Method and system for fault-tolerant remote boot in the presence of boot server overload/failure with self-throttling boot servers

An apparatus within a server device for facilitating a PXE-compliant (Preboot Execution Environment compliant) remote boot process in a client device, wherein the client device and the server device reside on a network, the apparatus comprising:

• a bus system;
• a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes a set of instructions;
• and
• a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to determine that the server device has sufficient resources to service a remote boot process for an additional client device;
• receive at the server device a PXE-extended DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Request message from the client device, wherein the server device is one of a plurality of boot servers on the network, and wherein the server device is able to respond to a PXE-extended DHCP Request message from any client device on the network;
• process the received PXE-extended DHCP Request message within a Proxy DHCP service on the server device;
• send from the server device a PXE-extended DHCP Ack message to the client device in response first to determining that the server device has sufficient resources to service a remote boot process for an additional client device and second to processing the received PXE-extended DHCP Request message, wherein the PXE-extended DHCP Ack message directs the client device to download boot files from the server device;
• and employ a self-throttling process to prevent the server device from servicing an additional remote boot process for an additional client device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium having instructions embodied therein for directing a server device to perform a method for facilitating a remote boot process in a client device, wherein the client device and the server device reside on a network, comprising:

• determining whether or not the server device is able to service an additional boot request;
• receiving at the server device a boot request from the client device, wherein the server device is one of a plurality of boot servers on the network, and wherein the server device is able to respond to a boot request from any client device on the network;
• sending a boot response to the client device, wherein the boot response directs the client device to download boot files from the server device in response first to execution of the instructions for determining that the server device is able to service an additional boot request and second to execution of the instructions for receiving at the server device the boot request from the client device;
• and
• employing a self-throttling process to prevent the server device from servicing an additional remote boot process for an additional client device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.

A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium having instructions embodied therein for directing a server device to perform a method for facilitating a PXE-compliant (Preboot Execution Environment compliant) remote boot process in a client device, wherein the client device and the server device reside on a network, comprising:

• determining that the server device has sufficient resources to service a remote boot process for an additional client device;
• receiving at the server device a PXE-extended DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Request message from the client device, wherein the server device is one of a plurality of boot servers on the network, and wherein the server device is able to respond to a PXE-extended DHCP Request message from any client device on the network;
• processing the received PXE-extended DHCP Request message within a Proxy DHCP service on the server device;
• sending from the server device a PXE-extended DHCP Ack message to the client device in response first to execution of the instructions for determining that the server device has sufficient resources to service a remote boot process for an additional client device and second to execution of the instructions for processing the received PXE-extended DHCP Request message, wherein the PXE-extended DHCP Ack message directs the client device to download boot files from the server device;
• and
• employing a self-throttling process to prevent the server device from servicing an additional remote boot process for an additional client device if the server device has insufficient resources for servicing an additional remote boot process.