Symantec Corporation

Symantec Operating Corporation

Veritas Operating Corporation

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Nicholas R Graf

Jason Andrew Miller

Nicholas Graf

Thomas R Ketterhagen

Mitchell Mikula

Bruce Bramhall

Systems, methods, and computer-readable memory media for performing various computer configuration tasks are disclosed. One such configuration task is dissimilar system restore (DSR). Another such task is software deployment. In various embodiments, these configuration tasks operate on a target computer system using a utility operating system to perform detection of certain target system devices, determination of critical device classes on the source computer system, and updating of target computer configuration settings. Other tasks may be performed upon a computer system such as a backup server. These tasks include locating device drivers for the target operating systems and the installing utility operating system, as well as creating device driver packages that are usable to install device drivers for a plurality of devices.

Automatic detection of hardware and device drivers during restore operations

In one embodiment, a computer accessible medium comprises a plurality of instructions which, when executed and if a computer system comprises at least one virtual hardware device, identify the virtual hardware device and a corresponding physical hardware device. The plurality of instructions also capture a device driver associated with the physical hardware device for use as the device driver in an install of an operating system on a second computer system having a same type of physical hardware device. Corresponding computer systems and methods are also described.

Device driver processing for automated system restores

Creation of a device database and synthesis of device driver information during dissimilar system restore

Using a monitoring process to update system configuration settings during restore operations

System and method for generating modifiable representations of system hardware and software configurations and for transferring a system to another system using the configuration representations. A configuration representation may include a backup of a system's files. A configuration representation may be modified, and may be used to restore the system to hardware that may be different than the original system's hardware. In one embodiment, a configuration transfer mechanism is provided to perform the transfer of a configuration representation from a source system to a target system. One embodiment of a configuration transfer mechanism may use one or more servers coupled to the source and target systems via a network. Another embodiment of a configuration transfer mechanism may be used to restore a source system's configuration and files from a source system directly to a target system coupled to the source system without using servers.

Computer system configuration representation and transfer

In some embodiments, a computer accessible medium comprises a plurality of instructions which, when executed: cause a modification of an image of files created from a computer system having first hardware; and cause the image to be copied to a computer system having second hardware different from the first hardware. A difference between the first hardware and the second hardware necessitates that the modification of the image be performed. For example, the difference may indicate that a different device driver is to be included in the image, or that HAL or kernel code is to be changed. A similar method of modifying the image and copying the image is also contemplated.

Restore of data to a computer system having different hardware

In one embodiment, a computer accessible medium comprises a plurality of instructions which, when executed, parse at least a section of an input file to identify: (i) one or more driver information files, if at least one driver information file is listed in the section, and (ii) one or more first device drivers, if at least one device driver is listed in the section. If at least one driver information file is listed in the section, the plurality of instructions parse each of the one or more driver information files to identify: (i) one or more second device drivers, if at least one device driver is included in the driver information file, and (ii) one or more miniport drivers, if at least one miniport driver is included in the driver information file. The plurality of instructions select a selected device driver from the first device drivers, the second device drivers, and the miniport drivers. The selected device driver is to be listed in an output file that is used in a text phase of an operating system installation on a computer system that includes the hardware device. In another embodiment, a computer accessible medium comprises a plurality of instructions which, when executed and if a computer system comprises at least one virtual hardware device, identify the virtual hardware device and a corresponding physical hardware device. The plurality of instructions also capture a device driver associated with the physical hardware device for use as the device driver in an install of an operating system on a second computer system having a same type of physical hardware device. Corresponding computer systems and methods are also described.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

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