Installation server, installation control program, installation control method, and installation system

Abstract

To provide a server configured to execute installation of software and settings on a plurality of hosts automatically in parallel by remote control.SOLUTION: A server to control installation of software on a plurality of computers connected over a network and each comprising a main function unit and an auxiliary function unit includes: holding means which holds IP addresses of the auxiliary function units and management information including information on installation IP addresses to be allocated to the main function units; acquisition means which acquires MAC addresses of the main function units via the auxiliary function units; allocation means which holds the MAC addresses in association with the installation IP addresses, and allocates corresponding IP addresses to the MC addresses; instruction means which instructs the auxiliary function units to execute network boot on the main function units; and transmission means which transmits software to be installed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an installation server, an installation control program, an installation control method, and an installation system, and can be applied to, for example, a system that installs OSs (Operating Systems) simultaneously and in parallel on a plurality of hosts. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a method (system) for automating user operations required for installing an OS, and automatically performing the entire installation process from start to finish.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for automatically installing an OS in two stages by remotely controlling a host.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for automatically installing an OS on multiple hosts. This patent document 2 discloses a method in which an industry-standard network boot function called PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) is started by an operation on the host on which the OS is to be installed, and then the OS is automatically installed and configured by selecting one from options that indicate the type and configuration of the OS to be installed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-310712 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-135190 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the technology described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is not a technology for installing an OS and applying individual settings to any plurality of hosts.

[0007] In addition, the technology described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 requires operations on the host side when installing the OS. That is, even when installing a plurality of hosts, the technology described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 has a problem that the installation of the OS cannot be executed from the OS installation server side, and the installation content of each host cannot be controlled from the OS installation server side.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for an installation server, an installation control program, an installation control method, and an installation system that can automatically and simultaneously execute software installation and setting in parallel by remote control for a plurality of hosts.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The first invention is an installation server that controls the installation of software on a plurality of computers connected via a network and composed of a main functional unit and an auxiliary functional unit, comprising: (1) computer management information holding means for holding computer management information including information on IP addresses pre-assigned to the auxiliary functional units of each of the plurality of computers and information on installation IP addresses to be assigned to the main functional units of each of the plurality of computers; (2) MAC address acquisition means for acquiring the MAC address of the main functional unit via the auxiliary functional unit of each of the plurality of computers; (3) IP address assignment means for associating and holding the MAC address of the main functional unit of each of the acquired plurality of computers with the installation IP address described in the computer management information to be assigned to the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers, and for assigning the corresponding installation IP address to each MAC address if there is an IP address assignment request from the main functional unit; (4) network boot instruction means for instructing each of the auxiliary functional units of the plurality of computers to execute network boot for the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers; and (5) software transmission means for transmitting the software to be installed on the main functional unit after assigning the installation IP address to the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers that execute network boot, using the IP address assignment means.

[0010] The installation control program of the second invention is installed on a computer mounted on an installation server that (1) controls the installation of software on a plurality of computers connected via a network and composed of a main function part and an auxiliary function part, and holds computer management information including information on IP addresses pre-assigned to the auxiliary function parts of each of the plurality of computers and information on installation IP addresses assigned to the main function parts of each of the plurality of computers. The computer is also equipped with: (2) MAC address acquisition means for acquiring the MAC address of the main function part via the auxiliary function part of each of the plurality of computers; (3) IP address assignment means for associating and holding the MAC address of the main function part of each of the acquired plurality of computers with the installation IP address described in the computer management information assigned to the main function part of each of the plurality of computers, and, if there is a request for IP address assignment from the main function part, assigning the corresponding installation IP address to each MAC address; (4) network boot instruction means for instructing each of the auxiliary function parts of the plurality of computers to execute network boot for the main function part of each of the plurality of computers; and (5) software transmission means for, after assigning the installation IP address to the main function part of each computer executing the network boot using the IP address assignment means, functioning to transmit the software to be installed to the main function part.

