System recovery using external communication device

• US 8,707,086 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Poisner, David I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lottich, Joshua P
• Application Number:
  US13/091,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20120272090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4.3, 714/4.4, 714/6.31, 714/48, 714/57
• US Class Current: 714/4.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1415 at system level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16

Abstract

A method for computer system recovery is presented. In one embodiment, the method includes establishing a connection, via an interface, to a computer system to support the system recovery of the computer system. The method includes executing an emulation application as a recovery agent. The method includes retrieving, based on identifiers associated with the computer system, remote data via another interface. The method further includes performing the system recovery by using at least a part of the remote data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, via a first interface, a connection to a first system to support system recovery of the first system;

executing an emulation application as a recovery agent;

retrieving, based on one or more identifiers associated with the first system, first remote data via a second interface different from the first interface;

performing the system recovery by using at least a part of the first remote data; and

monitoring the reliability of the first interface prior to the system recovery.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first system communicates with the recovery agent as if the recovery agent is a bootable storage device connected to the first system via the first interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the connection to the first system, the first remote data are not present in a memory which stores the emulation application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote data are from the internet via the second interface, wherein the first remote data are not permanently stored and will be erased after the system recovery is complete.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

erasing the first remote data; and

retrieving second remote data from the internet to perform system recovery for a second system which is a different system from the first system, wherein the first remote data and the second remote data are stored temporarily and will be removed after usages.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting a password for authentication prior to the system recovery.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the one or more identifiers from the first system via the first interface or from a user, wherein the one or more identifiers include a model number and a serial number unique to the first system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a status, from the first system, which indicates the progress of the system recovery.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interface is a wired connection, wherein the second interface is a wireless connection in conjunction with a radio access technology.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the system recovery comprises a diagnostic process of the first system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the system recovery comprises writing a system image of the first system to recover the first system to an operational state.

12. A method comprising:

connecting, via a first interface, to a first device acting as a bootable storage device storing recovery data, wherein the recovery data are not stored on the first device initially at the time of the connection;

providing one or more identifiers to the first device, wherein the first device is operable to retrieve the recovery data from a remote server via an internet connection using a radio access technology;

receiving the recovery data from the first device via the first interface; and

performing system recovery based at least on the recovery data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising requesting user authentication prior to the system recovery.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the system recovery comprises performing a diagnostic process, erasing a system image on a non-volatile memory, or writing the system image.

15. A radio wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a first interface;

a radio module to support a second interface to communicate with a network in accordance with a radio access technology;

a control logic unit operable to connect, via a first interface, to a computing system to support system recovery for the computing system; and

memory coupled to the control logic unit,

wherein the control logic unit is operable to retrieve first remote data from the internet via the second interface, wherein the first remote data are stored temporarily on the memory.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is operable to emulate as a bootable storage device to the computing system and to retrieve, via the second interface, first remote data for the system recovery.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the control logic unit is operable to

erase first remote data used for the computing system;

and

retrieve second remote data from the internet for a second computing system, wherein the second remote data are not present in the memory prior to the first interface connected to the second computing system.