Activating a blade server in a blade server system

• US 8,549,127 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chhuor, CheKim, Xu, Yi Zhen, Zhong, Hai Jun, Zhou, Ning Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELFERVIG, TAYLOR A
• Application Number:
  US12/844,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/229, 718/1
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45541 Bare-metal, i.e. hypervisor runs directly on hardware

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for activating a blade server in a blade server system. The method comprises receiving a request for activating the blade server and obtaining a hardware feature of the blade server. The method further comprises determining a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server in accordance with a correspondence relationship between the hardware feature of the blade server and the virtual machine management program and remotely activating the blade server via a management bus by using the determined virtual machine management program. In accordance with the method, a suitable built-in virtual machine management program may be determined according to user requirements, and system security and stability upon blade server activation may be ensured.

Claims

1. A method for activating a blade server in a blade server system, the method comprising:

receiving a request for activating the blade server;

obtaining a hardware feature of the blade server;

determining a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server in accordance with a correspondence relationship between the hardware feature of the blade server and the virtual machine management program, wherein determining the virtual machine management program comprises, in response to determining that a plurality of virtual machine management programs corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server are stored in the blade server system, selecting the virtual machine management program from the plurality of virtual machine management programs; and

remotely activating, via a management bus, the blade server and a virtual machine installed on the blade server by using the determined virtual machine management program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the correspondence relationship in the blade server system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined virtual machine management program is stored in the blade server system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the virtual machine management program further comprises:

in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the blade server system, transmitting to a remote server a request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server; and

in response to determining that there is a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the remote server, obtaining the virtual machine management program from the remote server, storing the virtual machine management program in the blade server system, and selecting the virtual machine management program.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the virtual machine management program further comprises updating the correspondence relationship.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the virtual machine management program further comprises:

in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the blade server system, transmitting to a first remote server a request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server;

in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the first remote server, requesting a remote server address update such that a second remote server may be accessed;

receiving the remote server address update;

transmitting to the second remote server the request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server; and

in response to determining that there is a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the second remote server, obtaining the virtual machine management program from the second remote server, storing the virtual machine management program in the blade server system, and selecting the virtual machine management program.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the virtual machine management program further comprises updating the correspondence relationship.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more steps of the method are executed by a management module of the blade server system.

9. An apparatus for activating a blade server in a blade server system, the apparatus comprising:

a receiving module configured for receiving a request for activating the blade server;

an obtaining module configured for obtaining a hardware feature of the blade server;

a storage module configured for storing at least one virtual machine management program;

a determining module configured for determining a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server in accordance with a correspondence relationship between the hardware feature of the blade server and the virtual machine management program and further configured for, in response to determining that a plurality of virtual machine management programs corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server are stored in the storage module, selecting the virtual machine management program from the plurality of virtual machine management programs; and

a processing module configured for remotely activating, via a management bus, the blade server and a virtual machine installed on the blade server by using the determined virtual machine management program.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the storage module is further configured for storing the correspondence relationship.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the determining module comprises an updating module for updating the correspondence relationship.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the determined virtual machine management program is stored in the storage module.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the determining module is further configured for:

in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the storage module, transmitting to a remote server a request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server; and

in response to determining that there is a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the remote server, obtaining the virtual machine management program from the remote server, storing the virtual machine management program in the storage module, and selecting the virtual machine management program.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the determining module is further configured for:

in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the storage module, transmitting to a first remote server a request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server;

in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the first remote server, requesting a remote server address update such that a second remote server may be accessed;

receiving the remote server address update;

transmitting to the second remote server the request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server; and

in response to determining that there is a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the second remote server, obtaining the virtual machine management program from the second remote server, storing the virtual machine management program in the storage module, and selecting the virtual machine management program.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is located in a management module of the blade server system.

16. A computer program product for activating a blade server in a blade server system, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-readable program code instructions stored therein comprising:

a first set of instructions for receiving a request for activating the blade server;

a second set of instructions for obtaining a hardware feature of the blade server;

a third set of instructions for determining a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server in accordance with a correspondence relationship between the hardware feature of the blade server and the virtual machine management program, wherein the third set of instructions comprises a fourth set of instructions for, in response to determining that a plurality of virtual machine management programs corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server are stored in the storage module, selecting the virtual machine management program from the plurality of virtual machine management programs; and

a fifth set of instructions for remotely activating, via a management bus, the blade server and a virtual machine installed on the blade server by using the determined virtual machine management program.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein one or more of the sets of instructions are executed by a management module of the blade server system.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the third set of instructions further comprises:

a sixth set of instructions for, in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the blade server system, transmitting to a remote server a request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server; and

a seventh set of instructions for, in response to determining that there is a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the remote server, obtaining the virtual machine management program from the remote server, storing the virtual machine management program in the blade server system, and selecting the virtual machine management program.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the third set of instructions further comprises an eighth set of instructions for updating the correspondence relationship.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the third set of instructions further comprises:

a ninth set of instructions for, in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the blade server system, transmitting to a first remote server a request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server;

a tenth set of instructions for, in response to determining that there is no virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the first remote server, requesting a remote server address update such that a second remote server may be accessed;

an eleventh set of instructions for receiving the remote server address update;

a twelfth set of instructions for transmitting to the second remote server the request for a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server; and

a thirteenth set of instructions for, in response to determining that there is a virtual machine management program corresponding to the hardware feature of the blade server stored in the second remote server, obtaining the virtual machine management program from the second remote server, storing the virtual machine management program in the blade server system, and selecting the virtual machine management program.