client device, wherein the server device is one of a plurality of boot servers on the network, and wherein the server device is able to respond to a PXE-extended DHCP Request message from any client device on the network;

instructions for processing the received PXE-extended DHCP Request message within a Proxy DHCP service on the server device;

instructions for sending from the server device a PXE-extended DHCP Ack message to the client device in response first to execution of the instructions for determining that the server device has sufficient resources to service a remote boot process for an additional client device and second to execution of the instructions for processing the received PXE-extended DHCP Request message, wherein the PXE-extended DHCP Ack message directs the client device to download boot files from the server device and

instructions for employing a self-throttling process to prevent the server device from servicing an additional remote boot process for an additional client device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

41. The computer program product of claim 40 further comprising:

instructions for receiving at the server device a PXE-extended Boot Service Discover message from the client device;

instructions for processing the received PXE-extended Boot Service Discover message within a boot service on the server device; and

instructions for sending from the server device a PXE-extended Boot Service Ack message to the client device.

42. The computer program product of claim 41 further comprising:

instructions for receiving at the server device an NBP (Network Bootstrap Program) Download Request message from the client device;

instructions for processing the received NBP Download Request message within a TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) service on the server device; and

instructions for downloading from the server device an NBP file to the client device.

45. The computer program product of claim 40 further comprising:

instructions for executing a boot service daemon for monitoring an availability of the server device to adequately service additional remote boot processes.

46. The computer program product of claim 45 further comprising:

instructions for computing the availability of the server device to adequately service an additional remote boot process based upon resources within the server device.

47. The computer program product of claim 45 further comprising:

instructions for computing the availability of the server device to adequately service an additional remote boot process based upon resources within at least two boot servers in the plurality of boot servers on the network.

48. The computer program product of claim 40 further comprising:

instructions for communicating an indication of available resources within the server device to at least one other boot server in the plurality of boot servers on the network.

49. The computer program product of claim 40 further comprising:

instructions for stopping or suspending the Proxy DHCP service on the server device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

50. The computer program product of claim 40 further comprising:

instructions for restarting the Proxy DHCP service on the server device if the server device has sufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

51. The computer program product of claim 40 further comprising:

instructions for communicating an execution status of the Proxy DHCP service on the server device to at least one other boot server in the plurality of boot servers on the network.

43-44. -44. (canceled)