Image server store system and method using combined image views

• US 7,461,095 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cohen, Jason, Green, Bruce L., Burkhardt, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, THU NGUYET T
• Application Number:
  US11/155,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/204, 711/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

An image server store having a combined image including a first image of a first software combined with other images of other software such that any one or more of the images can be restored from the combined image, and methods relating thereto. The method of making the combined image comprises creating a first image from a first software, creating a second image from the second software, and combining the first image and the second image into the combined image on the server store. Each image includes first descriptive data (metadata) corresponding to descriptive data of its software and includes file data corresponding to file data of its software.

Claims

1. A method of creating an image, from a combined software image, of a data structure of software on a destination device from a server store, said method comprising:

providing the combined software image including a first software image and a second software image, said combined software image including one copy of common file data common to both the first software image and the second software image, said combined software image including descriptive data of the first software image comprising;

a first metadata of the first software image, said first metadata identifying a location of first file data of only the first software image and identifying a location of the common file data, said first metadata pointing to a first offset table, said first offset table including an offset of the location of the first file data on the combined software image, said first offset table including a unique identification, location, size, any flags relating to the first software image; and

including descriptive data of the second software image comprising;

a second metadata of the second software image, said second metadata identifying a location of second file data of only the second image and identifying a location of the common file data, said second metadata pointing to a second offset table, said second offset table including an offset of the location of the second file data on the combined software image, said second offset table including a unique identification, location, size, any flags relating to the second software image;

creating a first image by copying an image of the descriptive data of the first software image from the combined software image to a first destination device;

wherein creating the first image includes copying an image of the first file data of the first software image from the combined software image to the first destination device as a function of the descriptive data of the first software image;

creating a second image by copying an image of descriptive data of the second software image from the combined software image to a second destination device, said descriptive data identifying a location of file data of the second software image in the combined software image; and

wherein creating the second image includes copying an image of the second file data of only the second software image from the combined software image to the second destination device as a function of the descriptive data of the second software image.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

copying the image of descriptive data of the first software image from the combined software image to a second destination device;

copying the image of the file data of the first software image from the combined software image to the second destination device as a function of the descriptive data of the first software image.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

linking the server store to the first destination device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising accessing the server store and manipulating the file data of the first software image in the combined software image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the combined software image comprises copying the combined software image onto the server store.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the descriptive data is stored in an offset table.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to a product key or an identifier corresponding to the first software image or the second software image, selectively transmitting the first software image or the second software image to the first destination device or the second destination device.

8. A system comprising:

a combined software image from which a first software image and a second software image different from the first software image can be re-created as a function of descriptive data of the first software image and descriptive data of the second software image;

said descriptive data of the first software image comprising a first metadata of the first software image, said first metadata identifying a location of first file data of only the first software image and identifying a location of the common file data, said first metadata pointing to a first offset table, said first offset table including an offset of the location of the first file data on the combined software image, said first offset table including a unique identification, location, size, any flags relating to the first software image; and

said descriptive data of the second software image comprising a second metadata of the second software image, said second metadata identifying a location of second file data of only the second image and identifying a location of the common file data, said second metadata pointing to a second offset table, said second offset table including an offset of the location of the second file data on the combined software image, said second offset table including a unique identification, location, size, any flags relating to the second software image, said combined software image including only one copy of file data common to both the first software image and the second software image;

a server store having said combined software image;

a link;

a processor;

an executable file stored on a destination device and executable by the processor, said executable file being a part of an external set-up program for extracting the first software image or the second software image from the server stored in response to a product key or an identifier, said product key or said identifier corresponding to the first software image or the second software image; and

wherein the destination device connected to the server store via the link, said destination device having the first software image or the second software image thereon, which first software image or the second software image on the destination device was copied from the combined software image via the link as a function of the executable file and the locations of the first file data of the first software image or the second file data of the second software image within the combined software image.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising an image of the descriptive data and an image of the file data of the first software image.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the descriptive data comprises metadata including one or more of the following:

file names, attributes, file times, compression formats, locations and streams.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the file data comprises any binary file data or any other data other than metadata.