Initial program load in data processing network

• US 6,535,976 B1
• Filed: 03/27/1997
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Knox, Richard Ian, McCall, Colin David, Hoggarth, Roger Philip, Syyed, Sohail, Massey, Andrew Liam
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TIM T
• Application Number:
  US08/828,014
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 395/712, 395/651, 395/652, 395/187.01, 395/200.5, 395/200.54, 395/760, 395/500, 395/200.47, 395/200.52, 364/280, 364/280.2
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods of booting a client data processing system attached to a control data processing system in a data processing network. At power-on or re-boot of a client system, an initial program load request is issued from the client system onto the network and responsive to the receipt of the initial program load request at the control system, bootstrap code is transferred to the client to cause the client to boot from operating system code stored on a mass storage device of the client; alternatively, bootstrap code is transferred to the client system to cause the client to boot from operating system stored on a mass storage device of the client, or bootstrap code is transferred to cause the client system to boot from the control system.

Claims

1. A method of booting a client data processing system attached to a control data processing system in a data processing network comprising:

at power-on or re-boot of a client system, issuing an initial program load request from the client system onto the network; and

responsive to the receipt of the initial program load request at a control system, transferring bootstrap code to the client system to cause the client system to load operating system code from a mass storage device of the client system, the operating system code being present on the mass storage device at the time when the initial program load request was issued from the client system onto the network.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the client system includes BIOS that specifies that the client system may boot only from the control system, thereby forcing the client system to issue an initial program load request onto the network.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the boot setting of the BIOS is protected by a password settable by the control system, but not by the client system.

4. A method of booting a client data processing system attached to a control data processing system in a network comprising:

at power-on or reboot of a client system, issuing an initial program load request from the client system onto the network;

responsive to the receipt of the request at a control system, transferring, according to a first alternative mode of operation, bootstrap code to the client system to cause the client system to boot from operating system code stored on a mass storage device of the client system, the operating system code being present on the mass storage device at the time of issuance of the initial program load request onto the network;

or transferring, according to a second alternative mode of operation, bootstrap code to cause the client system to boot from the control system.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first and second modes of operation are selectable by the user of the control system.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the second mode of operation comprises the further step of downloading software specified by the control system client system.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein on completion of the downloading of the specified software to the client system, the method comprises the further step of altering the mode set-up for that client in the control system so that on next re-boot or power-on, the client system is caused to boot from the downloaded software according to the first mode of operation.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the client system has no operating software stored on the mass storage device and the specified software comprises operating system software for installation on the mass storage device, the method comprising the further step of installing the operating system software on the mass storage device.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control-system specified software is an upgrade to the existing operating system software stored on the mass storage device, of the client system and the method comprises the further step of replacing the existing software on the mass storage device with the software upgrade.

10. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the client system includes BIOS code stored in non-volatile storage in the client system and the specified software is an upgrade to the BIOS code, the method comprising the further step of storing the upgraded BIOS in the non-volatile storage.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the client system includes the BIOS code stored in non-volatile storage in the client system, the settings of the BIOS being protected by a BIOS password, and wherein the software specified by the control system comprises code for changing the BIOS password.

12. A data processing network comprising a control data processing system connected to a plurality of client data processing systems;

a client system including a mass storage device and means for issuing an initial program load request onto the data processing network;

a control system including means responsive to an initial program load request received from a client system to transfer a bootstrap program to the requesting client to cause the client system to boot from operating system software which was stored on the mass storage device prior to issuance of the initial program load request by the client system onto the data processing network.

13. A data processing network comprising a control data processing system connected to a plurality of client data processing systems;

each client system including means for issuing an initial program load request onto the data processing network; and

the control data processing system including means having first and second modes of operation which is responsive, in the first mode of operation, to an initial program load request received from a client system to transfer a bootstrap program to the requesting client system to cause the client system to boot from operating system software which was stored on a mass storage device of the client system prior to issuance of the initial program load request by the client system; and

responsive, in the second mode of operation, to an initial program load request received from a client system to transfer a bootstrap program to the requesting client system to cause the client system to boot from the control data processing system.

14. A data processing system for controlling client data processing systems in a network including means having first and second modes of operation responsive, in the first mode of operation, to an initial program load request received from a client system to transfer a bootstrap program to the requesting client system to cause the client system to boot from operating system software which was stored on a mass storage device of the client system prior to issuance of the initial program load request by the client system;

and in the second mode of operation, to an initial program load request received from a client system to transfer a bootstrap program to the requesting client system to cause the client system to boot from the control data processing system.