Method and apparatus for administering the operating system of a net-booted environment

• US 20060259596A1
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Birse, Cameron Stuart, Stattenfield, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for supplying a reliable and maintainable operating system in a net-booted environment. According to one embodiment, a network computer (NC) system including an NC server and multiple NC clients is managed by an NC client causing the remainder of the NC clients that are subsequently booted to receive operating system software that is configured differently than that currently in effect by replacing one or more system volumes on the NC server containing the operating system software with one or more different system volumes.

Claims

1. A method of managing a network computer (NC) system including an NC server and a plurality of NC clients, the method comprising an NC client of the plurality of NC clients causing those of the plurality of NC clients that are subsequently booted to receive operating system software that is configured differently than that currently in effect by replacing one or more system volumes on the NC server containing the operating system software with one or more different system volumes.

2. A method of managing a network computer (NC) system including an NC server and a plurality of NC clients, the method comprising:

an NC client of the plurality of NC clients causing a working copy of one or more system volumes on the NC server to be created by copying the one or more system volumes to a storage area separate from the location of the one or more system volumes, the one or more system volumes containing operating system software that is utilized by each of the plurality of NC clients;

the NC client causing those of the NC clients of the plurality of NC clients that are subsequently booted to utilize an altered operating system by modifying the working copy and replacing the one or more system volumes with the working copy.

3. A method of managing a network computer (NC) system, the method comprising:

an NC client booting from a boot image provided by an NC server, the boot image including information identifying the location of one or more system volumes on the NC server, the one or more system volumes containing operating system software;

creating a working copy of the one or more system volumes by copying the one or more system volumes to a storage area separate from the location of the one or more system volumes;

changing the operating system software supplied by the NC server to subsequently booted NC clients by modifying the working copy and replacing the one or more system volumes with the working copy.