Method and system for manufacture of information handling systems from an image cache

• US 6,925,345 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2002
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Wong, William H., Artsdalen, James Van, Campbell, Jason Travis, Barajas, Gaston M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOSOWSKI, ALEXANDER J
• Application Number:
  US10/271,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 700/97, 700/103, 717175-176, 717177-178, 717/172, 717/174, 714/6, 707/104.1, 707/10, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100
• US Class Current: 700/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and system for manufacturing information handling systems analyzes orders for information handling system configurations to select one or more configurations for imaging. For instance, frequently ordered configurations or configurations that are time consuming to manufacture are selected for imaging. When an information handling system having a selected configuration is manufactured, an image of the manufactured information handling system is saved in an image cache. Subsequent information handling systems having the selected configuration are manufactured by copying the saved image to the information handling system, thus reducing the time for loading software onto the information handling system.

Claims

1. A system for manufacturing information handling systems, each information handling system having one of plural configurations, the system comprising:

a configuration manager operable to accept plural information handling system orders, each order defining a configuration for an information handling system;

an order analyzer interfaced with the configuration manager and operable to identify one or more of the information handling system configurations for image caching based on one or more predetermined factors, comprising at least the frequency of orders for configurations;

a software burn rack interfaced with the configuration manager and operable to configure software identified by an order on an information handling system; and

an image cache service interfaced with the software burn rack and operable to store an image of an information handling system identified by the order analyzer and configured by the software burn rack.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an image cache meta data interfaced with the software burn rack, the image cache meta data listing the configurations for image caching identified by the order analyzer, the software burn rack comparing the order for an information handling system with the image cache meta data to determine if an image is stored for the configuration associated with the order.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the software burn rack coordinates with the image cache service to store an image of an information handling system if the image cache meta data identifies an order as having an image cache and no image is cached, the image cache service operational to store the image of the order and to update the image cache meta data.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein an information handling system configuration comprises software and selected hardware parts.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the order analyzer predetermined factors further comprise the time used to bum software for the configurations.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising an image cache operable to store images of information handling system configurations.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising an image cache manager operable to maintain the image cache by removing aged images.

8. The system of claim 6 further comprising an image update manager operable to maintain the image cache by removing images made obsolete due to new configuration versions.

9. A method for manufacturing information handling systems, the method comprising:

analyzing orders for information handling systems to identify one or more information handling system configurations for image caching by determining the frequency of orders for the information handling system configurations and identifying more frequently ordered configurations for image caching;

determining that an information handling system at software load has a configuration identified for image caching;

loading the software on the information handling system;

copying an image of the information handling system to an image cache;

determining that a subsequent information handling system order has the identified configuration; and

copying the image from the image cache to the subsequent information handling system.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein analyzing orders further comprises determining the time associated with manufacture of the information handling system configurations and identifying configurations for image caching based on the reduction in manufacture time provided by caching selected configuration images.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein determining that an information handling system at software load has a configuration identified for image caching further comprises comparing a parts list from an order for the information handling system with a parts list for information handling system configurations identified for cache imaging.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the parts list comprises the software and hardware parts from an order minus excludable hardware parts.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the excludable hardware parts comprise hardware components that do not affect the software loaded on the information handling system.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein determining that a subsequent information handling system order has the identified configuration further comprises comparing the order with an image cache meta data file.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising maintaining the image cache by removing aged or obsolete images.

16. An image cache for aiding in the manufacture of information handling systems, the image cache comprising:

an image of an information handling system configuration, the configuration selected from plural orders for information handling systems, each of the plural orders having one or plural configurations, the selecting of the configuration based on the frequency of orders for the configuration compared with the frequency for other configurations, the selected image copied from an information handling system manufactured with the selected configuration and operational to copy to an information handling system subsequently built with the selected configuration.

17. The image cache of claim 16 further comprising plural images of information handling system configurations, each of the plural images selected based on the frequency of orders for a configuration associated with the image.

18. The image cache of claim 16 wherein the configuration comprises software and selected hardware parts for the ordered information handling system.