Generating reverse installation file for network restoration

• US 9,940,208 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• 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, Likins, Adrian Karstan, Vidal, Seth Kelby
• Primary Examiner(s): MACILWINEN, JOHN MOORE JAIN
• Application Number:
  US12/395,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,329 Days
• Field of Search: 709221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1482 by means of middleware or OS functionality

Abstract

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for generating a reverse installation file for network restoration. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or servers, can be managed by a network management engine communicating with the machines via a secure channel. The network management engine can scan the managed network for kickstart, or provisioning answer files, that were used to install software to network nodes at a prior time. The network management engine can access the original kickstart file, and update that file to reflect a current state of the associated machine by inserting user-supplied updates, storage configuration updates, security credentials, and/or other data. Upon a crash or other malfunction of the associated machine, the network management platform can access the reverse kickstart file and generate a restoration of that node to a current state from the reverse kickstart data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing an original installation automation file used to generate a provisioning installation on a target;

accessing, by a processing device, a package management tool to identify one or more files installed on the target using the original installation automation file that have been modified;

embedding a copy of each of the one or more files that have been modified in a reverse installation automation file, the reverse installation automation file to re-install software resources on the target in the event of a malfunction;

inserting at least one of a path, a command, or a key associated with a file not controlled by the package management tool into the reverse installation automation file, wherein the file not controlled by the package management tool is stored in a backup storage system;

associating a set of security credentials comprising an authorized key for the target with the reverse installation automation file by embedding the set of security credentials in the reverse installation automation file, the authorized key corresponding to another machine which is authorized to access the target; and

storing the reverse installation automation file on a machine that is not the target.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the set of security credentials by storing the set of security credentials to a backup system along with a set of commands to extract the set of security credentials from the backup system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a storage section by generating a storage section representing a network mounted file system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a recovery process to re-install software on the at least one target using the reverse installation automation file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating additional files not managed by a package management tool with the reverse installation automation file.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the installation automation file comprises a kickstart file and the reverse installation automation file comprises a reverse kickstart file.

6. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processing device operatively coupled to the memory, the processing device to;

access a package management tool to identify one or more files installed on a target device in a managed network using the original installation automation file that have been modified;

embed a copy of each of the one or more files that have been modified in a reverse installation automation file, the reverse installation automation file to re-install software resources on the target in the event of a malfunction;

insert at least one of a path, a command, or a key associated with a file not controlled by the package management tool into the reverse installation automation file, wherein the file not controlled by the package management tool is stored in a backup storage system;

embed a set of security credentials comprising an authorized key for the target in the reverse installation automation file to associate the set of security credentials with the reverse installation automation file, the authorized key corresponding to another machine which is authorized to access the target; and

store the reverse installation automation file on a machine that is not the target.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further to associate the set of security credentials by storing the set of security credentials to a backup system along with a set of commands to extract the set of security credentials from the backup system.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further to generate a storage section by generating a storage section representing a network mounted file system.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further to initiate a recovery process to re-install software on the at least one target using the reverse installation automation file.

10. The network management platform of claim 6, wherein the installation automation file comprises a kickstart file and the reverse installation automation file comprises a reverse kickstart file.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further to associate additional files not managed by a package management tool with the reverse installation automation file.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions, that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

access, by the processing device, a package management tool to identify one or more files installed on the target using an original installation automation file that have been modified;

embed a copy of each of the one or more files that have been modified in a reverse installation automation file, the reverse installation automation file to re-install software resources on the target in the event of a malfunction;

insert at least one of a path, a command, or a key associated with a file not controlled by the package management tool into the reverse installation automation file, wherein the file not controlled by the package management tool is stored in a backup storage system;

embed a set of security credentials comprising an authorized key for the target in the reverse installation automation file to associate the set of security credentials with the reverse installation automation file, the authorized key corresponding to another machine which is authorized to access the target; and

store the reverse installation automation file on a machine that is not the target.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processing device to associate the set of security credentials by storing the set of security credentials to a backup system along with a set of commands to extract the set of security credentials from the backup system.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processing device to generate a storage section by generating a storage section representing a network mounted file system.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the installation automation file comprises a kickstart file and the reverse installation automation file comprises a reverse kickstart file.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processing device to associate additional files not managed by a package management tool with the reverse installation automation file.