METHOD, SYSTEM AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR REMOTELY DEPLOYING AND AUTOMATICALLY CUSTOMIZING WORKSTATION IMAGES

• US 20080270583A1
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gonzalez, Izzac, DeCoster, Brandon T., Jacobs, Carl D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A method, system and program product for remotely deploying and automatically customizing workstation images. A client'"'"'s first partition receives a workstation image deployed from a server in communication with the client via a network. The image includes a customization script. The server remotely boots the client, which is pre-configured to be booted by the server via the network. The server writes a customization parameter to the client'"'"'s shared partition. The shared partition has a file system type that is accessible by the server via the remote boot and by the deployed image. One or more subsequent reboots of the client include the deployed image obtaining the customization parameter from the shared partition, identifying the customization script by using the customization parameter, and executing the customization script to automatically customize the client.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of automatically customizing remotely deployed workstation images, said method comprising:

receiving, at a first partition coupled to a client workstation, a workstation image deployed from a server computing system, said workstation image originally cloned from a donor workstation and including a pre-defined customization script, said server computing system and said client workstation in communication via a network;

booting said client workstation via a remote boot by said server computing system on said network, wherein said client workstation is pre-configured to be booted by said server computing system via said network, said booting said client workstation via said remote boot including receiving a customization parameter by a shared partition coupled to said client workstation, said shared partition having a file system type that is accessible by said server computing system via said remote boot and by said workstation image deployed from said server computing system; and

rebooting said client workstation subsequent to said booting said client workstation via said remote boot, wherein said rebooting includes;

obtaining said customization parameter from said shared partition by said workstation image,

identifying, subsequent to said obtaining, said pre-defined customization script, said identifying including utilizing said customization parameter as an identifier of said pre-defined customization script, and

executing said pre-defined customization script, said executing resulting in an automatic and remote customization of said client workstation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said rebooting comprises:

locally booting said client workstation a first time subsequent to said booting via said remote boot, wherein said locally booting said first time includes performing said obtaining; and

locally booting said client workstation a second time subsequent to said locally booting said first time, wherein said locally booting said second time includes performing said identifying and said executing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said locally booting said first time further includes:

accessing said customization parameter in said shared partition; and

copying said customization parameter to a customization parameter file in said first partition.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said locally booting said second time further includes:

reading a customization parameter file in said first partition, wherein said customization parameter file includes said customization parameter, and wherein said customization parameter indicates a name of said pre-defined customization script;

selecting said pre-defined customization script from a set of pre-defined customization scripts embedded in said workstation image, said selecting including utilizing said name of said pre-defined customization script to identify said pre-defined customization script; and

initiating an execution of said pre-defined customization script in response to said selecting.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said locally booting said first time further includes copying said customization parameter to a customization parameter file in said first partition and wherein said method further comprises deleting said customization parameter file in response to said locally booting said second time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said workstation image is an image of an operating system that supports said file system type, and wherein said file system type is a File Allocation Table (FAT) file system type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said booting includes booting to a Disk Operating System (DOS) operating system via a Pre-boot Execution Environment (PXE) boot.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium including computer-usable program code for automatically customizing remotely deployed workstation images, said computer program product comprising:

computer-usable code for receiving, at a first partition coupled to a client workstation, a workstation image deployed from a server computing system, said workstation image originally cloned from a donor workstation and including a pre-defined customization script, said server computing system and said client workstation in communication via a network;

computer-usable code for booting said client workstation via a remote boot by said server computing system on said network, wherein said client workstation is pre-configured to be booted by said server computing system via said network, said computer-usable code for booting said client workstation via said remote boot including computer-usable code for receiving a customization parameter by a shared partition coupled to said client workstation, said shared partition having a file system type that is accessible by said server computing system via said remote boot and by said workstation image deployed from said server computing system; and

computer-usable code for rebooting said client workstation subsequent to said booting said client workstation via said remote boot, wherein said computer-usable code for rebooting includes;

computer-usable code for obtaining said customization parameter from said shared partition by said workstation image,

computer-usable code for identifying, subsequent to said obtaining, said pre-defined customization script, said computer-usable code for identifying including computer-usable code for utilizing said customization parameter as an identifier of said pre-defined customization script, and

computer-usable code for executing said pre-defined customization script, said executing resulting in an automatic and remote customization of said client workstation.

9. The program product of claim 8, wherein said computer-usable code for rebooting comprises:

computer-usable code for locally booting said client workstation a first time subsequent to said booting via said remote boot, wherein said computer-usable code for locally booting said first time includes computer-usable code for performing said obtaining; and

computer-usable code for locally booting said client workstation a second time subsequent to said locally booting said first time, wherein said computer-usable code for locally booting said second time includes said computer-usable code for said identifying and said computer-usable code for said executing.

