International Business Machines Corporation

James Richard Schoech

Steven Michael French

Chakkalamattam Jos Paul

Vaijayanthimala K Anand

Aidon Paul Jennery

Bradford Allen Stern

Joseph Herbert McIntyre

Craig Alan Bennett

Christopher J Monahan

Glenn E Brew

Douglas G Elkins

Gerald B Cullen

Deirdre Smith

James Gregory Wahlig

A method, system, and program is provided to redirect a client computer to an appropriate boot server after it has been directed to any initial boot server by preboot execution environment (PXE) or similar services. An apparatus includes a data file containing a set of addresses of managed boot servers in any syntax and a program file containing a network bootstrap program (NBP) that interprets the syntax of the data file. These files are placed on every initial boot server. The NBP requests a file from the initial boot server whose name is identified with the client computer. The initial boot server will not return that file if it is not an appropriate server for booting the client. In that case, the NBP requests the data file containing the boot server addresses. The NBP then polls each of those boot servers by requesting the client's unique file. A boot server that returns the file is an appropriate boot server for the client computer. The data file containing boot server addresses is changed to reflect current boot server load balancing requirements without involving the configuration or affecting the availability of PXE or similar services.

Method, apparatus, and program for server based network computer load balancing across multiple boot servers

A method, system, and computer program product for managing results in a locale independent manner in a multi-node networked data processing system is provided. In one embodiment, a first node sends a command request to a second node. The command request contains a command and a locale in which the text of the result is desired. The first node receives the results of execution from the command request sent to and executed on the second node. The result generated by the second node in response to the command request includes one or more messages, wherein each message contains a unique message identifier, locale in which its associated text is stored, and text associated with the message. Responsive to a determination that the locale of the message text is in a locale different from a desired locale, the first node replaces the message text contained within the result with message text corresponding to the desired locale to produce a modified result and sends the modified result to the requesting client node.

Language independent message management for multi-node application systems

A chained bootstrap that is identified on a Boot Image Negotiation Layer (BINL) server and which is specified as the default bootstrap for the remote booting of client machines without regard to what client OS will finally be booted, is provided. The default bootstrap is downloaded as the initial bootstrap when the client sends the remote boot request to the TFTP boot server identified by the BINL server. This bootstrap then acquires a configuration file for the client from the TFTP server and determines the specific OS and associated bootstrap to download to the client. The chained bootstrap then relocates itself in memory on the client so that the actual client OS bootstrap can load and execute properly. The chained bootstrap then requests the actual client bootstrap from the TFTP server to continue the boot of the OS.

System for remote booting of muntliple operating systems using chained bootstrap mechanism in a network

A method, system, and program for network booting of a client computer is provided. The method comprises loading a special local bootstrap into a client computer and then using this special local bootstrap to save the client Interrupt Vector Table (IVT) to high memory and then passing control to a normal DOS bootstrap. From here a normal DOS boot is performed using files that contain pointers to the drivers of a network device which enables a specific network interface card. A special program is loaded which emulates a PXE application program interface and initiates a DHCP/PXE boot request to the network. In this manner, a client is able to perform a DHCP/PXE boot without specialized hardware, by relying on a software emulation of the necessary DHCP/PXE functions.

Extensible, flexible, memory efficient technique for network boot without special DHCP/PXE hardware

The present invention provides a system for creating server-managed configuration information for computing devices. The configuration information is composed of individual configuration components. The configuration components can be grouped for convenience into templates called machine classes, which can be used to manage a set of similar machines. Configuration components and machine classes can be stored permanently in a database. Machine classes are instantiated with machine-specific information such as network addresses and configuration information for peripherals to produce fully configured operating systems for a computing device. Software and configuration information is installed based on the machine class selected. Individual configuration components can be added or overridden when the machine instance is created. The machine instance can be customized with additional configuration information, such as its network address(es), machine name, and video resolution. The machine instance can be used either to boot a device remotely or to install the operating system locally on the computing device.

Server based configuration of network computers via machine classes

File mappings are dynamically loaded within an operating data processing system appended to existing file or directory mappings during operation rather than being loaded during system initialization. A triggering event, such as a user logging into a network from the data processing system with a unique userid, initiates the process for selectively loaded the dynamic file mappings. A context variable, such as the userid of the user logging into the network, is employed to select the set or table of file mappings which are dynamically loaded. The dynamically loaded file mappings are appended to traditional, machine-specific file mappings loaded at system initialization and may be unloaded without affecting such traditional file mappings. The capability of dynamic file mapping allows single-user applications, those designed for use by only one user at a time, to be shared from a single network location, with user-specific files mapped to different locations for different users. Thus, only one copy of a browser is required in a network computer environment. Sensitive files, such as bookmark, security, and cookie files, are dynamically mapped to a user-specific directory based on the userid regardless of the user unit from which the user logs in. Multiple users may share a single copy of the single user browser, and users may &ldquo;roam&rdquo; the network, logging in at any data processing system.

Dynamic file mapping for network computers

A method, program, and system provide flexibility when a PFS requests a memory object reference from a File Server's Pager so that it can map the object in memory. The PFS supplies a reference in return that allows the pager to obtain a mapping of a data region within that memory object, the mapping being a layout of a region in that memory object. The method divides functions performed by a general purpose pager into function-subsets and associates the function-subsets with a set of flags passed in on an original memory object reference request. The method then integrates the functions required by the pager for that specific memory object to become part of the object's pager attributes and links the set of flags to a set of PFS call-back functions that represent customized functions that the PFS selectively replaces. In this manner, the PFS can dynamically override a sequence of base methods used to access data on a memory object by memory object basis.

System and method for flexible file encapsulation through latent levels

A method and system are disclosed for associating a file descriptor with a selected file within a data processing system that has multiple diverse operating systems, a number of diverse incompatible file systems, and a single file service which controls access by the operating systems to the file systems. When a request for file services, which specifies a file descriptor to be associated with a selected file, is received from a particular operating system in a format specific to that particular operating system, the file descriptor is converted into a nonspecific format utilized by the file service which includes an indication of the specific format utilized by the particular operating system. The file descriptor is examined to determine a destination file system and is then transmitted to that file system. If the destination file system supports the nonspecific format, the file descriptor is stored within the destination file system in association with the selected file. If the destination file system does not support the nonspecific format, it is determined if the destination file system supports the specific format utilized by the particular operating system. In response to determining that the destination file system supports the specific format, the file descriptor is translated into the specific format and stored within the destination file system in association with the selected file. If the destination file system does not support the specific format, the particular operating system is notified that the file descriptor was not associated with the selected file.

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

James Richard Schoech