Using task sequences to manage devices

• US 8,782,098 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Prabu, Munisamy, Gallop, Michael J., Pedrizetti, Raymond D., Steeb, Curt A., Xu, Zeyong, Sutton, Paul C., Holladay, Martin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SHEW FEN
• Application Number:
  US12/874,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20100333086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 707/804, 717/176, 717/177, 717/178, 709/222
• US Class Current: 707/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

Task sequences are used to manage devices. According to one aspect, a user-defined or user-selected task sequence is received. The task sequence is converted into an ordered series of steps, and the series of steps are performed, in accordance with their order, in managing a device over a network. In certain implementations, the ordered series of steps are steps for automatically deploying an operating system on the device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

causing deployment of a full operating system to multiple target devices by;

causing download of a deployment agent loader to each of the multiple target devices, the deployment agent loader configured to gather information regarding hardware components of each respective target device when executed at each respective target device;

receiving the information regarding the hardware components of each respective target device from the deployment agent loader;

dynamically generating a deployment agent that is designed for each respective target device based on the information regarding the hardware components of each respective target device, the deployment agent dynamically generated to include one or more device drivers that are configured to control one or more of the hardware components of each respective target device when executed at the respective target device;

causing download of the deployment agent to each of the multiple target devices;

causing download of the full operating system to each of the multiple target devices; and

transmitting a command to each respective target device to cause the deployment agent to reboot the respective target device into the full operating system, the causing download of the deployment agent to the multiple target devices performed asynchronously, and the causing download of the full operating system to the multiple target devices performed concurrently, wherein an amount of data transferred to each of the multiple target devices concurrently to cause download of the full operating system is larger than an amount of data transferred to each of the multiple target devices asynchronously to cause download of the deployment agent.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a secure connection with the deployment agent after causing download of the deployment agent to the multiple target devices; and

sending one or more preparation commands to the deployment agent to cause the deployment agent to prepare the multiple target devices for installation of the full operating system.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2, wherein the one or more preparation commands include at least one command to partition hard disks of the multiple target devices.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein causing download of the full operating system to the multiple target devices comprises causing copying of a full operating system image file to each respective target device, the full operating system image file containing files that constitute the full operating system that can be executed on the respective target device.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the deployment agent comprises a temporary operating system that contains functionality to enable the full operating system to be installed on the multiple target devices.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the multiple target devices is not equipped with an operating system prior to causing download of the deployment agent to the at least one target device.

7. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform a method comprising:

causing deployment of a full operating system to multiple target devices by;

dynamically building a deployment agent that is designed for each respective target device based on information regarding hardware components of the respective target device, the deployment agent including one or more device drivers that are configured to control one or more of the hardware components of the respective target device when executed at the respective target device;

causing download of the deployment agent to each of the multiple target devices asynchronously;

causing download of the full operating system to each of the multiple target devices at least partially concurrently; and

transmitting a command to each of the multiple target devices to cause the deployment agent to reboot each respective target device into the full operating system, wherein an amount of data transferred to each of the multiple target devices concurrently to cause download of the full operating system is larger than an amount of data transferred to each of the multiple target devices asynchronously to cause download of the deployment agent.

8. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein dynamically building the deployment agent further comprises:

causing download of a deployment agent loader to the multiple target devices, the deployment agent loader configured to gather the information regarding the hardware components of each respective target device when executed at the respective target device; and

receiving the information regarding the hardware components of the respective target device from the deployment agent loader.

9. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the one or more processors to perform a method further comprising:

establishing a secure connection with the deployment agent after causing download of the deployment agent to the multiple target devices; and

sending one or more preparation commands to the deployment agent to cause the deployment agent to prepare each respective target device for installation of the full operating system.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more preparation commands include at least one command to partition hard disks of the respective target device.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein causing download of the full operating system to the multiple target devices comprises causing copying of a full operating system image file to each respective target device, the full operating system image file containing files that constitute the full operating system that can be executed on the respective target device.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein the deployment agent comprises a temporary operating system that contains functionality to enable the full operating system to be installed on each respective target device.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein at least one of the multiple target devices is not equipped with an operating system prior to causing download of the deployment agent to the at least one target device.

14. A system comprising:

a processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform a method of causing deployment of a full operating system to multiple devices, the method comprising;

determining a hardware configuration of each of the multiple devices;

causing download of a deployment agent to each of the multiple devices asynchronously, the deployment agent comprising a temporary operating system that is designed for the hardware configuration of each of the multiple devices and includes one or more device drivers that are configured to control hardware components on the multiple devices that can be used to cause deployment of the full operating system on each of the multiple devices;

causing download of the full operating system to each of the multiple devices concurrently by causing copying of an operating system image file to each of the multiple devices; and

transmitting a command to each of the multiple devices to cause each of the multiple devices to reboot into the full operating system, wherein an amount of data transferred to each of the multiple target devices concurrently to cause download of the full operating system is larger than an amount of data transferred to each of the multiple target devices asynchronously to cause download of the deployment agent.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the deployment agent is dynamically built for each of the multiple devices based on the hardware configuration of each of the multiple devices.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein deployment agent is dynamically build for each of the multiple devices by:

causing download of a deployment agent loader to the multiple target devices, the deployment agent loader configured to gather the information regarding the hardware components of each respective target device when executed at the respective target device; and

receiving the information regarding the hardware components of the respective target device from the deployment agent loader.

17. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to perform a method further comprising:

establishing a secure connection with the deployment agent after causing download of the deployment agent to the multiple target devices; and

sending one or more preparation commands to the deployment agent to cause the deployment agent to prepare each respective target device for installation of the full operating system.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the one or more preparation commands include at least one command to partition hard disks of the respective target device.

19. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein causing download of the full operating system to the multiple target devices comprises causing copying of a full operating system image file to each respective target device, the full operating system image file containing files that constitute the full operating system that can be executed on the respective target device.