[0011] The third invention is an installation control method used for an installation server that (1) controls the installation of software on a plurality of computers connected via a network and composed of a main functional unit and an auxiliary functional unit, and holds computer management information including information on IP addresses pre-assigned to the auxiliary functional units of each of the plurality of computers and information on installation IP addresses assigned to the main functional units of each of the plurality of computers. The method includes the following steps: (2) the installation server has a MAC address acquisition means, an IP address assignment means, a network boot instruction means, and a software transmission means; (3) the MAC address acquisition means acquires the MAC address of the main functional unit via the auxiliary functional unit of each of the plurality of computers; (4) the IP address assignment means associates and holds the MAC address of the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers acquired with the installation IP address described in the computer management information assigned to the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers. If there is a request for IP address assignment from the main functional unit, the corresponding installation IP address is assigned to each MAC address; (5) the network boot instruction means instructs each of the auxiliary functional units of the plurality of computers to execute network boot on the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers; (6) after the software transmission means assigns the installation IP address to the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers that execute network boot using the IP address assignment means, the software transmission means transmits the software to be installed to the main functional unit.

[0012] The fourth invention is a software installation system including (1) a plurality of computers connected via a network and composed of a main functional unit and an auxiliary functional unit, and an installation server, characterized in that (2) the installation server of the first invention is applied as the installation server.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, software can be installed and configured automatically and simultaneously in parallel on a plurality of hosts through remote control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] (A) First Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the installation server, installation control program, installation control method, and installation system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] (A-1) Configuration of the First Embodiment [Overall Configuration of the OS Installation System] FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the OS installation system according to the first embodiment.

[0017] In FIG. 3, the OS installation system 1 includes an OS installation server 10 and hosts 20 (20-1 to 20-n), and the OS installation server 10 and each host 20 are connected via an IP network M.

[0018] Note that in FIG. 3, only one OS installation server 10 is illustrated, but the functions of the OS installation server 10 (such as the DHCP function and TFTP function described later) may be distributed and configured by a plurality of servers.

[0019] The IP network M is a network that conforms to IP (Internet Protocol), such as a LAN (Local Area Network). In this embodiment, the IP network M is assumed to be, for example, an in-house network (a network within the same segment).

[0020] The OS installation server 10 is connected to a plurality of hosts 20 (the number is not limited) via the IP network M, and installs a predetermined program including an OS on each host 20 and performs specific setting processing for each host 20.

[0021] In addition to the functions corresponding to a conventional general-purpose computer (main function unit 21 described later), the host 20 is equipped with an individual module (control module 22) used during OS installation. The main function unit 21 is also equipped with a function corresponding to PXE, which is a network boot standard, and by cooperating with the control module 22 that can operate independently of the main function unit 21, it enables the automatic installation of software such as an OS and applications on the main function unit 21.

[0022] [Configuration of OS Installation Server] FIG. 1 is an internal configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of the OS installation server according to the first embodiment.

[0023] In FIG. 1, the OS installation server 10 has a host control unit 11, a DHCP function unit 12, a TFTP function unit 13, an HTTP function unit 14, and a transmission line 15 used for communication between each component and other devices.

[0024] The OS installation server 10 may be configured entirely in hardware (for example, configured using a dedicated semiconductor chip), or may be configured partially or entirely in software for components other than the communication interface such as the transmission line 15. For example, for the OS installation server 10 shown in FIG. 1, each component other than the transmission line 15 may be configured by installing a program (installation control program according to the embodiment) on a computer.

[0025] The host control unit 11 holds host management data D1 as computer management information, and has a function of comprehensively controlling the installation and setting of the OS of each host 20 connected via the IP network M.

[0026] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of host management data according to the first embodiment.

[0027] In FIG. 4, the host management data D1 includes a "host name" which is information for identifying (distinguishing) each host 20, a "control module IP address" indicating the IP address of the control module 22 of each host 20 described later, an "OS installation use IP address" indicating the IP address used at the time of installation of each host 20 main body (main function unit 21) described later, and "individual setting data" indicating information set individually for each host 20.

[0028] For the above-mentioned "control module IP address", for example, the unique IP address assigned at the time of factory shipment of each host 20 is set as it is. On the other hand, for the "OS installation use IP address", for example, an arbitrary IP address is individually set by the system administrator.

