SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR TESTING A BOOT IMAGE

• US 20100162047A1
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seippel, Alvin J., Seippel, Caryn N., Haley, Stephen A., Puig, Ricardo S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for testing a boot image is disclosed. The method comprises creating a test boot image for a first logical partition, creating a second logical partition wherein the second logical partition is a duplicate of the first logical partition, initiating a boot sequence for the second logical partition using the test boot image, and returning a result of the boot sequence to a requestor.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for testing a boot image intended for a first logical partition of a data processing system, comprising:

creating a second logical partition on the data processing system, wherein the second logical partition is a duplicate of the first logical partition;

initiating a boot sequence for the second logical partition using the boot image; and

returning a result of the boot sequence to a requestor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising copying the boot image to the second logical partition.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the boot image by copying and modifying an existing boot image associated with the first logical partition.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising newly creating the boot image.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the second logical partition after returning a successful result of the boot sequence.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the second logical partition in response to detecting an error in the boot sequence.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to detecting an error in the boot sequence, returning information relating to a reason for the error.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to test the boot image from an operating system of the first logical partition.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to test the boot image from a hypervisor of the data processing system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to test the boot image from a virtual I/O server.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request to test the boot image from a remote data processing system.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the boot image in an external storage device.

13. A system comprising:

a data bus system;

memory coupled to the data bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code for testing a boot image intended for a first logical partition of a data processing system; and

a processing unit coupled to the data bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to;

create a second logical partition on the data processing system, wherein the second logical partition is a duplicate of the first logical partition;

initiate a boot sequence for the second logical partition using the boot image; and

return a result of the boot sequence to a requestor.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to delete the second logical partition after returning a successful result of the boot sequence.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to maintain the second logical partition in response to detecting an error in the boot sequence.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to copy the boot image to the second logical partition.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to create the boot image by copying and modifying a boot image associated with the first logical partition.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for testing a boot image intended for a first logical partition of a data processing system, the computer program product comprising computer usable program code for;

creating a second logical partition on the data processing system, wherein the second logical partition is a duplicate of the first logical partition;

initiating a boot sequence for the second logical partition using the boot image; and

returning a result of the boot sequence to a requestor.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising program code for deleting the second logical partition after returning a successful result of the boot sequence.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising program code for copying the boot image to the second logical partition.