Systems and methods for internet recovery and service

• US 9,529,602 B1
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Limonciello, Mario Anthony, Swierk, Todd Erick, Andrews, Carlton A., Lo, Yuan-Chang, Seibert, Philip M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/805,670
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0706 the processing taking place on a specific hardware platform or in a specific software environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0646 Configuration or reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5005 to service a request

Abstract

Systems and methods for Internet recovery and service. In some embodiments, an Information Handling System (IHS) may comprise a processor and a Basic I/O System (BIOS) coupled to the processor, the BIOS having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the processor, cause the IHS to: transmit a request to a backend server for a service Operating System (OS), where the request includes an identification (ID) of the IHS that enables the backend server to select two or more of a plurality of service OS components; receive the selected service OS components over a network; assemble the selected service OS components into the service OS; and boot the service OS.

Claims

1. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

a processor; and

a Basic I/O System (BIOS) coupled to the processor, the BIOS having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the processor, cause the IHS to;

transmit a request to a backend server for a service Operating System (OS), wherein the request includes an identification (ID) of the IHS that enables the backend server to select two or more of a plurality of service OS components based on the ID, the service OS components including a service OS application configured to;

select one or more support-related operations among a plurality of support-related operations by estimating a duration of a download time for the selected service OS components;

receive the selected service OS components over a network;

assemble the selected service OS components into the service OS; and

boot the service OS.

2. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the IHS does not include a usable copy of the service OS in a local memory storage device.

3. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the IHS includes an older version of the service OS in a local memory storage device.

4. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the ID is stored in the BIOS.

5. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the ID uniquely identifies the IHS'"'"'s type, family, or version.

6. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the plurality of service OS components includes a given one of a plurality of bootloaders, and wherein the given bootloader is selected by the backend server based, at least in part, upon the ID.

7. The IHS of claim 6, wherein the plurality of service OS components includes a given one of a plurality of bootloader customizations, and wherein the given bootloader customization is selected by the backend server based, at least in part, upon the ID.

8. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the plurality of service OS components includes a given one of a plurality of driver packages, and wherein the given driver package is selected by the backend server based, at least in part, upon the ID.

9. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, upon execution by the processor, further cause the IHS to receive a manifest file from the backend server over the cloud, and wherein the manifest file includes a list of each of the selected service OS components.

10. The IHS of claim 9, wherein to receive the service OS components, the program instructions, upon execution by the processor, further cause the IHS to:

download each of the plurality of service OS components into the memory in a layered fashion; and

assemble the downloaded service OS components into the service OS in the memory.

11. The HIS of claim 1, wherein the downloaded service OS components include a service OS application, and wherein the service OS application is configured to, upon execution by the IHS, enable a user to perform one or more support-related operations while at least one other service OS component is being downloaded.

12. The IHS of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, upon execution by the processor, further cause the IHS to:

transmit another request to the backend server, wherein the request includes the ID of the IHS; and

receive another service OS over the cloud, wherein the other service OS includes one or more service OS components distinct from corresponding components in the service OS.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a request at a backend server for a service Operating System (OS), wherein the request includes an identification (ID) of an Information Handling System (IHS);

selecting, by the backend server, two or more of a plurality of service OS components based upon the ID, wherein the plurality of service OS components includes a given one of a plurality of bootloaders, a given one of a plurality of driver packages, and a given one of a plurality of service OS applications, wherein the given bootloader, driver package, and service OS application are each selected based upon the ID, and wherein the given service OS application is configured to select one or more support-related operations among a plurality of support-related operations by estimating a duration of a download time for other service OS components; and

providing, by the backend server to the IHS, a manifest file that includes a list of each of the selected service OS components, wherein the IHS is configured to;

retrieve the selected service OS components, assemble the selected service OS components into the service OS, and boot the service OS.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of service OS components includes a given one of a plurality of bootloaders, a given one of a plurality of driver packages, and a given one of a plurality of service OS applications, and wherein the given bootloader, driver package, and service OS application are each selected based upon the ID.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the given service OS application is configured to, upon execution by the IHS, enable a user to perform one or more support-related operations while at least one other service OS component is being downloaded.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the given service OS application is configured to alert a user when all service OS components are downloaded.

17. A memory device having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by an Information Handling System (IHS), cause the IHS to:

receive a request for a service Operating System (OS), wherein the request includes an identification (ID) of a malfunctioning IHS;

select service OS components based on the ID, the service OS components including;

a bootloader, a driver package, and a service OS application configured to;

(a) select one or more support-related operations among a plurality of support-related operations by estimating a duration of a download time for the selected service OS components, and (b) alert a user when all service OS components are downloaded; and

provide, to the malfunctioning IHS, a manifest file that includes a list of the selected service OS components, wherein the malfunctioning IHS is configured to;

retrieve the listed service OS components, assemble the selected service OS components into the service OS, and boot the service OS.