Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Michael W Carney

William F Pittore

Mary U Lautman

Joseph E Provino

William A Shannon

Timothy Paul Marsland

Paul Sangster

Carl F Smith

A method for installing an image on a client including obtaining a wanboot binary from the boot server, determining whether the wanboot binary is valid, obtaining a security payload from the boot server using the wanboot binary if the wanboot binary is valid, establishing a first secure connection between the client and boot server, obtaining a boot file system from the boot server using the first secure connection, installing the boot file system on the client to obtain a kernel, establishing a second secure connection between the client and an installation server using the security payload and the kernel, obtaining an installation image from the installation server using the kernel and the second secure connection, and installing the installation image on the client.

Method of installing an image on a client over a network securely using a wanboot binary and a kernel to install the image

A configuration parameter value access system used in connection with a computer system performs an access operation in connection with a configuration parameter in response to a configuration parameter access request from an applications program. Each configuration parameter access request includes a parameter class identifier, a filename and a parameter identifier. The configuration parameter value access system includes a plurality of configuration file path class lists, each of which has at least one entry, each entry defining a storage subsystem path in the computer system's storage subsystem. A file identifier generator tests successive entries of the configuration file path class list identified by the parameter class identifier to determine whether the storage subsystem contains a file which has the filename provided in the configuration parameter access request along a path defined by an entry. If so, a configuration parameter access module performs an access operation to retrieve or update the configuration parameter identified by the parameter identifier provided in the configuration parameter access request in the file identified by the file identifier generator. If the access operation is a retrieval operation, to retrieve the value of the configuration parameter, the configuration parameter value access system will retrieve the value of the parameter, if any, in the file identified by the file identifier generator. If the access operation is an update operation, to update the value of the configuration parameter, the configuration parameter value access system will update the value of the parameter in the file identified by the file identifier generator, or create the file if no file currently exists.

System and method for retrieving and updating configuration parameter

A relocatable segment list builder, a system image dump driver, and a system image dump saver are provided to a dynamically configurable operating system being executed on a computer system. The operating system includes a root executable segment and a number of pageable relocatable segments that are loaded on an as needed basis. The relocatable segment list builder maintains in memory a non-pageable relocatable segment list, which comprises names of the relocatable segments that are loaded in any particular point in time. The system image dump driver dumps an image of the operating system including the non-pageable relocatable segment list to a dump device at the time of a system crash. In addition, a system image saver is provided to the computer system. The system image saver builds a system image dump file, which comprises the relocatable segment list dumped using the operating system image dumped. The system image saver also builds a companion system image dump symbol definition file, which comprises all symbol definitions of the operating system defined at the time of the system crash regardless of whether the relocatable segments containing the symbol definitions are paged out of memory or not. The system image saver determines which relocatable segments are loaded at the time of the crash using the system image dump file built. The system image saver then reconstructs the symbol definitions using the symbol and string tables of the root executable and the relocatable segments loaded at the time, which are stored in mass storage. As a result, all system definitions contained in loaded relocatable segments of the operating system at the time of the crash, regardless of whether the containing relocatable segments are paged out of memory or not, are available to aid in debugging the system crash.

Reconstructing symbol definitions of a dynamically configurable

In a computer system executing a dynamically configurable operating system, a symbol definition image file builder is provided for building a symbol definition image file real time for utilities and application programs. The symbol definition image file is built upon receipt of an open request for the file and a current system definition image file does not exist. The symbol definition image file is deleted upon receipt of a close request for the file and it is determined that the file is no longer referenced and non-current. The symbol definition image file comprises all current symbol definitions and strings of the operating system. The current symbol definitions and strings are gathered by the symbol definition builder from the symbol and string tables of the root executable segment and the relocatable segments of the operating system that are currently loaded in memory. Additionally, prior to building the symbol definition image file, the symbol definitions image file builder inhibits automatic unloading of the relocatable segments until all accesses to the symbol definition image file are completed, thereby protecting the symbol definitions and the strings that are included in the symbol definition image files from becoming stale.

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Merrimac, MA, United States of America

Michael W Carney