Peer-assisted deployment of resources in a network

• US 9,699,108 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2016
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Popli, Sumit, Shah, Jigar
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khurshid, Zia
• Application Number:
  US15/047,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 709226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

In particular embodiments, a server computing device receives one or more inputs specifying a software module and one or more portions of a network. Each of the portions of the network includes multiple client devices. For each of the client devices in a portion of the network, the server computing device determines whether the client device meets one or more criteria. For at least one portion of the network having a client device meeting the one or more criteria, the server computing device selects the client device as a master device and provides the software module to the master device. The master device is operable to download the software module from one or more server computing devices, provide the software module to the other client devices in the portion of the network, and provide status information to the server computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

managing by a device manager deployment of one or more resources from a repository;

for each of one or more portions of a network, for each of a plurality of client devices in the one or more portions of the network, determining whether one or more of the plurality of client devices meets one or more criteria;

storing the one or more of the plurality of client devices that meet the one or more criteria as one or more candidate devices in a list;

selecting at least one of the one or more candidate devices from the list as a master device for the one or more portions of the network;

converting the master device to a designated repository, wherein the designated repository is associated with a designated portion of the one or more portions of the network;

receiving a notification from the designated repository after completion of the conversion of the master device to the designated repository;

assigning up to a threshold of the plurality of client devices that are not the master device to the designated repository;

downloading at least one of the one or more resources to the designated repository;

notifying the assigned client devices that the at least one of the one or more resources is accessible;

receiving a connection notification for the assigned client devices that successfully connected to the designated repository;

imaging at least one of the assigned client devices with the at least one of the one or more resources;

receiving status information associated with imaging of the at least one of the one or more resources at the at least one assigned client devices;

selecting by the device manager at least one of the one or more assigned client devices based on the status information as a new master device, wherein the status information indicates if imaging was successful; and

instructing by the device manager at least one of the one or more assigned client devices that has yet to be successfully imaged as indicated by the status information to obtain the at least one of the one or more resources from the new master device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources are selected via a graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more resources comprises one or more of the following:

an operating system;

an image;

an add-on;

or

an update.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one of the one or more resources comprises an image or an operating system;

the designated repository is currently running the operating system or the image; and

the designated repository is operable to provide the operating system or the image to any one or more assigned client devices by copying the running operating system or the image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions of the network comprise one or more subnets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions of the network comprise one or more sites.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigned client devices comprise thin client devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria include one or more of:

a network bandwidth capability;

a number of missed check-ins with the server computing device;

an amount of available storage;

or

an amount of available processing capacity.

9. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

manage by a device manager deployment of one or more resources from a repository;

for each of one or more portions of a network, for each of a plurality of client devices in the one or more portions of the network, determine whether one or more of the plurality of client devices meets one or more criteria;

store the one or more of the plurality of client devices that meet the one or more criteria as one or more candidate devices in a list;

select at least one of the one or more candidate devices from the list as a master device for the one or more portions of the network;

convert the master device to a designated repository, wherein the designated repository is associated with a designated portion of the one or more portions of the network;

receive a notification from the designated repository after completion of the conversion of the master device to the designated repository;

assign up to a threshold of the plurality of client devices that are not the master device to the designated repository;

download at least one of the one or more resources to the designated repository;

notify the assigned client devices that the at least one of the one or more resources is accessible;

receive a connection notification for the assigned client devices that successfully connected to the designated repository;

image at least one of the assigned client devices with the at least one of the one or more resources;

receive status information associated with imaging of the at least one of the one or more resources at the at least one of the assigned client devices;

select by the device manager at least one of the one or more assigned client devices based on the status information as a new master device, wherein the status information indicates if imaging was successful; and

instruct by the device manager at least one of the one or more assigned client devices that has yet to be successfully imaged as indicated by the status information to obtain the at least one of the one or more resources from the new master device.

10. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the one or more resources are selected via a graphical user interface.

11. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the at least one of the one or more resources comprises one or more of the following:

an operating system;

an image;

an add-on;

or

an update.

12. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein:

the at least one of the one or more resources comprises an image or an operating system;

the designated repository is currently running the operating system or the image; and

the designated repository is operable to provide the operating system or the image to any one or more assigned client devices by copying the running operating system or the image.

13. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the one or more portions of the network comprise one or more subnets.

14. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the one or more portions of the network comprise one or more sites.

15. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the assigned client devices comprise thin client devices.

16. The information handling system of claim 9, wherein the criteria include one or more of:

a network bandwidth capability;

a number of missed check-ins with the server computing device;

an amount of available storage;

or

an amount of available processing capacity.

17. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

manage by a device manager deployment of one or more resources from a repository;

for each of one or more portions of a network, for each of a plurality of client devices in the one or more portions of the network, determine whether one or more of the plurality of client devices meets one or more criteria;

store the one or more of the plurality of client devices that meet the one or more criteria as one or more candidate devices in a list;

select at least one of the one or more candidate devices from the list as a master device for the one or more portions of the network;

convert the master device to a designated repository, wherein the designated repository is associated with a designated portion of the one or more portions of the network;

receive a notification from the designated repository after completion of the conversion of the master device to the designated repository;

assign up to a threshold of the plurality of client devices that are not the master device to the designated repository;

download at least one of the one or more resources to the designated repository;

notify the assigned client devices that the at least one of the one or more resources is accessible;

receive a connection notification for the assigned client devices that successfully connected to the designated repository;

image at least one of the assigned client devices with the at least one of the one or more resources;

receive status information associated with imaging of the at least one of the one or more resources at the at least one of the assigned client devices;

select by the device manager at least one of the one or more assigned client devices based on the status information as a new master device, wherein the status information indicates if imaging was successful; and

instruct by the device manager at least one of the one or more assigned client devices that has yet to be successfully imaged as indicated by the status information to obtain the at least one of the one or more resources from the new master device.

18. The information handling system of claim 17, wherein the one or more resources are selected via a graphical user interface.

19. The information handling system of claim 17, wherein the at least one of the one or more resources comprises one or more of the following:

an operating system;

an image;

an add-on;

or

an update.

20. The information handling system of claim 17, wherein:

the at least one of the one or more resources comprises an image or an operating system;

the designated repository is currently running the operating system or the image; and

the designated repository is operable to provide the operating system or the image to any one or more assigned client devices by copying the running operating system or the image.