Redistribution of operating environments for the redeployment of grid clients

A method for temporarily transforming a client-server network into a grid network, comprising:

• allowing each of a plurality of client devices to operate under a local operating system in a client-server mode;
• at a first predetermined time, configuring a server, with which the client devices are coupled through a network, to operate under a thin-client operating system, whereby the server becomes a master node on the network;
• directing that each client device initiate a network boot in a thin-client mode, whereby each client device becomes a processing node;
• transmitting a thin-client image and a grid application to each of the processing nodes;
• launching the grid application on each processing node;
• and
• at a second, later predetermined time, directing that each processing node re-boot into its respective local operating system.

A method for deploying a network booted operating system on each of a plurality of networked clients, comprising:

• at a first predetermined time, receiving in a DHCP server from a sending client a client MAC address, a current client IP address and a hostname;
• generating a boot image for the sending client if no boot image is available for the sending client;
• updating a server DHCP configuration file with the MAC address, the hostname and the boot image;
• updating a server client database with the IP address, the hostname and an updated client status;
• restarting DHCP service to the sending client using the updated configuration and database information;
• the client caching its current state including active applications and user data for restoration at the conclusion of grid deployment;
• if an image is prepared for deployment to the client, re-booting the sending client as a grid processing node with the thin-client image received from the DHCP server;
• removing the sending client entry from the DHCP server configuration file;
• launching a grid application received from the DHCP server to the sending client;
• at a second, later predetermined time, removing the sending client from the grid;
• updating the client database with a newly updated client status;
• initiating a re-boot of the sending client;
• and
• if an image is no longer available to the sending client, proceeding to attempt to boot the sending client from a next device in a boot order;
• and
• after the sending client is booted, restoring the sending client to a state in which a user left the system using previously cached state information.

A server coupled to a plurality of client devices through a computer network, each client operating in a respective local operating system in a client-server mode, the server comprising:

• means for directing that each client device initiate a network boot in a thin-client mode at a first predetermined time;
• means for transmitting thin-client images to the respective client devices;
• means for launching a grid application on each client device, whereby the client devices operate in a grid mode;
• and
• means for directing that each client device re-boot into its respective local operating system at a second predetermined time, whereby the client devices operate in a client-server mode.

A method for reducing idle computing resources on a network, comprising:

• operating a plurality of clients under a local operating system in a client-server mode on a network;
• performing a network boot of each client in a thin-client mode at a first predetermined time;
• receiving a thin-client image and a grid application in each client from a master node, whereby each client operates in a grid mode;
• launching the grid application in each client;
• and
• re-booting each client into the local operating system in the client-server mode at a second, later predetermined time.

A computer program product of a computer readable medium usable with a programmable computer, the computer program product having computer-readable code embodied therein for temporarily transforming a client-server network into a grid network, the computer-readable code comprising instructions for:

• allowing each of a plurality of client devices to operate under a local operating system in a client-server mode;
• at a first predetermined time, configuring a server, with which the client devices are coupled through a network, to operate under a thin-client operating system, whereby the server becomes a master node on the network;
• directing that each client device initiate a network boot in a thin-client mode, whereby each client device becomes a processing node;
• transmitting a thin-client image and a grid application to each of the processing nodes;
• launching the grid application on each processing node;
• and
• at a second, later predetermined time, directing that each processing node be rebooted and redeployed with a different image optimized for a different grid application re-boot into its respective local operating system.

A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer readable code into a computing system, wherein the code, in combination with the computing system, is capable of performing the following:

• allowing each of a plurality of client devices to operate under a local operating system in a client-server mode;
• at a first predetermined time, configuring a server, with which the client devices are coupled through a network, to operate under a thin-client operating system, whereby the server becomes a master node on the network;
• directing that each client device initiate a network boot in a thin-client mode, whereby each client device becomes a processing node;
• transmitting a thin-client image and a grid application to each of the processing nodes;
• launching the grid application on each processing node;
• and
• at a second, later predetermined time, directing that each processing node re-boot into its respective local operating system.