System, method, and medium for configuring client computers to operate disconnected from a server computer while using a master instance of the operating system

• US 20060080385A1
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Pennington, Havoc, Stevens, Brian, Nickell, Seth Aaron, Larsson, Alexander Tobias, McLoughlin, Mark Brian, Blandford, Jonathan Richard, Malcolm, David Hugh, Dennis, John Ross, Taylor, Owen Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A computer system comprises a server. The server, in turn, comprises one or more master instances of an operating system (OS). The OS comprises a set of computer program files to operate a computer. The server also includes a version-managing program maintaining the one or more master operating systems. The computer system also includes a number of client computers each of which is configured to operate using one of the one or more master operating systems as read-only files.

Claims

1. A server computer in a computer system, comprising:

a master operating system (OS) comprising a set of computer program files and at least one configuration file to operate a client computer;

a version managing program maintaining the master OS; and

a server program configured to transfer the master OS as read-only files to at least one of a plurality of client computers.

2. The server computer of claim 1, further comprising:

a first interface program allowing at least one file of the master OS to be modified, wherein the version managing program is further configured to maintain the at least one modified file and an original of the at least one modified file.

3. The server computer of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one more master OS; and

a mapping program configured to assign one of the master OS and the at least one more master OS to the at least one of the plurality of the client computers.

4. The server computer of claim 1, further comprising:

a removable mass storage device configured to write the master OS on to a removable storage medium.

5. The server computer of claim 1, further comprising:

a data management program that stores user information for one or more users, wherein the user information comprises information about one or more computers being used by each user and user data for each of the one or more computers.

6. The server computer of claim 5, further comprising:

a second user interface program coupled to the data management program, wherein the second user interface program allows a user to download the corresponding user information and user data to a new computer.

7. A computer system, comprising:

a server computer comprising;

at least one master operating system (OS), comprising a set of computer program files and at least one configuration file to operate a computer, and

a version managing program maintaining the at least one master OS;

a plurality of client computers each of which is configured to operate using a designated one of the at least one master OS as read-only files.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the server computer further comprises a removable mass storage device that writes the at least one master OS on to a removable storage medium

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of the client computers includes a local storage in which the designated master OS is cached.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein, each time one of the plurality of client computers is newly connected to the server computer, the client computer uses the designated master OS located on the server computer rather than a previously cached master OS.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein each client computer is configured to cache a difference between the designated master OS for that client computer located on the server computer and a previous version of the designated master OS.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein each client computer is configured to cache the designated master OS in its entirety.

13. The computer system of claim 7, the server computer further comprising:

a data management program that stores user information for one or more users, wherein the user information comprises information about one or more computers being used by each user and user data for each of the one or more computers.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of client computers further comprises:

a user interface program coupled to the data management program, wherein the user interface program allows a user to transfer stored user information and user data for one of the computers to a new computer.

15. A computer assisted method comprising the acts of:

creating a master operating system (OS) comprising a set of computer program files and at least one configuration file to operate a computer;

maintaining the master OS; and

transferring the master OS as read-only files to one of a plurality of client computers.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the acts of:

allowing at least one file of the master OS to be modified; and

maintaining the at least one modified file and an original of the at least one modified file.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the acts of:

creating at least one more master OS; and

assigning one of the master OS and the at least one more master OS to the one of the plurality of the client computers.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the act of:

caching the assigned master OS to the one of the plurality of the client computers.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the act of:

caching the master OS to at least one of the plurality of the client computers.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the act of:

caching a difference between the master OS and a previously cached master OS on the one of the plurality of the client computers.

21. A computer program product, residing on a computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer instructions to:

create a master operating system (OS) comprising a set of computer program files and at least one configuration file to operate a computer;

maintain the master OS; and

transfer the master OS as read-only files to one of a plurality of client computers.

22. The product of claim 21, further comprising computer instructions to:

allow at least one file of the master OS to be modified; and

maintain the at least one modified file and an original of the at least one modified file.

23. The product of claim 21, further comprising computer instructions to:

create at least one more master OS; and

assign one of the master OS and the at least one more master OS to the one of the plurality of the client computers.

24. The product of claim 23, further comprising computer instructions to:

cache the assigned master OS to the one of the plurality of the client computers.

25. The product of claim 21, further comprising computer instructions to:

cache the master OS to at least one of the plurality of the client computers.

26. The product of claim 21, further comprising computer instructions to:

cache a difference between the master OS and a previously cached master OS on the one of the plurality of the client computers.