Method and system for modularizing windows imaging format

• US 8,051,111 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartdeploy LLC
• Original Assignee: Prowess Consulting, LLC
• Inventors: Noonan, Donal Charles III
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rayyan; Susan F
• Application Number:
  US12/023,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 707/640, 707/621, 707/793, 707/821
• US Class Current: 707/821
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

A method and system may include capturing a computer system in a file-based manner that promotes single-instancing of files and thus prevents the occurrence of duplicate files, separating the captured computer system into primary file resources and ancillary file resources, and creating a parent image and a child image that refers to the parent image. The method and system may further include writing the primary file resources on the parent image, and writing the ancillary file resources onto the child image. The child image may include a resource-only file and a metadata-only file which provides instructions on how to recreate the file resources stored in the parent image and the child image.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating portable distribution of a virtualized computer system and software by storing and distributing virtualized computer images in a parent-child relationship, comprising:

capturing a computer system in a file-based manner such that duplicate files are not stored in the virtualized computer system and software;

segregating the captured computer system into primary file resources and ancillary file resources based on at least predetermined parameters, wherein segregating based on predetermined parameters comprises identifying at least one of operating system file resources and database management system file resources as primary file resources and identifying other software file resources as ancillary file resources, wherein the predetermined parameters for segregation are from a graphical user interface (GUI) module, an image modularization module, or a combination thereof;

creating a parent image and at least one child image, wherein the child image refers to the parent image and wherein the parent image and child image are configured to represent multiple images or machines;

storing the primary file resources onto a parent image; and

storing the ancillary file resources into the at least one child image which refers to the parent image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the parent image is read-only.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the parent image is an operating system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the parent image is a database management system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtualized computer system comprises one or more virtual machines.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one child image comprises a resource-only file and a metadata-only file.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the resource-only file of the at least one child image initially contains no bytes.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein subsequent updates to the parent image are stored in the at least one child image.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the metadata-only file comprises instructions on recreating the image.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the parent and the at least one child image are distributed to the end user for deployment.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the parent image is distributed on a disk.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the parent image is hosted on a server.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the at least one child image is made available for download.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtualized computer system is a combined image representing two or more images.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code which when executed on a computer processor performs the method of claim 1.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein segregating the captured system into primary file resources and ancillary file resources is further based on different criteria, wherein segregating based on different criteria comprises identifying file resources that are common to multiple machines as primary file resources and identifying unique file resources as ancillary file resources.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein segregating the captured system into primary file resources and ancillary file resources is further based on initial capture, wherein segregating based on initial capture comprises identifying all single-instanced file resources of an initial capture of a computer system as primary file resources and identifying at least one of resource-only file resources and update resource files as ancillary file resources.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein creating the parent image and the at least one child image further comprising daisy-chaining one or more additional child images.

19. A system comprising:

at least one data storage unit; and

at least one computer processor communicatively coupled to the at least one data storage unit, the at least one computer process comprising;

a capture module component configured to capture a computer system in a file-based manner such that duplicate files are not captured in the virtualized computer system and software;

a file size allocation module component configured to segregate the captured system into primary file resources and ancillary file resources based on at least predetermined parameters, wherein segregating based on predetermined parameters comprises identifying at least one of operating system file resources and database management system file resources as primary file resources and identifying other software file resources as ancillary file resources, wherein the predetermined parameters for segregation are from a graphical user interface (GUI) module, an image modularization module, or a combination thereof; and

a parent creation module component configured to create a parent image and a child creation module configured to create at least one child image, wherein the parent image and the at least one child image are configured to represent multiple images or machines and wherein a metadata-only file is included as part of the child image;

wherein the parent creation module component is configured to write primary file resources onto a parent image;

wherein the child creation module component is configured to write ancillary file resources into one or more child images which refer to the parent image and to create a metadata-only file; and

wherein the metadata-only file comprises instructions on how to recreate the captured system.

20. A system for facilitating portable distribution of virtualized computer systems and software by storing and distributing virtualized computer images in a parent/child relationship, comprising:

a data storage unit;

a computer communicatively coupled to the at least one data storage unit, the computer comprising an image modularization module configured to;

capture two or more machines in a file-based manner that eliminates the existence of duplicate files and produces file resource data that represents a combination of the two or more machines in the virtualized computer systems and software;

process the file resource data to segregate the file resource data into file resource data that is common to the two or more machines and file resource data that is not common to the two or more machines;

create a parent image for storing the common file resource data;

create two or more child images, wherein the child images comprise file resources wherein each of the two or more child images corresponds to one of the two or more machines;

for each of the two or more machines, store the file resources of that machine that are not common to two or more machines in the at least one child image that corresponds to the machine;

wherein the child image refers to the parent image;

wherein each machine is configured to be deployed upon reference to the parent image and child image.

21. A method for facilitating portable distribution of virtualized computer systems and software by storing and distributing computer images in a parent-child relationship, comprising:

capturing two or more machines in a file-based manner that eliminates the existence of duplicate files and produces file resource data that represents a combination of the two or more machines in the virtualized computer systems and software;

processing the file resource data to segregate the file resource data into file resource data that is common to the two or more machines and file resource data that is not common to the two or more machines;

creating a parent image for storing the common file resource data;

creating two or more child images, wherein the child images comprise file resources wherein each of the two or more child images corresponds to one of the two or more machines;

for each of the two or more machines, storing the file resources of that machine that are not common to two or more machines in the at least one child image that corresponds to the machine;

wherein the child image refers to the parent image;

wherein each machine is configured to be deployed upon reference to the parent image and child image.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the machine is a virtual machine.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the machine is a physical machine.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the machine is a collection of software.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

receiving subsequent updates to the two or more machines;

creating additional child images for each of the two or more machines only to the extent that the combined image of the machine is modified by the update.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the parent image is split along a predetermined boundary into a plurality of parent files.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving supplemental information which is configured to provide one or more updates to the one or more machines.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the additional data that is unique to the data already represented by the parent image and child image is stored in an additional child file which refers to the at least one existing child file.