System and method for network image propagation without a predefined network

• US 8,495,623 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2009
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Puig, Ricardo S., Jiang, Liang J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAVIS, JOHN Q
• Application Number:
  US12/604,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 717/176
• US Class Current: 717/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A system and method for network image propagation without a predefined network advantageously allows customers to automatically perform several system BOS installation or mksysb restoration over a virtual network with no predefined network and minimal installer configuration overhead. A method for network image propagation comprises: identifying a plurality of logical partitions residing in the logically partitioned terminal; configuring a temporary virtual network to connect said plurality of logical partitions to each other, wherein each one of the logical partitions is assigned at least one of a virtual Internet Protocol (IP) address and a virtual Media Access Control (MAC) address; installing an application image on at least one of the logical partitions via the temporary virtual network; deconfiguring the temporary virtual network; and assigning at least one of a physical IP address and a physical MAC address to said at least one logical partition on which the application has been installed.

Claims

1. A method of installing an application image on a logically partitioned server terminal, the method comprising:

detect a plurality of logical partitions residing in the logically partitioned server terminal;

set up a temporary virtual network to connect the plurality of logical partitions;

propagate said application image on at least one partition of the plurality of logical partitions to install said application image on the logically partitioned server terminal; and

erase the temporary virtual network upon completing said installing of the application image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting up of said temporary virtual logical partition further comprises:

assigning a temporary virtual IP address and a temporary virtual MAC address to each one of the plurality of logical partitions connected by said temporary virtual network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the temporary virtual IP address assigned to each one of the plurality of logical partitions is a unique address on an internal subnet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said temporary virtual network is a virtual local area network;

and

wherein the application image is propagated on to said at least one partition of the plurality of logical partitions via the temporary virtual network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

make a determination as to whether a pre-existing inter-LPAR network exists connecting any of said plurality of logical partitions.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

assign physical addresses to create a new inter-LPAR network in response to said determination being negative as to existence of the pre-existing inter-LPAR network.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

reassign physical addresses to said pre-existing inter-LPAR network in response to said determination being positive as to existence of the pre-existing inter-LPAR network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

booting from a removable non-transitory computer readable media containing instructions for the installing of said application image in the logically partitioned server terminal without user intervention.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said application image is a first application image, wherein said propagating further comprises:

propagate a second application image on one or more partitions of the plurality of logical partitions.

15. The software product of claim 4, further comprising:

assign physical addresses to create a new inter-LPAR network in response to said determination being negative as to existence of the pre-existing inter-LPAR network.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein the computer readable media comprises a first NIM which is a network installation manager;

and

wherein the logically partitioned server terminal does not have a network installation manager.

10. A software product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium including a program of instructions for installing an application image on a logically partitioned server terminal, wherein the program of instructions upon being executed on the logically partitioned server terminal causes the logically partitioned server terminal to perform activities comprising:

detect a plurality of logical partitions residing in the logically partitioned server terminal;

set up a temporary virtual network to connect the plurality of logical partitions;

propagate said application image on at least one partition of the plurality of logical partitions to install said application image on the logically partitioned server terminal; and

erase the temporary virtual network upon completing said installing of the application image.

11. The software product of claim 10, wherein the setting up of said temporary virtual logical partition further comprises:

assigning a temporary virtual IP address and a temporary virtual MAC address to each one of the plurality of logical partitions connected by said temporary virtual network.

12. The software product of claim 11, wherein the temporary virtual IP address assigned to each one of the plurality of logical partitions is a unique address on an internal subnet.

13. The software product of claim 10, wherein said temporary virtual network is a virtual local area network;

and

wherein the application image is propagated on to said at least one partition of the plurality of logical partitions via the temporary virtual network.

14. The software product of claim 10, further comprising:

make a determination as to whether a pre-existing inter-LPAR network exists connecting any of said plurality of logical partitions.

16. The software product of claim 10, further comprising:

booting from a removable computer readable media containing instructions for the installing of said application image in the logically partitioned server terminal without user intervention.

21. The software product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable media comprises a first NIM which is a network installation manager;

and

wherein the logically partitioned server terminal does not have a network installation manager.

17. A logically partitioned server terminal computer system configured to install an application image, the computer system comprising:

memory comprising a plurality of logical partitions;

a processor configured to execute instructions for setting up a temporary virtual network to connect the plurality of logical partitions; and

a bus configured to propagate said application image to at least one partition of the plurality of logical partitions to install said application image on the logically partitioned server terminal;

wherein said processor if further configured to execute instructions to erase the temporary virtual network upon completing said installing of the application image.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein a temporary virtual IP address and a temporary virtual MAC address are assigned to each one of the plurality of logical partitions connected by said temporary virtual network.

19. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

a disk drive configured to read a removable computer readable media containing boot instructions and instructions for the installation of said application image in the logically partitioned server terminal without user intervention;

wherein the computer readable media comprises a first NIM which is a network installation manager; and

wherein the logically partitioned server terminal does not have a network installation manager.