Unattended installation of drivers for devices that are not automatically found and installed during operating system installation

• US 20100100610A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Giai V. Yen, James T. Bezanson, Rhonda V. Seiber Doane
• Inventors: Seiber Doane, Rhonda V., Yen, Giai V., Bezanson, James T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,161,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4413 Plug-and-play [PnP]

Abstract

The unattended installation of drivers for devices that are not automatically found and installed during operating system installation is disclosed. A method determines which drivers are needed for devices on client computing systems that are not automatically found and installed during operating system installation. Entries for the drivers are created within a master driver file. The method copies the master driver file to each client computing system, and drivers that are needed for the devices. For each client computing system, references are created within an unattended installation file to the entries for the drivers within the master driver file. Operating systems are remotely installed on the client computing systems in an unattended manner. The drivers are able to be installed in the unattended manner due to the references created within the unattended installation files to the entries for the drivers within the master driver file.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of client computing systems, each client computing system having one or more devices that are not automatically found and installed thereon during vendor-specified operating system installation; and

,

a server computing system having stored thereon a master driver file within which entries for drivers for the devices of each client computing system are created,

wherein each client computing system has an unattended installation file within which the server computing system creates references to the entries for the drivers of the devices for the client computing system within the master driver file.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more drivers of each client computing system that are not automatically found and installed thereon during vendor-specified operating system installation comprise mass storage devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each client computing system has a copy of the master driver file after entries for the drivers for the devices of the client computing system are created therein.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each client computing system has copied thereto by the server computing system drivers for the devices referenced in the unattended installation file of the client computing system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the master driver file is a text mode driver file and the unattended installation file for each client computing system is an operating system installation answer file for the client computing system.

6. A server computing system communicatively connected to a plurality of client computing systems comprising:

means for determining which drivers are needed for devices on the client computing systems that are not automatically found and installed thereon during vendor-specified operating system installation;

means for creating entries for the drivers within a master driver file; and

,

means for creating references for each client computing system within an unattended installation file for the client computing system to the entries for the drivers of the devices for the client computing system within the master driver file,

wherein the unattended installation file is a different file than the master driver file is.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

means for copying the master driver file to each client computing system; and

,

means for copying the drivers that are needed for the devices on each client computing system thereto.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising means for remotely installing operating systems on the client computing systems in an unattended manner, where the drivers of the devices for the client computing systems are able to be installed in the unattended manner due to the references created within the unattended installation files to the entries for the drivers of the devices within the master driver file.

9. An article of manufacture comprising:

a tangible computer-readable recordable data storage medium; and

,

means in the medium for creating entries within a master driver file for drivers that are needed for devices on client computing systems that are not automatically found and installed thereon during vendor-specified operating system installation and for creating references for each client computing system within an unattended installation file for the client computing system to the entries for the drivers of the devices for the client computing system within the master driver file,

wherein the unattended installation file is a different file than the master driver file is.

10. The article of claim 9, wherein the means is further for copying the master driver file to each client computing system and for copying the drivers that are needed for the devices on each client computing system thereto.

11. The article of claim 9, wherein the means is further for remotely installing operating systems on the client computing systems in an unattended manner, where the drivers of the devices for the client computing systems are able to be installed in the unattended manner due to the references created within the unattended installation files to the entries for the drivers of the devices within the master driver file.