Method and system for monitoring a boot process of a data processing system providing boot data and user prompt

• US 6,463,531 B1
• Filed: 09/16/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stafford, James Michael, Aguilar, Maximino, Romon, Raymond Francis, Plunkett, Mark Earl, Blam, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUJILLO, JAMES K
• Application Number:
  US09/397,608
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 713/2, 713/100
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring the boot process of a data processing system. In accordance with the method and system of the present invention, data detailing each operation performed during a boot process of a data processing system is stored within a memory of the data processing system. All the stored data is then displayed in response to a halting of the boot process, such that step-by-step details of the boot process are available to a user prior to operation of the data processing system by an operating system.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a boot process of a data processing system, said method comprising the steps of:

automatically storing data detailing each operations performed during a boot process of a data processing system within a memory of said data processing system;

in response to a user set signal, deferring a start of an operating system upon a completion of all operations in said boot process;

displaying all said stored data, wherein step-by-step details of said boot process are available to a user prior to operation of said data processing system by said operating system; and

simultaneously prompting a user during display of said stored data whether to complete said boot process and execute said operating system based upon a configuration of data processing system indicated by said display of said stored data detailing said boot process.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data processing system is a client computer on a network connected to a server, said method further comprising:

downloading said operating system from said server to said client computer upon an input from said client.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of prompting said user to load said operating system further comprises the step of:

graphically displaying an option for restarting said boot process from among a plurality of options selectable by a user.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

halting said boot process, in response to a failed step during said boot process.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying said stored data in multiple pages which are advanced through.

6. The method according to claim 1, said method further comprising:

displaying messages describing each process step during said boot process.

7. The method according to claim 6, said displaying messages describing each process step during said boot process further comprising:

displaying only error messages describing critical and fatal errors during said boot process.

8. A system of monitoring a boot process of a data processing system, said system comprising:

means for automatically storing data detailing each operations performed during a boot process of a data processing system within a memory of said data processing system;

means for responding to a user set signal, deferring a start of an operating system upon a completion of all operations in said boot process;

means for displaying all said stored data, wherein step-by-step details of said boot process are available to a user prior to operation of said data processing system by said operating system; and

means for simultaneously prompting a user during display of said stored data whether to complete said boot process and execute said operating system based upon a configuration of data processing system indicated by said display of said stored data detailing said boot process.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said data processing system is a client computer on a network connected to a server, said system further comprising:

means for downloading said operating system from said server to said client computer upon an input from said client.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein said means for prompting said user to load said operating system further comprises:

means for graphically displaying an option for restarting said boot process from among a plurality of option selectable by a user.

11. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for halting said boot process, in response to a failed step during said boot process.

12. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for displaying said stored data in multiple pages which are advanced through.

13. The system according to claim 8, said system further comprising:

means for displaying messages describing each process step during operation of said boot process.

14. The system according to claim 13, said means for displaying messages describing each process step during operation of said boot process further comprising:

means for displaying only error messages describing critical and fatal errors during said boot process.