System and method for remote program load

• US 5,404,527 A
• Filed: 12/31/1992
• Issued: 04/04/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Irwin, James S., Klein, Ira A., Johnson, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heckler, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US07/999,002
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 395/700, 395/200, 364/DIG. 1 MS File
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

An apparatus and method for retrieving and sending the bootstrap loader and the DOS code from disk storage on a file server in a network to a workstation in the network during the boot process of the workstation where there are one or more file servers in the network and where the file servers may be different types of computer systems including mainframe computers.

Claims

1. In a network having workstations with boot processes and a plurality of computer systems which are coupled to a respective disk storage device, an apparatus for obtaining boot services for a workstation from the disk storage device coupled to a respective one of the plurality of computer systems during the boot process, the workstations, the computer systems, and the apparatus coupled to the network, wherein during the boot process some ones or all of the computer systems can provide boot services, said apparatus comprising:

means for sending a boot service request on the network;

an interface processor coupled to the network, the interface processor comprising;

(a) means for communicating with the workstations and the plurality of computer systems,

(b) means for intercepting the boot service request on the networks,

(c) means for selecting which ones of the plurality of computer systems can provide boot services,

(d) means for sending the boot service request on the network to the selected computer systems, said boot service request being formatted to be received by the selected computer systems,

means for receiving a response on the network from one of the selected computer systems to establish the one computer system as a provider of the boot services; and

means for communicating on the network with the one computer system to obtain the boot services for the workstation from the disk storage device coupled to the one computer system.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the one computer system is the one of the selected computer systems which is the first to respond to the boot services request.

3. The apparatus in claim 1, where the interface processor includes:

means for storing messages sent from a computer system to the workstation which are larger than can be sent to the workstation; and

means for transmitting the stored messages in segments to the workstation responsive to a request for the segments of the stored messages being received by the interface processor from the workstation.

4. The apparatus in claim 1, where the interface processor includes:

means for selecting a computer system to provide boot services for the workstation in response to receiving a boot service request message from said workstation; and

means for transmitting a response to the boot service request message indicating that the selected computer system will provide boot services.

5. In a network having a workstation with boot processes, a plurality of computer systems capable of providing the functions of a file server for the workstation, and an interface processor for communicating with the workstation and the computer systems, the workstation, the computer systems, and the interface processor coupled to the network, a method of obtaining boot services from one of the computer systems during the boot process of a workstation on the network, wherein during the boot process some ones or all of the computer systems can provide boot services, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending, from the workstation, a boot service request on the network;

(b) intercepting, at the interface processor, said boot service request on the network,

(c) selecting, at the interface processor, which ones of the plurality of computer systems can provide boot services,

(d) sending, from the interface processor, the boot service request on the network to the selected computer systems, the boot service request being formatted to be received by the selected computer systems,

(e) receiving, at the interface processor, a response from a responsive one of said selected computer systems; and

(f) opening a path through the network to the responsive computer system for providing boot services to the workstation.

6. In a network having a workstation with a boot process, a plurality of computer systems capable of performing the functions of a file server, and an interface processor for communicating with the workstation and the computer systems, the workstation, the computer systems, and the interface processor coupled to the networks a method of retrieving informations through the network, from a disk storage coupled to a respective one of the plurality of computer systems during the boot process of the workstation, wherein during the boot process some ones or all of the computer systems can provide boot services, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting, at the interface processor, which ones of the plurality of computer systems can provide boot services,

(b) sending, from the interface processor, a request for retrieval of the information through the network, said request to be received by the selected ones of the plurality of computer systems which are coupled to the network;

(c) receiving, at the interface processor, a first response from a responsive one of the selected computer systems;

(d) responsive to the first response, sending, from the interface processor, a confirmation to the responsive computer system on the network;

(e) intercepting, at the interface processor, a request for the information during the boot process of the workstation from the workstation;

(f) sending, from the interface processor, the request for the information to the responsive computer system;

(g) receiving, at the interface processor, a second response from the responsive computer system answering the request for information; and

(h) transmitting, from the interface processor, the received second response to the workstation.

