Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-25
2001-06-12
Butler, Dennis M. (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
C713S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247126
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates generally to building computer systems and more particularly to the preparation of build-to-order computer systems.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/951,135, filed on Oct. 15, 1997, entitled “Modifiable Partition Boot Record for a Computer Memory Device”, naming Alan Beelitz as inventor. The co-pending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/984,386, filed on Dec. 3, 1997, entitled “System and Method for Changing Partition Mappings to Logical Drives in a Computer Memory”, naming Alan Beelitz as inventor. The co-pending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/950,545, filed on Oct. 15, 1997, entitled “System and Method for Updating Partition Mappings to Logical Drives in a Computer Memory Device”, naming Alan Beelitz as inventor. The co-pending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/947,138, filed on Oct. 8, 1997, entitled “Method for Simulating a Computer Storage Device”, naming Alan Beelitz as inventor. The co-pending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/951,137, filed on Oct. 15, 1997, entitled “System and Method for Utilizing a RAM Disk”, naming Alan Beelitz as inventor. The co-pending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/012,196, filed on Jan. 23, 1998, entitled “System and Method for Preparing a Computer Memory”, naming Alan Beelitz as inventor. The co-pending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/198,007, filed on Nov. 24, 1998, entitled “Computer System and Method for Accessing a Computer-Readable Medium”, naming Alan Beelitz as inventor. The copending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
This application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/198,731, filed on Nov. 24, 1998, entitled “Computer System and Method for Preparing a Computer-Readable Medium”, naming Alan Beelitz as inventor. The copending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
A present trend among some computer manufacturers is to provide a customer with a custom built computer system in which the customer has designated that certain components and capabilities are to be included in the system being ordered. It is therefore important to maximize efficiency at every step of the build-to-order process. That efficiency begins at the time the order is placed and processed, and continues throughout the assembly, testing and shipment of the custom-built unit.
During production of build-to-order computer systems, specific components for a computer are pulled from stock and taken to an assembly pod where those specific components are assembled in the computer chassis. Following assembly, the chassis is moved to a quick-test area where tests are conducted to quickly determine whether the correct components for that order are installed, and whether the components are operative.
Following the quick test procedure, assembled chassis are moved to a burn rack where the components are “burned in” and where operational errors may be detected. Many units are simultaneously tested on the burn racks and the tests may take a number of hours to complete. With many units in production waiting to be tested, it is important that the burn rack spaces available for testing are used efficiently. Therefore, it is important that the computers or devices under test (DUT) are tested in a manner which quickly and efficiently determines whether a DUT is satisfactorily operational and if not, which quickly and efficiently determines operational deficiencies so that the DUT may be removed from the burn rack to free up the occupied burn rack space for another DUT to be tested.
A recent development has produced a computer which functions as a client on a network, rather than as a stand alone unit. This type of computer is distinguished from others by the lack of a diskette drive. The lack of a diskette drive results from a desire to centralize network management. The lack of a diskette drive on the computer however has significant implications in the manufacturing process, which has traditionally relied on the use of diskettes for implementation.
For example, operating system software is typically downloaded onto the hard drive of the computer system during the manufacturing process. Without a diskette drive, if an interruption occurs during the software download onto the hard drive of the computer system, then it is not possible to reboot the computer system from a manufacturing diskette and restart the download. Also, it is not possible to reboot the computer system from the network server because at this stage in the manufacturing process, the computer system is connected to a system software download server in the burn rack rather than to a system test server (LCM server) as in the quick test station, and the boot device of the computer system is set to “hard disk” rather than to “network”. Booting from the hard disk would not work either, since the primary partition is marked active, i.e. bootable, and would result in attempting to load the partially downloaded target operating system. In this situation, the only recourse is to remove the computer from the burn rack and return it to the quick test area for reformatting and repartitioning so that it can be attached to the system test server (LCM server) and the entire manufacturing process can be restarted. This, however, is disadvantageously awkward and time consuming. Manufacturing efficiency and throughput would be adversely affected.
SUMMARY
A software installation process for use in the manufacture of a prescribed computer system includes the steps of providing at least one processor, at least one memory, and an interface for connecting the computer system to a network server. The at least one memory includes a master boot record, a utility partition and a primary partition. The utility partition includes manufacturing code particular to a manufacturing sequence in the manufacture of the computer system. Upon booting of the computer system, the manufacturing code is executed by the at least one processor, wherein the manufacturing sequence includes at least a downloading of software from the network server to the primary partition.
A technical advantage in the manufacture of a computer system, in particular a NetPC, according to the present disclosure is that the embodiments enable a recovery in the event of an interruption in the manufacturing process, the recovery being proximate to a given sequence or phase in the manufacturing process at which the interruption occurred, further not requiring the NetPC manufacturing process to begin anew with hard disk partitioning. A more efficient and effective NetPC manufacturing process is provided.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5257378 (1993-10-01), Sideserf et al.
patent: 5444861 (1995-08-01), Adamec et al.
patent: 5715456 (1998-02-01), Bennett et al.
patent: 5944820 (1999-08-01), Beelitz
patent: 6029237 (2000-02-01), Beelitz
patent: 6032223 (2000-02-01), Beelitz
patent: 6032239 (2000-02-01), Beelitz
patent: 6041395 (2000-03-01), Beelitz
patent
Amberg Richard D.
Beelitz Alan E.
Butler Dennis M.
Dell USA L.P.
Haynes and Boone L.L.P.
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