[0029] In addition, various setting values can be applied to the "individual setting data". For example, values are individually set according to the usage of each host 20, such as system settings, firmware settings, application settings, etc.

[0030] The host control unit 11 communicates with each host 20 using IP, and has functions of obtaining the MAC address value used during OS installation from the host 20, registering the obtained MAC address and the IP address for OS installation with the DHCP function unit, instructing an operation called PXE boot to the host 20, establishing an SSH connection to the host 20, transferring the individual setting data of the OS to the host 20, and restarting the host 20.

[0031] The DHCP function unit 12 has a function of allocating an IP address value corresponding to the MAC address when the MAC address of the host 20 is a registered MAC address when receiving an address allocation request from the host 20.

[0032] The TFTP function unit 13 has a function of responding with the OS installation program 30 via TFTP when receiving a download request for the OS installation program (OS setup program) 30 from the host 20 using TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol).

[0033] The HTTP function unit 14 has a function of responding with the OS installation data 40 via HTTP when receiving a download request for the OS installation data 40 from the host 20 using HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). In addition, the OS installed on the host 20 has functions of obtaining an address value using DHCP at startup and accepting a connection request via SSH (Secure Shell) from another device to establish communication with the other device.

[0034] [Configuration of Host] FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of the host according to the first embodiment.

[0035] In FIG. 2, the host 20 includes a main functional unit 21, a control module 22 as an auxiliary functional unit, one or more transmission lines 23 (23-1 to 23-n) for connecting the main functional unit 21 to other devices, a transmission line 24 for connecting the control module 22 to other devices, and a transmission line 25 for connecting the control module 22 and the main functional unit 21.

[0036] The main functional unit 21 includes a motherboard, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, a disk drive, a network card, etc., and has functions corresponding to a general-purpose computer. The main functional unit 21 can exhibit the functions of the OS by installing the OS in the disk drive.

[0037] In addition, the main functional unit 21 has a MAC address at each interface to which the transmission line is connected, and as a function called PXE, it has a function of obtaining a startup program from another device and starting the device using the transmission lines 23 (23-1 to 23-n) for connecting to the external device.

[0038] The control module 22 is a module that can operate independently of the main functional unit 21 (holds a CPU, a network card, etc. separately from the main functional unit 21).

[0039] The control module 22 is assigned a fixed IP address value, and as a function of cooperating with other devices via the transmission line 24 connected to other devices, it receives a MAC address value inquiry request from other devices and responds with the MAC address of the main functional unit 21, and has a function of instructing the main functional unit 21 to start up by PXE by receiving an execution instruction for PXE startup from other devices.

[0040] (A-2) Operations of the First Embodiment Next, the characteristic operations in the OS installation system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0041] FIGS. 5 and 6 are sequence diagrams showing the characteristic operations of the OS installation system according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the operations of performing OS installation and setting on a plurality of hosts 20 from the OS installation server 10 in parallel will be described.

[0042] First, as an initial state, the OS installation server 10 is in a state where it can communicate with the control modules 22 of each host 20 via the IP network M. Also, the main functional units 21 of each host 20 are connected to the OS installation server 10 via the transmission line 23 (IP network M), but nothing is installed and they cannot operate autonomously. The following operations are started in this initial state.

[0043] The host control unit 11 of the OS installation server 10 inquires of the control modules 22 of a plurality of hosts 20 for which OS installation and setting are to be performed about the MAC addresses of the interfaces used during OS installation (S101). The processing content of step S101 is an example of MAC address acquisition means.

[0044] The control module 22 of each host 20 responds to the OS installation server 10 with the MAC address value of the main functional unit 21 used in OS installation (S102).

[0045] Next, the host control unit 11 of the OS installation server 10 registers the acquired MAC address and the OS installation IP address of the target host 20 (the OS installation IP address of the target host 20 described in the host management data D1) with the DHCP functional unit 12 (S103). By the processing of this step S103, the DHCP functional unit 12 can assign the specified (registered) IP address to an address assignment request from the specified MAC address.