10. The program product of claim 9, wherein said computer-usable code for locally booting said first time further includes:

computer-usable code for accessing said customization parameter in said shared partition; and

computer-usable code for copying said customization parameter to a customization parameter file in said first partition.

11. The program product of claim 9, wherein said computer-usable code for locally booting said second time further includes:

computer-usable code for reading a customization parameter file in said first partition, wherein said customization parameter file includes said customization parameter, and wherein said customization parameter indicates a name of said pre-defined customization script;

computer-usable code for selecting said pre-defined customization script from a set of pre-defined customization scripts embedded in said workstation image, said computer-usable code for selecting including computer-usable code for utilizing said name of said pre-defined customization script to identify said pre-defined customization script; and

computer-usable code for initiating an execution of said pre-defined customization script in response to said selecting.

12. The program product of claim 9, wherein said computer-usable code for locally booting said first time further includes computer-usable code for copying said customization parameter to a customization parameter file in said first partition and wherein said program product further comprises deleting said customization parameter file in response to said locally booting said second time.

13. The program product of claim 8, wherein said workstation image is an image of an operating system that supports said file system type, and wherein said file system type is a File Allocation Table (FAT) file system type.

14. The program product of claim 8, wherein said computer-usable code for booting includes computer-usable code for booting to a Disk Operating System (DOS) operating system via a Pre-boot Execution Environment (PXE) boot.

15. A computer-implemented method of remotely deploying and automatically customizing client workstation images, said method comprising:

deploying, by a server computing system, a workstation image to a first partition of a client workstation, said workstation image originally cloned from a donor workstation and including a pre-defined customization script, said server computing system and said client workstation in communication via a network; and

remotely booting said client workstation by said server computing system on said network, wherein said client workstation is pre-configured to be booted by said server computing system via said network, said remotely booting including writing a customization parameter to a shared partition coupled to said client workstation, said shared partition having a file system type that is accessible by said server computing system via said remotely booting and by said deployed workstation image,

wherein said remotely booting initiates an automatic customization of said client workstation, said customization including one or more subsequent boots of said client workstation, an automatic obtaining of said customization parameter from said shared partition by said deployed workstation image, an automatic identification of said pre-defined customization script provided by said customization parameter, and an automatic execution of said pre-defined customization script.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

configuring a deployment manager customization task that includes customization information for said automatic customization of said client workstation; and

storing, in response to said configuring, said deployment manager customization task in a configurations repository coupled to said server computing system,

wherein said deploying includes deploying said deployment manager customization task to said first partition, said deployment manager customization task being deployed within said workstation image.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

assigning said deployment manager customization task to an identifier of said client workstation;

determining, in response to said remotely booting, that said client workstation is associated with said customization information via said assigning; and

initiating said remotely booting in response to said determining.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium including computer-usable program code for remotely deploying and automatically customizing client workstation images, said computer program product comprising:

computer-usable code for deploying, by a server computing system, a workstation image to a first partition of a client workstation, said workstation image originally cloned from a donor workstation and including a pre-defined customization script, said server computing system and said client workstation in communication via a network; and

computer-usable code for remotely booting said client workstation by said server computing system on said network, wherein said client workstation is pre-configured to be booted by said server computing system via said network, said computer-usable code for remotely booting including computer-usable code for writing a customization parameter to a shared partition coupled to said client workstation, said shared partition having a file system type that is accessible by said server computing system via said remotely booting and by said deployed workstation image,

wherein said remotely booting initiates an automatic customization of said client workstation, said customization including one or more subsequent boots of said client workstation, an automatic obtaining of said customization parameter from said shared partition by said deployed workstation image, an automatic identification of said pre-defined customization script provided by said customization parameter, and an automatic execution of said pre-defined customization script.

19. The program product of claim 18, further comprising:

computer-usable code for configuring a deployment manager customization task that includes customization information for said automatic customization of said client workstation; and

computer-usable code for storing, in response to said configuring, said deployment manager customization task in a configurations repository coupled to said server computing system,

wherein said computer-usable code for deploying includes computer-usable code for deploying said deployment manager customization task to said first partition, said deployment manager customization task being deployed within said workstation image.

20. The program product of claim 19, further comprising:

computer-usable code for assigning said deployment manager customization task to an identifier of said client workstation;

computer-usable code for determining, in response to said remotely booting, that said client workstation is associated with said customization information via said assigning; and

computer-usable code for initiating said remotely booting in response to said determining.