7. The method in claim 6 wherein in step (c) the response is the first response received from a computer system.

8. In a network having a workstation with boot processes, a plurality of computer systems capable of performing the functions of a file server for the workstation, and an interface processor for communicating with the workstation and the computer systems, the workstation, the computer systems, and the interface processor coupled to the network, a method of retrieving information from a disk storage on one of the plurality of computer systems during the boot process of the workstation on the network, wherein during the boot process some ones or all Of the computer systems can provide boot services, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) intercepting, at the interface processor, a request for information from a disk during the boot process of the workstation;

(b) selecting, at the interface processor, which ones of the plurality of computer systems can provide boot services,

(c) in response to the intercepted request, sending, from the interface processor, a request to open a path through the network for retrieval of the information, said request to be received by the selected ones of the plurality of computer systems which are coupled to the network;

(d) receiving, at the interface processor, a response from a responsive one of the selected computer systems;

(e) sending, from the interface processor, a confirmation to the responsive computer system on the network;

(f) sending, from the interface processor, the request for the information to the responsive computer system;

(g) receiving, at the interface processor, a response to the request for the information from the responsive computer system;

(h) extracting, from the interface processor, the information from the received response; and

(i) transmitting, from the interface processor, the received response to the workstation.

9. In a network having workstations with boot processes, a plurality of computer systems capable of providing the functions of a file server, and an interface processor for communicating with the workstation and the computer systems, the workstation, the computer systems, and the interface processor coupled to the network, a method of retrieving data from disk storage on one of the plurality of computer systems during the boot process of a workstation on the network, wherein during the boot process some ones or all of the computer systems can provide boot services, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) intercepting, at the interface processor, a request for program code during the boot process of the workstation;

(b) selecting, at the interface processor, which ones of the plurality of computer systems can provide boot services,

(c) sending, from the interface processor, a request for retrieval of data during the boot process of workstation on the network, said request to be received by the selected ones of the plurality of computer systems which are coupled on the network;

(d) receiving, at the interface processor, a response from a responsive one of the selected plurality of computer systems;

(e) responsive to the received first response, sending, from the interface processor, a confirmation to the responsive computer system on the network;

(f) sending, from the interface processor, the request for the program code to the responsive computer system on the network;

(g) receiving, at the interface processor, a second response from the responsive computer system through the network, the second response containing the requested computer code;

(h) retrieving, at the interface processor, the program code from the second response; and

(i) transmitting, from the interface processor, the retrieved program code to the workstation.

10. The method in claim 9 wherein in step (d) the response is the first response received from any of the selected one of the computer systems.

11. In a network having workstations with boot processes, a plurality of computer systems each including a disk storage, and an interface processor for communicating with the workstation and the computer systems, the workstation, the computer systems, and the interface processor coupled to the network, a method of satisfying BIOS requests generated in a workstation with data in one of the disk storage of the plurality of computer systems, wherein during the boot process some ones or all of the computer systems can provide boot services, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) intercepting, at the interface processor, a BIOS request during the boot process of the workstation;

(b) identifying, at the interface processor, selected ones of the plurality of computer systems on the network for providing boot services to the workstation;

(c) opening, from the interface processor, a path on the network between the workstation and one of the selected ones of the plurality of computer systems;

(d) sending, from the interface processor, the BIOS request to the one of the selected ones of the plurality of computer systems on the network;

(e) receiving, at the interface processor, a response to the BIOS request from the one of the selected ones of the plurality of computer systems on the network; and

(f) transmitting, from the interface processor, the received response to the workstation.