[0046] The processing contents of step S103 and step S107 described later are an example of an IP address allocation means.

[0047] Next, the host control unit 11 instructs the control modules 22 of all the hosts 20 on which the OS installation is to be performed to execute PXE (S104). The processing content of step S104 is an example of a network boot instruction means.

[0048] The control module 22 of each host 20 instructs the main function unit 21 to execute PXE (S105).

[0049] In executing the PXE operation (S106), the main function unit 21 of each host 20 first transmits an address acquisition request using DHCP (S106-1). Then, the DHCP function unit 12 of the OS installation server 10, which has received the address acquisition request, responds to the address acquisition request from each host 20 with an IP address value corresponding to the MAC address value of each host 20 (S107). Each host 20 assigns the acquired IP address value to the address value of the main function unit 21.

[0050] Next, the main function unit 21 of each host 20 uses TFTP to send a request to the OS installation server 10 to acquire the OS installation program 30 (S106-2). The TFTP function unit 13 of the OS installation server 10 sends the OS installation program 30 to the main function unit 21 of each host 20 (S108). The processing content of step S108 and step S110, which will be described later, is an example of a software transmission means.

[0051] Then, the main function unit 21 of each host 20 that has acquired the OS installation program 30 executes the OS installation program 30 (S109). While executing the OS installation program 30, the main function unit 21 uses HTTP to send a request to the OS installation server 10 to acquire the OS installation data 40.

[0052] The HTTP function unit 14 of the OS installation server 10 responds with the OS installation data 40 (S110). On each host 20, the main function unit 21 installs the OS installation data 40 obtained.

[0053] When the OS installation in the main function unit 21 is completed, the main function unit 21 performs the OS startup process (S111). During this process, the main function unit 21 first sends an address acquisition request using DHCP in the same manner as when PXE is executed (S111-1).

[0054] The DHCP function unit 12 of the OS installation server 10 that has received the address acquisition request responds with an IP address value corresponding to the MAC address value of the host 20 to the address acquisition request from each host 20 (S112). Each host 20 assigns the obtained IP address value to the address value of the started OS.

[0055] After that, each host 20 starts the SSH service on the OS and enables communication with other devices using the SSH protocol (S111-2).

[0056] On the other hand, while each host 20 is performing the OS installation and the OS startup process, the host control unit 11 of the OS installation server 10 waits until communication can be established using the SSH protocol between the main function units 21 of each host 20 (S113). Then, when the OS startup process (the process of step S111 described above) of each host 20 is completed and the SSH service is started, the connection of the SSH protocol between the host control unit 11 of the OS installation server 10 and each host 20 is completed.

[0057] After that, the host control unit 11 of the OS installation server 10 transfers the individual setting data of each host 20 to the main function unit 21 of each host 20 using the connected SSH protocol (S114).

[0058] Subsequently, the host control unit 11 instructs the main functional units 21 of each host 20 to restart (S115).

[0059] Each host 20 performs a restart process according to the instruction of the OS installation server 10 (starts up while reflecting the individual setting data) (S116).

[0060] (A-3) Effects of the First Embodiment According to the first embodiment, the following effects are obtained.

[0061] By providing a control module 22 separately from the main functional unit 21 on the host side and enabling the acquisition of the MAC address on the main functional unit 21 side via the control module 22, it becomes possible to assign an arbitrary IP address to the host side during OS installation. Furthermore, by instructing the PXE operation to a plurality of hosts 20 from the OS installation server 10 via the control module 22, it becomes possible to install the OS on multiple hosts simultaneously without any operation on the host side.

[0062] Also, when the main functional unit 21 of each host 20 starts up after the OS installation is completed, since the IP address value assigned on the OS installation server side is given, the OS installation server side can correctly identify the main functional unit 21 of each host 20. Then, the OS installation server 10 can apply unique settings to all the hosts 20 by connecting to each host 20 via SSH and transferring the host-specific setting data.

[0063] Furthermore, even when changing the OS setting content of the main functional unit 21 on the host side, on the OS installation server side, after changing the host management data D1 and performing the installation operation again, it is possible to change the host-side environment without the need for an operation on the host side.

