METHOD OF BOOTING AN OPERATING SYSTEM

• US 20090138580A1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hiroshi Kurokawa, Keisuke Hatasaki, Yoshifumi Takamoto
• Original Assignee: Hiroshi Kurokawa, Keisuke Hatasaki, Yoshifumi Takamoto
• Inventors: Hatasaki, Keisuke, Takamoto, Yoshifumi, Kurokawa, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

For use in a system where a plurality of servers are connected to an external disk device, a method is provided for a server to boot an operating system from the external disk device. The method includes the steps of searching for the port of a network switch to which the server is connected; establishing a network to which only the server and a management server belong; sending a server information acquisition program from the management server to the server via a network boot operation; acquiring, by the server information acquisition program, unique information owned by the storage interface of the server for transfer to the management server; and setting, by the management server, a disk within the external disk device accessible from the server based on the unique information.

Claims

1. A booting method for use in a computer system having a plurality of servers connected to an external disk device via a first network and a management server that is connected to said plurality of servers via a second network and manages said plurality of servers, wherein an operating system of said plurality of servers is booted from said external disk device via said first network, said booting method comprising the steps of:

storing, by said management server, setting information of the second network;

establishing a virtual network in said second network between a first server of said plurality of servers and said management server, said virtual network being independent of other servers;

sending an agent program from said management server to said first server via said second network;

transferring configuration information of said first server acquired by the agent program to said management server via said second network; and

restoring the stored setting information of said second network.