Method and apparatus for configuring a hard disk and for providing support for a computer system

• US 6,281,894 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Everdream Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rive, Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/418,697
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 345/336-338, 345/326, 345/335, 345/333, 345/330, 358/1.14, 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.17, 707/10, 710/36, 710/200
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0623 in relation to content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/468 Specific access rights for resources, e.g. using capability register

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for configuring a hard disk drive accessible by computer system increase the robustness and reliability of the computer system, so as to reduce technical support requirements and costs for the computer system. A first partition is defined within the disk drive that supports a first operating environment of the computer system. The content of this first partition is protected from both user modification, software modification and corruption by various mechanisms. Specifically, the first partition is protected from user modification when the first partition is active, in that the user is prevented from modifying the content of the first partition when the partition is active. A second partition is also defined on the storage device that supports a second operating environment of the computer system. Unlike the first partition, the content of the second partition is modifiable by the user, and the user is accordingly able to store applications and data within the second partition. A technical support service may then ultimately provide technical support for the first partition at a reduced cost in view of the protections implemented with respect to this first partition.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a storage device accessible by a computer system, the method including:

defining a first partition within the storage device that supports a first operating environment of the computer system; and

defining a second partition within the storage device that supports a second operating environment of the computer system;

wherein content of the first partition is protected from user modification when the first partition is active to support the first operating environment and content of the second partition is available for user modification when the second partition is active to support the second operating environment, and wherein only one of the first and second partitions is active at any one time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of the first partition is protected from user modification by restricting user access to the first operating environment supported by the first partition.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first operating environment comprises a first operating system and a first application, and user access to the first operating environment is restricted utilizing settings within a registry for the first operating environment and stored within the first partition.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein user access to the first operating environment is restricted utilizing settings within a system policy provided within the first operating environment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of the first partition is protected from user modification by maintaining a persistent copy of supported content of the first partition and conforming the content of the first partition to the persistent copy.

6. The method of claim 5 including defining a third partition within the storage device, and storing the persistent copy of the supported content within the third partition.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the persistent copy is protected from user access.

8. The method of claim 5 including conforming supported content of the first partition to the persistent copy on boot-up of the computer system.

9. The method of claim 5 including detecting a variance between the content of the first partition and the persistent copy, and conforming the supported content of the first partition to the persistent copy responsive to the detection of the variance.

10. The method of claim 5 including conforming supported content of the first partition to the persistent copy upon a software failure within the first operating environment.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of the first partition is protected from user modification by defining a fourth partition within the storage device within which application output is stored from the first operating environment of the computer system.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein application output is stored in the fourth partition from within both the first and the second operating environments.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first and second partitions each store installed applications and the fourth partition stores output data of the installed applications.

14. The method of claim 9 including performing scheduled backup operations with respect to the fourth partition to a remote storage facility via a computer network.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage device is a local hard disk arrangement of computer system.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage device is a remote hard disk arrangement accessible by the computer system over a network.

17. A storage device accessible by a computer system, the storage device comprising:

a first partition defined within the storage device that supports a first operating environment of the computer system; and

a second partition defined within the storage device that supports a second operating environment of the computer system;

wherein content of the first partition is protected from user modification when the first partition is active to support the first operating environment and content of the second partition is available for user modification when the second partition is active to support the second operating environment, and wherein only one of the first and second partitions is active at any one time.

18. The storage device of claim 17 wherein the content of the first partition is protected from user modification by restricting user access to the first operating environment supported by the first partition.

19. The storage device of claim 18 wherein the first operating environment comprises a first operating system and at least a first application, and user access to the first operating environment is detected utilizing settings within a system registry for the first operating environment and stored within the first partition.

20. The storage device of claim 17 wherein user access to the first operating environment is restricted utilizing settings within a system policy provided within the first operating system of the first operating environment.

21. The storage device of claim 17 that stores a persistent copy of supported content of the first partition to which the supported content of the first partition is conformed.

22. The storage device of claim 21 including a third partition defined within the storage device, the persistent copy being stored within the third partition of the storage device.

23. The storage device of claim 22 wherein the persistent copy is protected from user access.

24. The storage device of claim 17 including a fourth partition to which application output is stored from within the first operating environment of the computer system.

25. The storage device of claim 17 wherein application output is stored in the fourth partition from within both the first and the second operating environments.

26. The storage device of claim 25 wherein the first and second partitions each store installed applications and the fourth partition stores output data of the installed applications.

27. The storage device of claim 17 comprising a local hard disk arrangement of computer system.

28. The storage device of claim 17 comprising a remote hard disk arrangement accessible by the computer system over a network.

29. A method of providing support for a computer system, the method including:

configuring the computer system such that a storage device accessed thereby includes a first partition that supports a first operating environment of the computer system and a second partition that supports a second operating environment of the computer system, and such that the content of the first partition is protected from user modification when the first partition is active to support the first operating environment and content of the second partition is available for user modification when the second partition is active to support the second operating environment, only one of the first and second partitions being active at any one time;

supplying the configured computer system to a user; and

providing technical support for the first operating environment, and not providing technical support for the second operating environment.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the support for the first operating environment is provided for any one of a first recurring fee and a first one-time fee.

31. The method of claim 29 including providing support for the second environment on a per support operation fee basis.

32. The method of claim 29 including configuring the computer system such that the storage device includes a third partition that stores a persistent and non-modifiable copy of supported content of the first partition, and the provision of technical support for the first operating environment constitutes overwriting stored content of the first partition with the persistent and non-modifiable copy stored in the third partition.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the overwriting of the stored content of the first partition with the persistent and non-modifiable copy stored in the third partition occurs upon detecting a variance between the content of the first and third partitions of the storage device.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the overwriting of the stored content of the first partition with the persistent and non-modifiable copy stored in the third partition occurs upon detecting an application or operating system failure or corruption within the first operating environment.

35. The method of claim 29 including configuring the computer system such that the storage device includes a fourth partition to which application output is stored within the first operating environment of the computer system and providing a backup service for the fourth partition.