[0064] Even if the host 20 physically fails and is replaced by another device, it is possible to restore the host by simply setting the IP address of the control module of the host (the control module IP address in the host management data D1) and performing the installation operation again without changing the settings on the OS installation server side.

[0065] (B) Second Embodiment Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the installation server, installation control program, installation control method, and installation system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0066] In the first embodiment, only a single OS could be installed on a plurality of hosts, but in the second embodiment, an example of installing an individual OS (any OS) on each host will be shown.

[0067] (B-1) Configuration of the Second Embodiment Regarding the configuration of the OS installation system 1 of the second embodiment, it can be basically shown using FIG. 3 in the same manner as the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, an OS installation server 10A (FIG. 7) is applied instead of the OS installation server 10 of the first embodiment, and a host 20A (FIG. 11) is applied instead of the host 20 of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the description will be centered on the differences.

[0068] [Configuration of OS Installation Server] FIG. 7 is an internal configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of the OS installation server according to the second embodiment.

[0069] In FIG. 7, the OS installation server 10A has a host control unit 11A, a DHCP function unit 12, a TFTP function unit 13A, an HTTP function unit 14A, and a transmission line 15 used for communication between each component and other devices. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described centering on the differences from the OS installation server 10 of the first embodiment.

[0070] The OS installation server 10A may be configured entirely in hardware (for example, using a dedicated semiconductor chip), or may be configured partially or entirely in software for components other than the communication interface such as the transmission line 15. For example, for the OS installation server 10A shown in FIG. 7, each component other than the transmission line 15 may be configured by installing a program (installation control program according to the embodiment) on a computer.

[0071] The host control unit 11A holds host management data D2 as computer management information. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of host management data according to the second embodiment.

[0072] In FIG. 8, the host management data D2 has an "installed OS identification number" in addition to each item of the above-described host management data D1. The installed OS identification number is an identifier used to identify the OS to be installed on each host 20A. In FIG. 8, for the host 20A with the host name "aaaaa", "1" is set as the installed OS identification number, for the host 20A with the host name "bbbbb", the installed OS identification number is "2", and for the host 20A with the host name "ccccc", the installed OS identification number is "3". Although an example is shown in the above example where different installed OS identification numbers are set for each host 20A, the same OS identification number may be set for a plurality of some hosts 20A, or if there is only one type of OS to be installed, the same OS identification number may be set for all hosts 20A. In any case, which OS is installed on which host 20A depends on the setting of the host management data D2.

[0073] When the TFTP function unit 13A receives a download request for the OS installation program (OS setup program) 30A from the host 20A via TFTP, it has a function of responding with the OS installation program 30A via TFTP.

[0074] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the OS installation program according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 9, OS installation programs P (P1 to P3) that each host 20A executes according to the installed OS identification number are shown. When the host 20A executes the OS installation program 30A, the OS installation program 30A requests the OS installation server 10A for the character string of the installed OS identification number and executes the lower-level OS installation program P according to the obtained identification number.

[0075] The HTTP function unit 14A has a function of responding with the OS installation data 40A corresponding to the request by HTTP when receiving a download request for the OS installation data 40A by HTTP from the host 20A.

[0076] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the OS installation data according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the OS installation data 40A has OS installation data for each type of OS to be installed. For example, when the HTTP function unit 14A receives a download request for the installation data of OS1 from the host 20A (OS installation program P1), it responds with the OS installation data of OS1.

[0077] [Configuration of Host] FIG. 11 is an internal configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of the host according to the second embodiment.

[0078] In FIG. 11, the host 20A includes a main function unit 21A, a control module 22A, one or more transmission lines 23 (23-1 to 23-n) for connecting the main function unit 21A to other devices, a transmission line 24 for connecting the control module 22A to other devices, a transmission line 25 for connecting between the control module 22A and the main function unit 21A, and a transmission line 29 for connecting between the console input / output port 27 of the control module 22A and the console input / output port 26 of the main function unit 21A.

