US 10,884,763 B2Granted

Loading new code in the initial program load path to reduce system restarts

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsPhilip M. Albu, Robert Miller, Kiswanto Thayib, Aaron T. Albertson

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Abstract

Method and apparatus for loading new code in the initial program load (IPL) path to reduce system restarts may be provided by receiving a new component for an operating system (OS) running on a computing device; identifying a given component of the OS that is currently running as corresponding to the new component; updating a header of the given component to indicate that the given component is to-be-updated a filepath for the new component; upon initializing the operating system during a subsequent boot of the computing device, checking the header of the given component when loading the given component from an IPL path for the OS to determine that the given component is to-be-updated, and in response: loading the new component into the IPL path according to the filepath within the header of the given component; removing the given component from the IPL path; and executing the new component.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving a new version for an existing version a given software component of an operating system running on a computing device;
identifying the existing version of the given software component of the operating system that is currently running as corresponding to the new version of the given software component;
changing existing values within a pre-existing header of the given software component of the operating system to update:
a status of the given software component of the operating system as to-be-updated;
and
a filepath for the given software component of the operating system from the existing version to the new version;
upon initializing the operating system during a subsequent boot of the computing device, checking the pre-existing header of the given software component of the operating system when loading the given software component of the operating system from an initial program load (IPL) path for the operating system to determine that the status of the given software component of the operating system indicates that the given software component of the operating system is to-be-updated, and in response:
loading the new version of the given software component of the operating system into the IPL path according to the filepath within the pre-existing header of the given software component of the operating system instead of loading the existing version of the given software component of the operating system;
removing the existing version of the given software component of the operating system from the IPL path;
and
executing the new version of the given software component of the operating system.

8 more elements

A system, comprising:

a processor;
and
a memory, including instructions for an operating system and for a dynamic loader that when executed by the processor enable the system to:
in response to starting the system, load, by the dynamic loader, the operating system from the memory, wherein for each software component of the operating system in an Initial Program Load (IPL) path that the dynamic loader loads, the dynamic loader is enabled to:
in response to determining that a pre-existing header field of an existing version of the software component indicates that the existing version of the software component is old, load a new body field of a corresponding new version of the software component in place of an old body field of the existing version of the software component for the operating system, wherein the corresponding new version of the software component is identified in the pre-existing header field of the existing version of the software component.

2 more elements

A computer program product for reducing system restarts when loading new code in an Initial Program Load (IPL) path, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to:
receive a new version for an existing version a given software component of an operating system running on a computing device;
identify the existing version of the given software component of the operating system that is currently running as corresponding to the new version of the given software component;
change existing values within a pre-existing header of the given software component of the operating system to indicate update:
a status of the given software component of the operating system as to-be-updated;
and
a filepath for the given software new component of the operating system from the existing version to the new version;
in response to restarting the computing device and initializing the operating system, check the pre-existing header field of the given software component of the operating system from the IPL path for the operating system to determine that the status of the given software component of the operating system indicates that the given software component of the operating system is to-be-updated;
in response to determining that the status of the given software component indicates that the given software component is to-be-updated:
insert the new version of the software component to replace the existing version of the given software component in the IPL path;
remove the existing version of the given component from the IPL path;
and
load the new version of the given software component according to the filepath.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.