Boot disk management utility

• US 7,373,492 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Barclays Capital Incorporated (Barclays PLC)
• Original Assignee: Lehman Brothers Incorporated (Barclays PLC)
• Inventors: Hedgecock, Joseph M., Marler, T. Gordon, Brandenberger, Philip J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elamin, Abdelmoniem
• Application Number:
  US10/937,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20060047945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 711/114, 711/165, 711/203
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 473/02 with oxygen, sulphur, or nitrogen atoms directly attached in positions 2 and 6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running

Abstract

A computer utility for reducing downtime required for applying patches to a UNIX system, and for allowing changes to the system to be rolled back in the event of problems with a patch.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

mirroring a primary boot disk to a secondary boot disk;

breaking the mirrors between the primary boot disk and the secondary boot disk, the secondary boot disk being a complete mirror of the primary boot disk at the time the mirrors are broken;

performing maintenance on the secondary boot disk, the secondary boot disk being a complete mirror of the primary boot disk, while running an operating environment on the primary boot disk, the maintenance including identifying one or more patches to be applied to the computer system, queuing the patches for application, and applying the patches; and

rebooting to the secondary boot disk while maintaining the primary boot disk as a back-up boot environment.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of re-establishing the mirrors between the secondary boot disk and the primary boot disk.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

creating a bootable boot environment on the secondary boot disk;

booting the boot environment on the secondary boot disk;

deleting an original boot environment of the primary boot disk;

designating the primary boot disk as part of a root disk group;

renaming the primary boot disk; and

mirroring the secondary boot disk to the primary boot disk.

4. A computer system, comprising:

a primary boot disk; and

a secondary boot disk,

wherein

the primary boot disk is mirrored to the secondary boot disk,

the mirrors are broken between the primary boot disk and the secondary boot disk, the secondary book disk being a complete mirror of the primary boot disk at the time the mirrors are broken,

maintenance is performed on the secondary boot disk, the secondary boot disk being a complete mirror of the primary boot disk, while running an operating environment on the primary boot disk, and

the secondary boot disk is rebooted while the primary boot disk is maintained as a back-up boot environment, the maintenance including identifying one or more patches to

be applied to the computer system, queuing the patches for application, and applying the patches.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the secondary boot disk is mirrored to the primary boot disk after the system is rebooted to the secondary boot disk.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein a bootable boot environment is created on the secondary boot disk, the boot environment is booted on the secondary boot disk, an original boot environment is deleted from the primary boot disk, the primary boot disk is designated as part of a root disk group, the primary boot disk is renamed, and the secondary boot disk is mirrored to the primary boot disk.

7. A computer program product including a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, configure the computer to perform a method comprising the steps of:

mirroring a primary boot disk to a secondary boot disk;

breaking the mirrors between the primary boot disk and the secondary boot disk, the secondary boot disk being a complete mirror of the primary boot disk at the time the mirrors are broken;

performing maintenance on the secondary boot disk, the secondary boot disk being a complete mirror of the primary boot disk, while running an operating environment on the primary boot disk, the maintenance including identifying one or more patches to be applied to the computer system, queuing the patches for application, and applying the patches; and

rebooting to the secondary boot disk while maintaining the primary boot disk as a back-up boot environment.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 further including computer executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, configures the computer to perform the step of re-establishing the mirrors between the secondary boot disk and the primary boot disk.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 further including computer executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, configures the computer to perform the steps of:

creating a bootable boot environment on the secondary boot disk;

booting the boot environment on the secondary boot disk;

deleting an original boot environment of the primary boot disk;

designating the primary boot disk as part of a root disk group;

renaming the primary boot disk; and

mirroring the secondary boot disk to the primary boot disk.