System for and method of streaming data to a computer in a network

• US 7,321,936 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2002
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ardence Delaware, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Ardence, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Lusinsky, Robert, Sandusky, Marc, Bunch, Kenny, Zimmerman, Myron, Garelick, Mike, Burokas, Gint
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US10/124,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,105 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-223, 709/230, 709/231, 709/232, 713/2, 713/100
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• 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

A system for and method of rapidly streaming data to one or more client devices, such as personal computers (PC'"'"'s) from a server employing virtual disk emulation and broadcasting or multicasting of data residing on a network server. In some embodiments, the streamed data includes files necessary to boot and configure the one or more client devices, the data including hibernation, O/S and application files.

Claims

1. A method of streaming data from a first server to one or more client computers, the first server in communication with the one or more client computers in a network through a corresponding number of client interfaces, the method comprising the steps of:

issuing one or more requests to the first server to download contents of a plurality of sectors residing on the first server,

wherein the plurality of sectors collectively stores data desired by the one or more computers, and

wherein the first server emulates, in response to the one or more requests, behavior of a disk drive on the one or more client computers;

registering each of the client computers from which the first server received a download request during a predetermined invitation period;

determining that a sector sequence file does not reside on the first server and then learning a sector sequence file;

broadcasting or multicasting via the network from the first server to the one or more client computers requesting the download of the plurality of sectors according to a sequence specified in the learned sector sequence file and such that the actual source of the sectors remains transparent to the one or more client computers

wherein the step of broadcasting or multicasting further comprises;

designating, by the first server, in a predetermine order, a different client during each sector transmission from which a request for the next sector is received, until all the sectors are transmitted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the plurality of sectors further comprises broadcasting the plurality of sectors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the plurality of sectors further comprises multicasting the plurality of sectors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the server emulation is a result of the one or more client computers executing pre-execution boot environment (PXE) code residing on the one or more client computers and thereby handling disk access operations through an interrupt handler procedure and issuing the one or more requests.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the desired data is emulation code for emulating a local disk drive and requesting a download of an operating system (O/S) boot file including O/S drivers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server emulation is a result of the one or more client computers executing emulation code received from the first server, thereby handling disk access operations through an interrupt handler procedure and issuing the one or more requests.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the desired data comprises an O/S boot file and O/S drivers for assuming control of the one or more client computers'"'"' interfaces to the network and issuing the one or more requests a download of one or more files necessary for the one or more client computers to complete the booting process.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more files necessary for the one or more client computers to complete the booting process includes one or more hibernation files.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the server emulation is a result of the one or more client computers executing an O/S boot file and O/S drivers received from the first server for assuming control over the one or more client computers'"'"' interfaces to the network and issuing the one or more requests.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the desired data comprises one or more files necessary for the one or more client computers to complete the booting process.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more files necessary for the one or more client computers to complete the booting process includes one or more hibernation files.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more files necessary for the one or more client computers to complete the booting process includes one ore more initialization files.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing the contents of the plurality of transmitted sectors received from the first server in local client memory.

14. The method of claims 9 or 10, further comprising the steps of:

loading the contents of the one or more hibernation file files into the one or more clients'"'"' local memory; and

activating the client O/S processes embodied in the hibernation file(s).

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired data comprises one or more application files.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein learning a sector sequence file further comprises the steps of:

selecting a single registered client from among the registered clients;

allowing the selected client to make disk access requests, while recording to a learned sector sequence file an ordered list of sectors requested by the selected client.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein learning a sector sequence file further comprises the steps of:

selecting a single registered client from among the registered clients;

allowing the selected client to make disk access requests, while sequentially recording to a learned sector sequence file the actual data content of the requested sectors.

