Providing remote software provisioning to machines

• US 8,930,512 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, HIEU T
• Application Number:
  US12/195,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20100050169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,329 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A provisioning server can generate a network boot emulator configured to provision software for target machines that may not support network booting. The provisioning server can be configured to build the network boot emulator in a format that is usable by target machines regardless of the software available on the target machines. The network boot emulator can include instructions necessary to locate and access software distributions, combine software distributions according to the templates or profiles in order to generate a software installation, and install the software installation on a target machine. The network boot emulator can also include instructions necessary to configure the software installation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

building, by a server, a network boot emulator that comprises instructions to locate a plurality of software distributions and a template, generate a software installation from the plurality of software distributions in view of the template, wherein the template comprises instructions for combining the software distributions, and install the software installation on a system hosting the network boot emulator;

providing the network boot emulator to a target system that is not supported by any network booting protocols via a network; and

provisioning, by a processor of the server, the plurality of software distributions to the target system without acquiring or maintaining resources or network infrastructure to support any network booting protocols, wherein the provisioning comprises;

virtualization or re-provisioning using a helper client running on the target system;

causing network provisioning of virtualized guests to be performed using the helper client; and

causing an existing system to be reinstalled by causing the helper client to request profile information from a remote boot server that has been configured with the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of a set of software distributions, a set of installation templates, or a set of installation profiles in view of a requirement specified by the target system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of a set of software distributions, a set of installation templates, or a set of installation profiles in view of an installation configuration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network boot emulator is built in a standard format accessible by different types of target systems.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network boot emulator is built as a disk image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network boot emulator further comprises instructions for configuring the software installation on the target system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network boot emulator is further built to comprise a portion of the plurality of software distributions.

8. A system comprising:

a network interface; and

a processor to;

build a network boot emulator that comprises instructions to locate a plurality of software distributions and a template, generate a software installation from the plurality of software distributions in view of the template, wherein the template comprises instructions for combining the software distributions, and install the software installation on a system hosting the network boot emulator;

provide, via the network interface, the network boot emulator to a target system that is not supported by any network booting protocols; and

provision the plurality of software distributions to the target system without acquiring or maintaining resources or network infrastructure to support any network booting protocols by;

virtualization or re-provisioning using a helper client running on the target system;

causing network provisioning of virtualized guests to be performed using the helper client; and

causing an existing system to be reinstalled by causing the helper client to request profile information from a remote boot server that has been configured with the server.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to select at least one of a set of software distributions, a set of installation templates, or a set of installation profiles in view of a requirement specified by the target system.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to select at least one of a set of software distributions, a set of installation templates, or a set of installation profiles in view of an installation configuration.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the network boot emulator is built in a standard format accessible by different types of target systems.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the network boot emulator is built as a disk image.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the network boot emulator further comprises instructions for configuring the software installation on the target system.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the network boot emulator is further built to comprise a portion of the plurality of software distributions.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium programmed to comprise instructions that, when executed by a processor of a server, cause the processor to:

build, by a server, a network boot emulator that comprises instructions to locate a plurality of software distributions and a template, generate a software installation from the plurality of software distributions in view of the template, wherein the template comprises instructions for combining the software distributions, and install the software installation on a system hosting the network boot emulator;

provide the network boot emulator to a target system that is not supported by any network booting protocols via a network; and

provision, by the server, the plurality of software distributions to the target system without acquiring or maintaining resources or network infrastructure to support any network booting protocols by;

virtualization or re-provisioning using a helper client running on the target system;

causing network provisioning of virtualized guests to be performed using the helper client; and

causing an existing system to be reinstalled by causing the helper client to request profile information from a remote boot server that has been configured with the server.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to select at least one of a set of software distributions, a set of installation templates, or a set of installation profiles based on a requirement specified by the target system.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to select at least one of a set of software distributions, a set of installation templates, or a set of installation profiles based on an installation configuration.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the network boot emulator is built in a standard format accessible by different types of target systems.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the network boot emulator is built as a disk image.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the network boot emulator further comprises instructions for configuring the software installation on the target system.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the network boot emulator is further built to include a portion of the plurality of software distributions.