Systems and methods for live operating system upgrades of inline cloud servers

• US 9,569,195 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2014
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zscaler Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zscaler Incorporated
• Inventors: Schekochikhin, Arcady, Devarajan, Srikanth
• Primary Examiner(s): DU, THUAN N
• Application Number:
  US14/276,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20150331692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 713/2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

An upgrade method for a Unix or Unix-like operating system, a server, and a cloud-based system include operating a server with an old operating system with a partition structure for media, wherein the partition structure includes a root partition and a usr partition; copying media to the root partition and the usr partition associated with a new operating system while the old operating system is operating; rebooting the server with the new operating system set to load; and subsequent to the rebooting, making the root partition persistent using memory and the usr partition persistent using a NULL file system.

Claims

1. An upgrade method for an operating system, comprising:

operating server with an old operating system with a partition structure for media, wherein the partition structure comprises a root partition with the old operating system and an usr partition, wherein the operating system only resides in the root partition;

copying media to the root partition and the usr partition associated with a new operating system while the old operating system is operating in the root partition;

rebooting the server with the new operating system set to load from the root partition; and

subsequent to the rebooting, making the root partition persistent using memory and the usr partition persistent using a NULL file system,

wherein the old operating system and the new operating system reside in the root partition together.

2. The upgrade method of claim 1, further comprising:

copying the media comprising a new kernel and build associated with the new operating system to the root partition.

3. The upgrade method of claim 1, further comprising:

copying the media comprising a new file tree for the usr partition.

4. The upgrade method of claim 1, further comprising:

copying the media comprising a local config file that is executed at the rebooting to load the new operating system.

5. The upgrade method of claim 4, further comprising:

modifying the local config file to load the old operating system at another reboot.

6. The upgrade method of claim 1, wherein the partition structure further comprises a swap partition, a tmp partition, and a var partition, and the method further comprising:

mounting the swap partition, the tmp partition, and the var partition subsequent to the rebooting and operating with the new operating system.

7. The upgrade method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a migration script on the server to;

create a root file system for the server with device-specific information;

install a new kernel for the new operating system in parallel with a kernel for the old operating system; and

unroll a new usr partition directory tree.

8. A server, comprising:

a network interface;

a data store;

a processor communicatively coupled to the network interface and the data store;

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

operate an old operating system with a partition structure for the data store, wherein the partition structure comprises a root partition with the old operating system and an user partition, wherein an operating system only resides in the root partition;

copy media to the root partition and the usr partition associated with a new operating system while the old operating system is operating in the root partition;

reboot with the new operating system set to load from the root partition; and

subsequent to the reboot, make the root partition persistent using the memory and the usr partition persistent using a NULL file system,

wherein the old operating system and the new operating system reside in the root partition together.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the memory storing the instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

copy the media comprising a new kernel and build associated with the new operating system to the root partition.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the memory storing the instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

copy the media comprising a new file tree for the usr partition.

11. The server of claim 8, wherein the memory storing the instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

copy the media comprising a local config file that is executed at the rebooting to load the new operating system.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the memory storing the instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

modify the local config file to load the old operating system at another reboot.

13. The server of claim 8, wherein the partition structure further comprises a swap partition, a tmp partition, and a var partition, and wherein the memory storing the instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

mount the swap partition, the tmp partition, and the var partition subsequent to the reboot and operate with the new operating system.

14. The server of claim 8, wherein the memory storing the instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

execute a migration script on the server to;

create a root file system for the server with device-specific information;

install a new kernel for the new operating system in parallel with a kernel for the old operating system; and

unroll a new usr partition directory tree.

15. A cloud-based system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes communicatively coupled to one or more users, wherein the plurality of nodes each perform inline monitoring for one of the one or more users for security;

wherein the plurality of nodes operate an operating system;

wherein each of the plurality of nodes comprises;

a network interface communicatively coupled to the one or more users;

a data store;

a processor communicatively coupled to the network interface and the data store;

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

operate an old operating system with a partition structure for the data store, wherein the partition structure comprises a root partition with the old operating system and an usr partition, wherein an operating system only resides in the root partition;

copy media to the root partition and the usr partition associated with a new operating system while the old operating system is operating in the root partition;

reboot with the new operating system set to load from the root partition; and

subsequent to the reboot, make the root partition persistent using the memory and the usr partition persistent using a NULL file system,

wherein the old operating system and the new operating system reside in the root partition together.

16. The cloud-based system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of nodes are upgraded concurrently.