METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING READ-ONLY OPERATING SYSTEMS

• US 20120324438A1
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Milstead, James M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,122,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

Methods and systems for use in generating read-only production operating systems including at least one application for use with a target workstation are disclosed. One example method includes providing a baseline operating system based on a hardware profile of the target workstation, executing an installation script for a target application, adding at least one resource to the baseline operating system based on an error message indicating at least one resource called by the installation script is not found, and writing, at a computing device, a production operating system to a read-only media. The production operating includes the baseline operating system and the at least one resource.

Claims

1. A method of generating a read-only production operating system including at least one application for use with a target workstation, said method comprising:

providing a baseline operating system based on a hardware profile of the target workstation;

executing, at a computing device, an installation script for a target application;

adding at least one resource to the baseline operating system based on an error message indicating at least one resource called by the installation script is not found; and

writing, at a computing device, a production operating system to a read-only media, the production operating system including the baseline operating system and said at least one resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the installation script includes executing the installation script comprising a plurality of resource calls for installing the target application to the baseline operating system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the installation script comprises a plurality of resource calls for configuring the target application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the installation script comprises a plurality of resource calls for testing the target application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the error message indicating the at least one resource called by the installation script is not found in the baseline operating system, the resource including at least one of a file, a registry key and an instruction.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing a plurality of resource calls to resources related to the installation, configuration, and/or test of a target application, the installation script comprising said captured plurality of resource calls.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading an installation file associated with a target application from the software publisher'"'"'s website and writing the installation files to a read-only media, while executing a first operating system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first operating system is different in type than the baseline operating system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a hardware profile for a target workstation.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the baseline operating system in a virtual machine generated through a first operating system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein writing, at the computing device, the production operating system to the read-only media includes writing, at the computing device, the production operating system to the read-only media while executing a second operating system, the second operating system being different from the first operating system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the target application includes at least one of an operating system patch application, an anti-virus application, a malware detection application, and an anti-malware application.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising running the production operating system, from the read-only media, on a target workstation.

14. A developer workstation for generating a read-only production operating system including at least one application for use with a target workstation;

said developer workstation comprising;

a memory including a plurality of resources; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory, said at least one processor configured to;

generate a virtual machine for booting a baseline operating system, wherein the baseline operating system is configured for a target workstation and includes an enhanced write filter;

execute the baseline operating system in the virtual machine;

execute an installation script for a target application to the baseline operating system;

detect at least one error message indicating at least one resource called by the installation script and omitted from the baseline operating system, the at least one resource including at least one of a file, a registry key and an instruction;

adding the at least one resource from said memory to the baseline operating system; and

writing a production operating system to a read-only media, wherein the production operating system includes the baseline operating system and the at least one resource.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the installation script includes program code to install and configure the target application.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the target application includes at least one of an anti-virus application and a programming tool application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory comprises a first operating system and a second operating system, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate the virtual machine while executing the first operating system and to write the production operating system to the read-only media while executing the second operating system.

18. A method of generating a read-only production operating system including at least one application for use with a target workstation, said method comprising:

providing a baseline operating system with an enhanced write filter based on a hardware profile of the target computing device,

(a) executing the baseline operating system on a virtual machine;

(b) executing an installation script for a target application;

(c) detecting at least one error message indicating a resource called by the installation script and omitted from the baseline operating system, the resource including at least one of a file, a registry key and an instruction;

(d) adding the resource to the baseline operating system;

repeating steps (a) thru (d) until the installation script is executed without an error message; and

writing, at the computing device, a production operating system to a read-only media, the production operating system including the baseline operating system and said resource(s) added to the baseline operating system during step (d).

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the installation script includes a plurality of resource calls for installing and configuring the target application on the baseline operating system.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising capturing a plurality of resource calls related to installation, configuration, and/or test of a target application, the installation script comprising said plurality of resource calls.