Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Digital data processing system initialization or configuration – Loading initialization program
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-10
2004-11-09
Butler, Dennis M. (Department: 2116)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
Loading initialization program
C713S001000, C713S002000, C709S232000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06816964
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote loading execution method, a remote loading execution system, a data processing apparatus, a managing apparatus and a computer-readable recording medium for easily and safely constructing a client environment in a client/server configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Construction of an environment at a client, in the form of a personal computer or the like, is carried out by installing programs one by one in a stand-alone state, or by selecting programs one by one from a server and installing them.
Recently, there have been available a structure wherein a client is turned on by a command from a server, for example, WoL (Wake On LAN) wherein a remote client is turned on by sending a packet thereto, and a structure wherein a client requests connection to a server immediately upon turning-on of the client, for example, PXE (Preboot execution Environment) wherein a client requests connection to a server before an operating system is booted in the client in the server/client environment (in this case, however, a network adapter of the client requires a dedicated ROM).
By utilizing the foregoing WoL and PXE, a single program can be installed by remote loading without any operation at a side of a client.
However, when installing a program which requires a reboot during installation (including a case of installing a plurality of programs), a manual operation by a user is required at a side of a client after the reboot. Thus, even if the foregoing structures are used, it is impossible to accomplish the remote loading.
Further, during the user's manual operation, it may happen that an install log obtained up to then in the client is lost due to a reboot, resulting in an endless loop of repeating an install operation from the beginning after the reboot. In that event, the user should carry out an operation for stopping it, which, however, is difficult for a person having no technical knowledge about it.
Accordingly, the requirement of the manual operation on the client side imposes a burden on a user having no relevant technical knowledge or experience. This lowers the merit of the service, and further, may require dispatch of a skilled person thereby to induce labor and cost. Further, since the install state of the client can not be known, the reliability of the client environment construction in the client/server configuration may also be lowered. Particularly, the remote loading operation of this type may be required when the client is down to require recovery. Thus, it is desired that the recovery can be achieved fully automatically through an operation from the server.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved program install technique. More specifically, the present invention aims to provide a remote loading execution method and a remote loading execution system, wherein all operation environment of a client is provided in a server so that even if there exists such a program requiring a reboot upon installation thereof, the program can be automatically installed into the client by a command from the server, thereby to ensure construction of a client environment in a client/server configuration. The present invention also aims to provide a data processing apparatus as the client and a managing apparatus as the server, and further provide a computer-readable recording medium for realizing the foregoing client or server using a computer.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote loading execution method, wherein an agent executes installation into a client by referring to a managing record recording an install execution state of the client and according to execution control information, the agent downloaded into the client before starting the installation or after a reboot.
According to this structure, the agent implements the installation into the client by referring to the managing record of the install execution state of the client and according to the execution control information. After the reboot, the agent is again downloaded into the client so as to continue the installation into the client by referring to the managing record including a reboot log and according to a continuation of the execution control information to be executed after the reboot. Therefore, even if a reboot is requested, the installation can be continued without the need for a manual operation on the side of the client.
The agent is an independent program for executing a process on the side of a particular apparatus into which the agent is downloaded, according to execution commands prescribed in the execution control information. In this structure, the agent executes installation of various kinds of programs into the client.
The execution control information is definition information, such as an execution script, setting execution commands (setup commands) necessary for performing installation into the client, which is read and executed by the agent on the side of the client. When the agent executes installation according to the execution control information, a program (including an operating system) to be installed into the client should be provided on the side of the server. The installation of the program includes a case wherein an install image file of the program is provided in advance on the side of the server and then copied into the client by downloading.
In the foregoing structure, it is necessary that the managing record be updated according to the install execution state while the agent executes the installation into the client. Without such updating, since the agent once stops execution of the installation according to the execution control information when a reboot is requested, the agent, after the reboot, refers to a record before the reboot (a record not updated) so as to start again the installation returning to the beginning of the execution control information, thus resulting in an endless loop.
Through updating of the managing record, the server can know the progressing state of the installation into the client. Thus, the server can execute the centralized management so that install errors and troubles can be properly dealt with to provide highly reliable environments.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote loading execution method, wherein, upon installing a program requiring a reboot from a server into a client, an agent downloaded into the client executes installation of the program by referring to a managing record recording an install execution state of the client and according to execution control information and updates the managing record according to an execution state of the installation, and wherein the agent downloaded again into the client after the reboot continues the installation by referring to the managing record and according to the execution control information and updates the managing record according to an execution state of the installation after the reboot.
Through the updating, a log of the install execution state before the reboot remains in the managing record. Accordingly, the agent downloaded again into the client after the reboot can continue the installation into the client by referring to the updated managing record and according to a continuation of the execution control information to be executed after the reboot. When a further reboot is requested (one program may require a plurality of reboots, or a plurality of reboots are requested during continuous installation of a plurality of programs), the managing record is further updated according to an install execution state after the reboot, in addition to continuing the installation.
The execution control information may be provided on the side of the server. In this case, upon executing installation (including a case of installation after a reboot), the agent accesses the server to refer to the execution control information and executes the installation according
Seki Akikazu
Suzuki Masanori
Yamada Katsuya
Butler Dennis M.
Patel Nitin C.
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