Method and apparatus for a secure network install

• US 7,890,614 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sharma, Rakesh, Vallabhaneni, Vasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIU, HO T
• Application Number:
  US12/337,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20090094352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and computer instructions are provided for a secure network install. One aspect of the present invention provides a proxy server within the same subnet of the client for performing a lookup of the boot image file and downloading the boot image file from a boot file server in a secure manner. The client in turn downloads the file from the proxy TFTP server. Another aspect of the present invention modifies the client remote boot code to include a secure boot file download discovery (SBDD) mode. The client starts the SBDD mode by sending a request for a boot image file to a subnet broadcast address and port, which is listened by a proxy TFTP server. The proxy TFTP server receives the client request and downloads the boot image file. The client in turn downloads the boot image file from the proxy TFTP server.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage device having computer usable program code for a secure network install, the computer readable storage device including:

computer usable program code for receiving a request for a boot image file from a client at a proxy server to form a received request, wherein the proxy server is a trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP) server, wherein the request is for the secure network install by using a modified client remote boot control code, wherein the modified client remote boot control code places the client in a Secure Bootfile Download Discovery (SBDD) mode, wherein the request for the boot image file includes a location of the boot image file and a client Internet Protocol address, and wherein the proxy server and the client are on a same subnet;

computer usable program code for locating a boot image file server from a list of servers and corresponding boot image files for the boot image file by performing a lookup of the boot image file in a mapping file to form a located boot image file, wherein the mapping file includes the list of servers and corresponding boot image files;

computer usable program code for identifying an Internet Protocol address of the boot image file server for the boot image file;

computer usable program code for retrieving the located boot image file from the boot image file server using a secure file transfer protocol to form a retrieved boot image file, wherein the secure file transfer protocol includes at least one of file encryption and checksum verification; and

computer usable program code for sending the retrieved boot image file to the client, wherein the client receives the client Internet Protocol address, the location of the boot image file, and an Internet Protocol address of the proxy server from a dynamic host configuration protocol server.

2. A data processing system, comprising:

a bus,

a storage device, wherein the storage device contains computer usable program code;

a communications unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus that executes the computer usable program code, wherein the processing unit receives a request for a boot image file from a client at a proxy server to form a received request, wherein the proxy server is a trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP) server, wherein the request is for a secure network install by using a modified client remote boot control code, wherein the modified client remote boot control code places the client in a Secure Bootfile Download Discovery (SBDD) mode, wherein the request for the boot image file includes a location of the boot image file and a client Internet Protocol address, and wherein the proxy server and the client are on a same subnet;

wherein the processing unit locates a boot image file server from a list of servers and corresponding boot image files for the boot image file by performing a lookup of the boot image file in a mapping file to form a located boot image file, wherein the mapping file includes the list of servers and corresponding boot image files;

wherein the processing unit identifies an Internet Protocol address of the boot image file server for the boot image file;

wherein the processing unit retrieves the located boot image file from the boot image file server using a secure file transfer protocol to form a retrieved boot image file, wherein the secure file transfer protocol includes at least one of file encryption and checksum verification; and

wherein the processing unit sends the retrieved boot image file to the client, wherein the client receives the client Internet Protocol address, the location of the boot image file, and an Internet Protocol address of the proxy server from a dynamic host configuration protocol server.