Automated operating system device driver updating system

• US 8,584,115 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Finkelstein, Paul E., Guy, Susan M., Puri, Rajeev, Thio, Hsiao C., Velazquez, Nelson
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Cheneca
• Application Number:
  US11/539,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,595 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

Generally speaking, systems, methods and media for updating device drivers of an operating system for a server computer system are disclosed. Embodiments may include a method for updating device drivers for a server computer system by a build server. Embodiments of the method may include determining whether device drivers for an operating system image source need to be updated, such as by crawling a vendor website. Embodiments may also include in response to determining that device driver updates need to be downloaded, scheduling a time for download of device driver updates. Embodiments of the method may also include downloading the scheduled device driver updates based on the scheduled time and storing the device driver updates in a device driver update database. Further embodiments of the method may include installing the operating system image source on a target server and installing the device driver updates on the target server.

Claims

1. A method for updating device drivers for a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

a build server creating a list of current device drivers for an operating system image;

the build server searching a pre-determined website for device driver updates for the operating system image using one or more stored keywords;

the build server, responsive to finding a plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image, comparing the plurality of device driver updates with an exclusion filter, wherein the exclusion filter comprises an exclusion list indicating at least one device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates that is not to be scheduled for download;

the build server, responsive to determining that a first device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates matches indicated by the exclusion list as not to be scheduled for download, updating the list of current device drivers for the operating system image to indicate the first device driver update on the list of current device drivers for the operating system image;

the build server, responsive to determining that a second device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates is not indicated by the exclusion list, scheduling a time for downloading the second device driver update;

the build server downloading the second device driver update at the scheduled time; and

the build server storing the second device driver update in a database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

the build server installing the operating system image on a target computer system; and

the build server installing the second device driver update on the target computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of the build server installing the second device driver update on the target computer system comprises the step of the build server copying the second device driver update to the target computer system after the step of the build server installing the operating system image on the target computer system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of the build server installing the second device driver update on the target computer system comprises the step of the build server copying the second device driver update to the operating system image before the step of the build server installing the operating system image on the target computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of the build server setting a configuration parameter based on received input from a user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration parameter comprises a wait time before searching the pre-determined website, an indication of device drivers to be excluded from downloading, or a time for downloading device drivers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more stored keywords identify one or more of:

a driver, a technology, and a level.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of the build server, responsive to finding the plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image, comparing a list of found device driver updates with the list of device drivers for the operating system image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the build server searching the pre-determined website for device driver updates comprises the step of the build server searching the pre-determined website after waiting a specified time since a last search of the pre-determined website.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of the build server, responsive to finding the plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image, storing one or more new keywords in a database.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating system image includes a set of device drivers stored in a separate directory structure.

12. A computer program product for updating device drivers for a computer system, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to create a list of current device drivers for an operating system image;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to search a pre-determined website for device driver updates for the operating system image using one or more stored keywords;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compare, responsive to finding a plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image, the plurality of device driver updates with an exclusion filter, wherein the exclusion filter comprises an exclusion list indicating at least one device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates that is not to be scheduled for download;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to update, responsive to determining that a first device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates is indicated by the exclusion list as not to be scheduled for download, the list of current device drivers for the operating system image to indicate the first device driver update on the list of current device drivers for the operating system image;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to schedule, responsive to determining that a second device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates is not indicated by the exclusion list, a time for downloading the second device driver update;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to download the second device driver update at the scheduled time; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to store the second device driver update in a device driver update database.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to install the operating system image on a target computer system; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to install the second device driver update on the target computer system.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to set a configuration parameter based on received input from a user.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the one or more stored keywords identify one or more of:

a driver, a technology, and a level.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compare a list of found device driver updates with the list of device drivers for the operating system image responsive to finding the plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the program instructions to search the pre-determined website for device driver updates comprise program instructions to search the pre-determined website for device driver updates after waiting a specified time since a last search of the pre-determined website.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to store one or more new keywords in a database responsive to finding the plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operating system image includes a set of device drivers stored in a separate directory structure.

20. A computer system for updating device drivers for a target computer system, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to create a list of current device drivers for an operating system image;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to search a pre-determined website for device driver updates for the operating system image using one or more stored keywords;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to compare, responsive to finding a plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image, the plurality of device driver updates with an exclusion filter, wherein the exclusion filter comprises an exclusion list indicating at least one device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates that is not to be scheduled for download;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to update, responsive to determining that a first device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates is indicated by the exclusion list as not to be scheduled for download, the list of current device drivers for the operating system image to indicate the first device driver update on the list of current device drivers for the operating system image;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to schedule, responsive to determining that a second device driver update of the plurality of device driver updates is not indicated by the exclusion list, a time for downloading the second device driver update;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to download the second device driver update at the scheduled time; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to store the second device driver update in a database.

21. The computer system of claim 20, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to install the operating system image on the target computer system; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to install the second device driver update on the target computer system.

22. The computer system of claim 20, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to set a configuration parameter based on received input from a user.

23. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the one or more stored keywords identify one or more of:

a driver, a technology, and a level.

24. The computer system of claim 20, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to compare a list of found device driver updates with the list of device drivers for the operating system image responsive to finding the plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image.

25. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the program instructions to search the pre-determined website for device driver updates comprise program instructions to search the pre-determined website for device driver updates after waiting a specified time since a last search of the pre-determined website.

26. The computer system of claim 20, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to store one or more new keywords in a database responsive to finding the plurality of device driver updates for the operating system image.

27. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the operating system image includes a set of device drivers stored in a separate directory structure.