Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory – Storage accessing and control – Shared memory area
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-16
2002-11-05
Peikari, B. James (Department: 2186)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory
Storage accessing and control
Shared memory area
C711S130000, C709S216000, C714S029000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06477624
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to persistent storage devices, and, more specifically, to a system and method for enabling the centralized storage and maintenance of persistent storage device data images.
2. Discussion of the Background
In general, the ability to store and access data is critical for computers. For example, when turned on, a computer (e.g., a personal computer (“PC”)) accesses, and prepares (or “boots”) the operating system from its local persistent storage device (e.g., “hard disk”). Once the booting is finished, the contents of the hard disk are accessible and available to the user. The contents of the hard disk (also referred to as the hard disk's “disk image” or “data image”) define the user's personalized environment: the operating system (such as Windows 98 SR-2, Linux, etc.), the software applications (such as word processors, spreadsheet programs, web browsers, etc.), the data files (such as documents, spreadsheets, images, or cookies), and any additional customization (such as whether a particular web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, is automatically launched when an HTML file is accessed).
A hard disk is but one example of a persistent storage device. A persistent storage device can be defined as follows:
(a) it is a physical device that is physically attached to a computer using a standard physical interface (e.g., a hard disk attached with an IDE cable). This physical interface provides the link between the persistent storage device and the computer. (If the persistent storage device under consideration is a hard disk, the physical interface is frequently called a connector and is typically attached to a hardware component on the computer called the disk adapter, which itself provides the logical link between the persistent storage device and the computer);
(b) it contains a local permanent medium (e.g., magnetic media) for storing a sequence of bits, (i.e., data), typically organized according to a particular file structure. The bits are collectively called the persistent storage device data image (PSDDI), or data image (DI) for short. When the persistent storage device is a hard disk, the persistent storage device data image will frequently be called a “disk image.” Typically, the local permanent medium is capable of storing a large amount of data (e.g., more than 10 Megabytes);
(c) it has the ability to selectively read and write any part of the data image; and
(d) it allows the computer to which the device is attached to selectively read and write any part of the data image through a standard set of interface protocols.
The scope of persistent storage devices includes all hard disk drives implementing interfaces such as ST506/412, ESDI, SCSI, IDE, ATA, ATAPI, ATA-E and EIDE, read/write CD ROM drives, ZIP drives, JAZ drives, floppy drives and the like. In addition, the present invention applies to embedded systems' persistent storage devices, such as, Flash, and DiskOnChip.
Any two “hardware-similar” PCs having the same data image would appear the same to the user. In contrast, if a user's data image is replaced by a significantly different data image, the user will most likely see an unfamiliar desktop displayed on the PC's display screen. What would be even more disturbing and likely to make the PC unusable to the user, is the fact that the new data image would have different software and data files from the original data image. Thus, it is the data image that makes a user's PC the user's “Personal Computer,” and it is the most valuable and essentially the only irreplaceable component of the PC.
The conventional PC is “governed” by the contents of its hard disk, and therefore the limits of the installed software become the limits of the user. Once the user's needs change, or grow beyond the capabilities of the installed software, the user has to deal with upgrading or installing a new OS or application software, a costly, time consuming, and frequently aggravating process even for a professional. Moreover, in environments such as offices within large companies or firms, this problem is compounded because the hard drive on each individual PC needs to be accessed in order to perform an upgrade. In addition, such upgrades may cause some existing software not to work properly, in effect corrupting the previously stable data image.
There are several computer architecture models that attempt to solve the above problem. These architecture models and their respective disadvantages are described below.
Network Computer: A network computer (NC) is a lightweight computer with a simple built-in operating system. After booting, it connects to a remote computer for file system access. Software programs reside on the remote computer. Once invoked, they are downloaded to the NC where they execute. The applications are typically based on Java or JavaScript. The problems with an NC are that existing applications have to be re-engineered for this platform, and an NC has limited capability to perform computing operations when not connected to the network. If the software on the NC is badly corrupted, it may not be able to boot or access the network and therefore the NC will not be functional. Thus well functioning local software is required for operation. Further, NCs have no notion of providing a remote image to a local computer transparently to the operating system executing on the local computer.
Thin Client: The local computer, termed the thin client, is used mainly for display and user input. Applications execute on a server and the thin client opens a window to the server to interact with the applications. For the thin client to work, a continuous connection from the thin client to the server is needed. A thin client is typically running on a standard computer; however, the thin client technology does not provide any means for remotely administering or upgrading of the computer's software. In addition, thin client technology requires that the data files (such as Word documents) be manipulated on the server, which requires that they not be encrypted during such manipulation. Also, well functioning local software is required for operation. Thin clients are also operating system specific.
Remote booting and Disk-less computers: Some operating systems, such as Unix, MacOS and Windows 95 allow computers to boot from an image on a remote computer.
This feature is typically used for disk-less computers. However, even if the computers have a disk drive or other persistent storage device, it is only used as a swap space (runtime operating system scratch space), and the contents do not persist across boot sessions. Remote booting and diskless computers do not work off line.
Remote File System Technologies: They allow mounting of a remote file system to a local computer (e.g., NFS). Remote file systems can be provided by a remote computer or by a remote network disk. These technologies allow a computer to access data and programs stored on remote server(s). However, system software built into the operating system is required. Remote file technologies do not allow remote administration of the computer. They also require functioning software on the computer. In addition, remote file system technologies do not work off line whilst the present invention does work off line.
Automatic file propagation: Software tools such as Unix's rdist, allow files to be synchronized across networked computers; however, such tools are operating system and file system specific, and require a functioning operating system for them to work.
What is desired is a system and/or method that overcomes these and other disadvantages of conventional computers and computer architectures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a persistent storage device data image management system, or data image management system (DIMS) for short, that is able to solve the above described problems that users encounter when upgrading and/or maintaining their comp
Baratloo Arash
Geiger Davi
Kedem Zvi M.
Paxia Salvatore
Wyckoff Peter
Ondotek, Inc.
Peikari B. James
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
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