US 5,974,547 A · Technique for reliable network booting of an operating system to a client computer

Abstract

A technique, specifically apparatus and accompanying methods, for use in a client-server environment for booting an operating system (O/S), such as a 32-bit personal computer (PC) O/S, on a client computer through a networked connection to a server. Specifically, the server stores an image of a client hard disk including the client O/S and desired applications. During a boot process, a procedure, which is compliant with both an interrupt handler in the client and a network driver kernel in the client O/S, is installed in the client. Based on client O/S resources then available when, during the boot process, the client requests a local hard disk access to a particular sector, the procedure will re-direct that request, to the network file server, through a network driver kernel in the client O/S rather than through a client interrupt handler. Each such request is processed, to provide physical sector read or write access, through my inventive random access trivial file transfer protocol (RATFTP) server executing in the network server. Advantageously, the source of the sectors remains transparent to the client O/S, while it is being booted from a network connection, in lieu of a local hard disk drive. Hence, client hard disk emulation occurs seamlessly and continuously throughout the entire boot process even though, during this process, the client processing mode changes from real to protected and the client O/S resets and gains control of a client network adapter.

Claims39

Dependent claims

A method of booting an operating system (O/S) to a client computer from a network, the network storing an image on a first server, the image having O/S files for the client computer, the method comprising the steps, in the client computer, of:

(a) issuing a corresponding request to the first server to download contents of a corresponding one of each of a plurality of sectors residing on the first server so as to form a plurality of requests, wherein:
(a1) said sectors collectively store an image file which contains the image;
and
(a2) the first server emulates, in response to said plurality of requests, behavior of a disk drive on the client computer such that contents of individual physical sectors of the image file specified in corresponding ones of the requests are accessed by the first server on a sector-by-sector basis from a disk drive associated with the first server and downloaded, via the network, to the client computer, and wherein the corresponding request issuing step comprises the steps of:
(a3) generating a request, to the first server, to download a boot sector contained in the image file;
and
(a4) executing the boot sector, once the boot sector is downloaded from the first server, so as to subsequently generate each of said plurality of requests such that the client computer receives, on a sector-by-sector basis from the first server, the contents of the individual physical sectors that collectively comprise client O/S files;
(b) storing the contents of each of said sectors received from the first server;
and
(c) activating client O/S processes embodied by the contents of said sectors stored on the client computer.

7 more elements

Apparatus for booting an operating system (O/S) to a client computer from a network, the network storing an image on a first server, the image having O/S files for the client computer, the apparatus comprising a client computer having;

(a) a processor;
and
(b) a memory, connected to the processor, for storing executable computer instructions therein;
and
(c) wherein the processor, in response to the instructions:
(c1) issues a corresponding request to the first server to download contents of a corresponding one of each of a plurality of sectors residing on the first server so as to form a plurality of requests, wherein:
(c1a) said sectors collectively store an image file which contains the image;
and
(c1b) the first server emulates, in response to said plurality of requests, behavior of a disk drive on the client computer such that contents of individual physical sectors of the image file specified in corresponding ones of the requests are accessed by the first server on a sector-by-sector basis from a disk drive associated with the first server and downloaded, via the network, to the client computer, and wherein the processor further:
(c1c) generates a request, to the first server, to download a boot sector contained in the image file;
and
(c1d) executes the boot sector, once the boot sector is downloaded from the first server, so as to subsequently generate each of said plurality of requests such that the client computer receives, on a sector-by-sector basis from the first server, the contents of the individual physical sectors that collectively comprise client O/S files;
(c2) stores the contents of each of said sectors received from the first server;
and
(c3) activates client O/S processes embodied by the contents of said sectors stored on the client computer.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Technique for reliable network booting of an operating system to a client computer

Life of this patent

Technique for reliable network booting of an operating system to a client computer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims39