Remote management of boot application

• US 8,862,709 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cromer, Daryl Carvis, Dayan, Richard Alan, Freeman, Joseph Wayne, Goodman, Steven Dale, Kern, Eric Richard, Locker, Howard Jeffrey, Springfield, Randall Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, O. C.
• Application Number:
  US11/955,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20080155075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,497 Days
• Field of Search: 709/222
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4408 Boot device selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB

Abstract

Systems and arrangements for remotely selecting a bootable image via a WOL packet for a wake-on-LAN (WOL) capable computer are contemplated. Server-side embodiments include hardware and/or software for determining a client to be managed, determining whether the client is active on the network, and transmitting a WOL packet having a vector, or operating system partition identification (OSPID), to describe a bootable image accessible by the WOL capable computer. Some embodiments may include an OSPID that points to a secure bootable image such as a bootable image on a hard drive, a compact disk (CD) connected to the computer, or other local resource. Client-side embodiments may receive the WOL packet at, for instance, a network interface card (NIC), recognize that the WOL packet includes an OSPID that describes the bootable image to boot, and implement an alternative boot sequence to boot from that bootable image.

Claims

1. A client computing device for booting via a bootable image, the client computing device comprising:

a memory implemented in the client computing device and storing therein a plurality of bootable images, each bootable image having machine-executable instructions for booting the client computing device;

a packet parser implemented on the client computing device to identify a partition identification associated with a bootable image in a wake-on-LAN packet to be received by the client computing device from a network, wherein the partition identification refers to a location of the bootable image within the memory of the client computing device, the bootable image to be one of the plurality of bootable images within the memory, wherein the partition identification associated with the bootable image in the wake-on-LAN packet specifies the location as a real or logical address pointer for the bootable image within a local resource of the client computing device;

partition identification logic implemented on the client computing device and being coupled with the packet parser to store the partition identification in a memory location, the memory location to maintain the partition identification to instruct the boot manager to boot via the bootable image stored within the memory of the client computing device; and

pre-boot logic implemented on the client computing device to implement an alternative boot sequence of booting from a default bootable image to boot from the bootable image at the location within the memory of the client computing device in response to the presence of the partition identification in the memory location, and to execute software to determine the trustworthiness of a software application on a maintenance server prior to executing the software application, the pre-boot logic to scan the memory location to determine the presence of the partition identification and to instruct a boot manager to boot via the bootable image in response to the presence of the partition identification.

2. The client computing device of claim 1, further comprising a packet authenticator to authenticate the wake-on-LAN packet.

3. The client computing device of claim 2, wherein the packet authenticator is designed to decrypt the wake-on-LAN packet with a private key.

4. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the packet parser is configured to parse the wake-on-LAN packet to identify the partition identification.

5. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein the packet parser is configured to identify an extension attached to the wake-on-LAN packet as the partition identification.

6. The of claim 1, wherein the partition identification logic is configured to store the partition identification in non-volatile memory.

7. The client computing device of claim 1, wherein;

the partition identification associated with the bootable image in the wake-on-LAN packet constitutes an operating system partition identification of the bootable image; and

the pre-boot logic is to boot from the bootable image, wherein the operating system partition identification identifies the bootable image.

8. A method for booting a client computing device via a bootable image, the method comprising:

identifying, by the client computing device, a partition identification associated with the bootable image in a wake-on-LAN packet received by the client computing device from a network, wherein the partition identification refers to a location of the bootable image in a memory of the client computing device, the bootable image being one of a plurality of bootable images in the memory of the client computing device and further comprising machine-executable instructions for booting the client computing device, wherein the partition identification associated with the bootable image in the wake-on-LAN packet specifies the location as a real or logical address pointer for the bootable image within a local resource of the client computing device;

storing, by the client computing device, the partition identification in a memory location of the client computing device, the memory location to maintain the partition identification to instruct a boot manager of the client computing device to boot via the bootable image;

scanning, by the client computing device, the memory location to determine the presence of the partition identification; and

booting, by the client computing device, via the bootable image at the location within the memory of the client computing device, as an alternative boot sequence of booting from a default bootable image, in response to the presence, in the memory location, of the partition identification, and to execute software to determine the trustworthiness of a software application on a maintenance server prior to executing the software application.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising authenticating the wake-on-LAN packet.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein authenticating the wake-on-LAN packet comprises decrypting the wake-on-LAN packet with a private key.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the partition identification comprises parsing the wake-on-LAN packet to identify the partition identification.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the partition identification comprises identifying an extension attached to the wake-on-LAN packet as the partition identification.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein booting comprises loading the bootable image from a PARTIES partition.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein booting comprises identifying a parameter associated with the partition identification as a post-boot instruction.

15. A computer program product for booting a client computing device, 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 identify, by the client computing device, a partition identification associated with a bootable image in a wake-on-LAN packet received by the client computing device from a network, wherein the partition identification refers to a location within the client computing device of the bootable image, the bootable image being one of a plurality of bootable images stored in one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices of the client computing device and further comprising machine-executable instructions for booting the client computing device, wherein the partition identification associated with the bootable image in the wake-on-LAN packet specifies the location as a real or logical address pointer for the bootable image within a local resource of the client computing device;

store, by the client computing device, the partition identification in a memory location of the client computing device, the memory location to maintain the partition identification to instruct the boot manager to boot via the bootable image;

scanning, by the client computing device, the memory location of the client computing device to determine the presence of the partition identification; and

booting, by the client computing device, via the bootable image at the location of the bootable image within the one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices of the client computing device, as an alternative boot sequence of booting from a default bootable image in response to the presence, in the memory location, of the partition identification, and to execute software to determine the trustworthiness of a software application on a maintenance server prior to executing the software application.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to authenticate the wake-on-LAN packet.

17. The tangible, machine-accessible storage medium of claim 15, wherein the program instructions to boot load the bootable image from a hidden partition.

18. The client computing device of claim 15, wherein the partition identification associated with the bootable image in the wake-on-LAN packet contains a real or logical address of the bootable image.