18. The method of claims 16 or 17, wherein using the learned sector sequence file to complete the transmitting step further comprises the step of:

broadcasting or multicasting the plurality of sectors to the non-selected client computers according to a sequence specified in the learned sector sequence file.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing at each registered client the transmitted sectors received by each registered client;

transmitting from the first server to the registered clients a transmission complete signal;

identifying at each registered client which sectors have been successfully received and stored; and

individually requesting from the first server retransmission of sectors not successfully received and stored.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the sector sequence file contains a list of all sectors which collectively store one or more O/S boot files.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the sector sequence file contains a list of all sectors which collectively store one or more hibernation files.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the sector sequence file contains a list of all sectors which collectively store one or more application files.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the first server is in communication with the one or more client computers via one or more buses.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the request issuing step further comprises the step of obtaining, from a second server, an address of the plurality of sectors residing on the first server.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first and second servers are the same server or different servers connected to the network.

26. A system for streaming data from a first server to one or more client computers, the first server in communication with the one or more client computers in a network through a corresponding number of client interfaces, the apparatus comprising:

the one or more client computer each having;

a processor;

a memory, in communication with the processor, for storing executable computer instructions therein;

wherein the processor, in response to the instructions;

issues one or more requests to the first server to download content of a plurality of sectors residing on the first server,

wherein;

the plurality of sectors collectively stores data desired by the one or more client computers; and

the first server emulates, in response to the one or more requests, behavior of a disk drive on the one or more client computers;

the first server having;

a server processor

a server memory, in communication with the server processor, for storing executable computer instructions therein;

wherein the server processor, in response to the instructions;

registers each of the client computers from which the first server received a download request during a predetermined invitation period;

determines that a sector sequence file does not reside on the first server and then learns a sector sequence file by selecting a single registered client, booting the selected client while recording to the sector sequence file an ordered list of sectors requested by the selected client during booting;

accesses the plurality of sectors from a disk drive associated with the first server, and transmits via the network to the one or more non- selected registered clients requesting the download, after the predetermined invitation period, the plurality of sectors according to a sequence specified in the learned sector sequence file and such that the actual source of the sectors remains transparent to the one or more client computers, and designates, in a round-robin order, a different client during each sector transmission from which a request for the next sector is received until all sectors are transmitted.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the server emulation is a result of the one or more client computers executing pre-execution boot environment (PXE) code residing on the one or more client computers and thereby handling disk access operations through an interrupt handler procedure and issuing the one or more requests.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the desired data is emulation code for emulating a local disk drive and requesting a download of an operating system (O/S) boot file including O/S drivers.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the server emulation is a result of the one or more client computers executing emulation code received from the first server,

thereby handling disk access operations through an interrupt handler procedure and issuing the one or more requests.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the desired data comprises an O/S boot file and O/S drivers for assuming control of the one or more client computers'"'"' interfaces to the network and issuing the one or more requests to download a hibernation file.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the server emulation is a result of the one or more client computers executing an O/S boot file and. O/S drivers received from the first server for assuming control over the one or more client computers'"'"' interfaces to the network and issuing the one or more requests.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the desired data comprises a hibernation file.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the hibernation file includes one or more initialization files.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein, in further response to the instructions, each processor:

stores the contents of the plurality of transmitted sectors received from the first server in local client storage.

35. The system of claims 32 or 33, wherein, in further response to the instructions, each processor:

loads the contents of the hibernation file into the one or more clients'"'"' local memory; and

activates the client O/S processes embodied in the hibernation file.

36. The system of claim 26, wherein the desired data comprises one or more application files.

37. The system of claim 26, wherein, in further response to the instructions, each processor:

stores in local client memory the transmitted sectors received;

receives from the first server a transmission complete signal;

identifies which sectors have been successfully received and stored; and

requests individually from the first server retransmission of sectors not successfully received and stored.

38. The system of claim 26, wherein the sector sequence file contains a list of all sectors that collectively store an O/S boot file.

39. The system of claim 26, wherein the sector sequence file contains a list of all sectors that collectively store a hibernation file.

40. The system of claim 26, wherein the sector sequence file contains a list of all sectors that collectively store one or more application files.

41. The system of claim 26, wherein the first server is in communication with the one or more client computers via one or more serial or parallel bus.

42. The system of claim 26, wherein, in further response to the instructions, each processor obtains, from a second server, an address of the plurality of sectors residing on the first server.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the first and second servers are the same server or different servers connected to the network.