Method for changing booting configuration and computer system capable of booting OS

• US 8,015,396 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakajima, Takao, Hatasaki, Keisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoynov; Stefan
• Application Number:
  US12/232,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 713/300, 709/211, 709/216, 709/220, 710/104, 711/114, 712/28, 714/7, 714/12
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

In a computer system in which a server has, in addition to a disk used for booting, an operation transfer destination disk that has the same content as the boot disk, a method for changing the disk used by the server or another server in the computer system for booting to the operation transfer destination disk is realized by changing the content of the operation transfer destination disk to enable the OS and applications installed in the operation transfer destination disk to be booted from the destination disk and by changing the setting of a boot program of the server to enable booting from the operation transfer destination disk.

Claims

1. In a computer system in which servers are connected to an external disk drive via a network switch and in which a server can be made operational by booting an operating system from the external disk drive or a built-in disk of each server, a boot configuration changing method for changing a disk used by the server for booting comprising:

a synchronization step of synchronizing a content of an operation transfer source disk used by the server for booting with a content of an operation transfer destination disk; and

a disk content change step of changing the content of the operation transfer destination disk so that software installed in the operation transfer destination disk is started by using the operation transfer destination disk.

2. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a boot program setting change step of changing a setting of a boot program of the server so that the server is booted from the operation transfer destination disk.

3. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 2, wherein at the boot program setting change step, an agent installed in the operation transfer source disk operates to change the setting of the boot program.

4. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 2, wherein at the boot program setting change step, the server receives an agent through a network boot and boots the agent to cause it to change the setting of the boot program.

5. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 2, wherein at the boot program setting change step, the setting of the boot program mounted on a device that can be added to or removed from the server is changed.

6. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of booting the server from the operation transfer destination disk.

7. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 1, wherein at the synchronization step, the external disk drive writes information, that is to be written in the operation transfer source disk, also into the operation transfer destination disk to synchronize the disks.

8. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 1, wherein at the synchronization step, a mirroring function running on the server writes information, that is to be written in the operation transfer source disk, also into the operation transfer destination disk to synchronize the disks.

9. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 1, wherein the disk content change step, changes a setting of a boot loader for the operating system installed in the operation transfer destination disk and a mount setting of a disk device that can be read by the operating system.

10. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 1, wherein at the disk content change step, an agent installed in the operation transfer source disk operates to change the content of the operation transfer destination disk.

11. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 1, wherein at the disk content change step, the server receives an agent through a network boot and boots the agent to cause it to change the content of the operation transfer destination disk.

12. In a computer system in which a plurality of servers are connected to an external disk drive via a network switch and in which each of the servers can be made operational by booting an operating system from the external disk drive, a boot configuration changing method for changing a disk used by the server for booting comprising:

a synchronization step of synchronizing a content of an operation transfer source disk used by the server for booting with a content of an operation transfer destination disk; and

a disk content change step of changing the content of the operation transfer destination disk so that software installed in the operation transfer destination disk is started by using the operation transfer destination disk.

13. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 12, further comprising:

a boot program setting change step of changing a setting of a boot program of an operation transfer destination server, different from an operation transfer source server, so that the operation system is booted from the operation transfer destination disk.

14. A boot configuration changing method according to claim 12, further comprising:

a step of booting an operation transfer destination server from the operation transfer destination disk.

15. A computer system comprising:

an external disk drive;

a server made operational by booting an operating system from the external disk drive and a built-in disk;

a network switch to interconnect the external disk drive and a plurality of servers; and

a management server to manage the plurality of servers;

wherein the external disk drive includes;

an operation transfer source disk used by the server to boot the operating system;

an operation transfer destination disk; and

a disk synchronization module to synchronize the operation transfer source disk and the operation transfer destination disk;

wherein the management server includes;

a server management table to record physical positions and states of the plurality of servers;

a disk synchronization table to manage a synchronization state of the operation transfer source disk and the operation transfer destination disk;

a boot configuration table to manage boot device information of the operation transfer source disk of the server and of the operation transfer destination disk;

a boot management function to change a content of the operation transfer destination disk;

an agent to change the content of the operation transfer destination disk; and

a failover module having a storage management function to request a start and stop of synchronization between the operation transfer source disk and the operation transfer destination disk.

16. A computer system according to claim 15, wherein the boot management function includes changing a setting of a boot program of the server, and the agent changes the setting of the boot program of the server.

17. A computer system according to claim 15, wherein the boot management function includes requesting the server to boot from the operation transfer destination disk.

18. A computer system according to claim 15, wherein the network switch has means that use identification information of the server to make a standby disk of the external disk drive accessible.

19. A computer system according to claim 15, wherein the network switch has means that make a port connected with an active server unusable to isolate the active server from the network.

20. A computer system according to claim 15, wherein the network switch has means that use identification information of the active server to disable communication between an active server and the plurality of servers connected to the network switch.