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

• US 8,352,624 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ardence Delaware, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Myron, Lusinsky, Robert, Burokas, Gint, Garelick, Mike, Sandusky, Marc, Bunch, Kenny
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US11/957,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• 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 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 for using a hibernation image from a network to boot a client computing device, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting, by a client computing device to a server, a first disk read request generated by a pre-boot execution environment protocol of the client computing device;

(b) receiving in response to the first disk read request, by the client computing device from the server, data comprising a first master boot record;

(c) executing, by the client computing device, the received first master boot record;

(d) transmitting, by the client computing device to the server, a second disk read request generated by the first master boot record;

(e) receiving in response to the second disk read request, by the client computing device from the server, data comprising a second master boot record;

(f) executing, by the client computing device, the received second master boot record;

(g) downloading, by the second master boot record, an operating system loader;

(h) determining, by the operating system loader, existence of a valid hibernation image on the server;

(i) issuing, by the operating system loader, a third disk read request, the third disk read request directed to a disk sector comprising the hibernation image;

(j) intercepting, by the first master boot record, the third disk read request and redirecting the intercepted request to the server;

(k) receiving, by the client computing device from the server, the hibernation image; and

(l) booting, by the client computing device, an operating system using the hibernation image received from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the client computing device, the hibernation image locally on the client computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the client computing device, a sector comprising a portion of the hibernation image not received by the client computing device from the server and requesting from the server retransmission of the sector.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising caching, by the client computing device, a file providing system utility functions with the hibernation image.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising de-queuing, by a storage driver executing on the client computing device, read and write requests from the client computing device.

6. A system for using a hibernation image from a network to boot a client computing device comprising:

a client computing device

transmitting to a server a first disk read request generated by a pre-boot execution environment protocol of the client computing device;

executing a first master boot record received in response to the first disk read request;

transmitting to the server a second disk read request generated by the execution of the first master boot record;

executing a second master boot record received in response to the second disk read request;

downloading, by the second master boot record executing on the client computing device, an operating system loader;

determining, using the operating system loader, existence of a valid hibernation image on the server, issuing, by the operating system loader, a third disk read request, the third disk read request directed to a sector comprising the hibernation image;

intercepting, by the first master boot record, the third disk read request and redirecting the intercepted request to the server; and

booting an operating system using the hibernation image received from the server; and

the server

transmitting to the client computing device data comprising the first master boot record;

transmitting to the client computing device data comprising the second master boot record; and

transmitting to the client computing device the hibernation image.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the client computing device stores the hibernation image locally on the client computing device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the client computing device identifies a sector comprising the hibernation file not received by the client computing device from the server and requesting from the server retransmission of the sector.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the server transmits to a plurality of client computing devices, data comprising the first master boot record.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the server transmits the hibernation image to a plurality of client computing devices.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein a managing server identifies the server from a plurality of servers to be paired with the client computing device.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the client computing device caches a file providing system utility functions with the hibernation image.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein a storage driver executing on the client computing device de-queues read and write requests from the client computing device.