12. In a network having workstations with boot processes, a plurality of computer systems each having disk storage, and an interface processor for communicating with the workstation and the computer systems, the workstation, the computer systems, and the interface processor coupled to the network, a method of retrieving BIOS requests from the disk storage of one of the plurality of computer system during the boot process of a workstation on the network, wherein during the boot process some ones or all of the computer systems can provide boot services, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending, from the interface processor, a boot service request on the network, said request to be received by selected ones of the plurality of computer systems on the network;

(b) receiving, at the interface processor, a first response from a responsive one of the selected computer systems;

(c) sending, from the interface processor, an open boot path request through the network to the responsive computer system;

(d) intercepting, at the interface processor, a BIOS request during the boot process of the workstation;

(e) sending, from the interface processor, the BIOS request to the responsive computer system on the network after step (c) has been completed;

(f) receiving, at the interface processor, a second response to the BIOS request from the responsive computer system on the network; and

(g) transmitting, from the interface processor, the second response to the BIOS request to the workstation.

13. The method in claim 12 wherein in step (b) the response is the first response received from the selected computer systems.

14. In a network having a workstation with boot processes, a plurality of computer systems capable of providing the functions of a file server for the workstation, and an interface processor for communicating with the workstation and the computer systems, the workstation, the computer systems, and the interface processor coupled to the network, a method of retrieving the Host Id and Socket ID during the boot process of the workstation on the network, wherein during the boot process some ones or all of the computer systems can provide boot services, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending, from the interface processor, a first data frame containing a boot service request on the network, said first data frame being coded to be received by selected ones of the plurality of computer systems which are coupled to the network;

(b) receiving, at the interface processor, a second data frame containing a response from a responsive one of said selected ones of the plurality of computer systems to the boot service request;

(c) sending, from the interface processor, a third data frame containing an open boot path request through the network, the third data frame being coded to be received by only the responsive computer system;

(d) receiving, at the interface processor, a fourth data frame containing a response to the open boot path request from the responsive computer system, the response including a Host Id and Socket ID which identify the one computer system on the network;

(e) using the Host Id in any requests sent to the responsive computer system from the workstation during the boot process; and

(f) using the Socket ID for requests for data storage and retrieval from the responsive computer system from the workstation after the boot process is complete.

15. In a network having an interface processor, a workstation with a bootstrap loader with a boot process and one computer system which has disk storage, a method of pre-fetching DOS code from the disk storage of the one computer system in response to a request for a segment of DOS code generated by the bootstrap loader in the workstation during the boot process, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending, from the interface processor, a request or transfer of the segment of the DOS code through the network to the one computer system;

(b) receiving, at the interface processor, the requested segment and other segments of the DOS code from the one computer system;

(c) storing, at the interface processor, the received DOS code segments;

(d) transmitting, from the interface processor, the requested DOS code segment to the workstation; and

(e) transmitting, from the interface processor, the other DOS code segments to the workstation as the other DOS code segments are requested.

16. The method in claim 15, wherein the network includes an interface processor having a memory area in which the pre-fetched DOS code is stored, where:

step (b) includes the step of receiving the requested segment and other segments of the DOS code at the interface processor;

step (c) includes the step of storing the received DOS code segments in the memory area of the interface processor; and

step (d) includes the step of transmitting DOS segments to the workstation from the memory area of the interface processor.

17. The method in claim 15, wherein step (d) includes transmitting the requested segment and a plurality of the other segments.

18. In a network having a workstation with a bootstrap loader with a boot process and one computer system which has disk storage, a method of pre-fetching DOS code from the disk storage after a request for the bootstrap loader is generated by the workstation during the boot process of the workstation, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending a request for transfer of the bootstrap loader from the workstation to the one computer system;

(b) transmitting, the bootstrap loader and all segments of the DOS code from the one computer system to the workstation;

(c) receiving, in the network, the bootstrap loader from the one computer system and transmitting the bootstrap loader to the workstation;

(d) receiving, in the network, all segments of the DOS code from the one computer system;

(e) storing the DOS code in a memory area in the network; and

(f) transmitting, to the workstation from the network memory area, the DOS code in segments in response to requests for the segments received from the workstation.