[0079] The main functional unit 21A of the second embodiment has a console input / output port 26. Similarly, the control module 22A of the second embodiment has a console input / output port 27. Between the control module 22A and the main functional unit 21A, they are connected via the console input / output ports 26 and 27 (transmission line 29) separately from the above-mentioned transmission line 25. The console input / output ports 26 and 27 are, for example, serial ports.

[0080] The control module 22A can use these console input / output ports 26 and 27 to input a character string to the main functional unit 21A and obtain a character string from the main functional unit 21A. Details about the control module 22A and the main functional unit 21A obtaining the installed OS identification number (character string) from the host 20A and using the installed OS identification number through the console input / output ports 26 and 27 will be described in the operation section.

[0081] (B-2) Operation of the Second Embodiment Next, the characteristic operations in the OS installation system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0082] FIGS. 12 to 14 are sequence diagrams showing the characteristic operations of the OS installation system according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of performing multiple types of OS installations and settings on a plurality of hosts 20A simultaneously and in parallel from the OS installation server 10A will be described. Note that the processing of steps S101 to S108 in FIG. 12 is the same as the processing described in FIG. 5 above, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0083] Hereinafter, the description will focus on the processing of steps S201 to S204 (FIG. 13), which are the specific processing of the OS installation system 1 of the second embodiment.

[0084] After the above-mentioned step S108, the main functional unit 21A of each host 20A that has obtained the OS installation program 30A executes the OS installation program 30A (S201).

[0085] First, the main functional unit 21A (OS installation program 30A) requests the control module 22A for the character string of the installed OS identification number via the console input / output port 26 (S201-1).

[0086] The control module 22A transfers the request obtained via the console input / output port 27 to the OS installation server 10A (S202).

[0087] The OS installation server 10A designates (returns) the installed OS identification number according to the host management data D2 for the above request (S203). The control module 22A inputs the character string of the installed OS identification number designated via the console input / output port 27 to the OS installation program 30A of the main functional unit 21A.

[0088] Subsequently, the OS installation program 30A starts the execution of the OS installation program P according to the installed OS identification number, and transmits a request for acquiring the OS installation data 40A described in each OS installation program P to the OS installation server 10A using HTTP (S201-2).

[0089] The HTTP functional unit 14A of the OS installation server 10A responds with the OS installation data 40A corresponding to the request (S204). On each host 20A, the main functional unit 21 performs the installation of each OS installation data 40A acquired (S201-3). The subsequent operations (Figure 14) are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the description is omitted.

[0090] (B-3) Effects of the Second Embodiment According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0091] In the second embodiment, console input / output ports 26 and 27 are provided between the main functional unit 21A and the control module 22A, and the control module 22A can relay a character string request (installed OS identification number) from the main functional unit 21A to the OS installation server 10A, so that the OS installation server 10A can recognize the character string request from the main functional unit 21A. Also, by enabling the control module 22 to transfer character string input to the main functional unit 21A, character string input from the OS installation server 10A to the main functional unit 21A has become possible.

[0092] Then, by configuring the OS installation program 30A to be a program capable of requesting the installed OS identification number from the OS installation server 10A and installing the OS according to the installed OS identification number specified by the server, it has become possible to install different types of OSs on each host.

[0093] (C) Third Embodiment Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the installation server, installation control program, installation control method, and installation system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0094] In the second embodiment, an example of realizing installation of multiple types of OSs by providing a console input / output port to the host was shown. However, in the third embodiment, an example of realizing it by providing the OS installation server with a plurality of individual TFTP functional units and a TFTP distribution unit for distributing requests to each TFTP functional unit will be shown.

[0095] (C-1) Configuration of the Third Embodiment Regarding the configuration of the OS installation system 1 of the third embodiment, it can be basically shown using FIG. 3 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, in the third embodiment, the difference is that the OS installation server 10B (FIG. 15) is applied instead of the OS installation server 10 of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the description will focus on the differences.

[0096] [Configuration of OS Installation Server] FIG. 15 is an internal configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of an OS installation server according to the third embodiment.

[0097] In FIG. 15, the OS installation server 10B has a host control unit 11A, a DHCP function unit 12, a TFTP distribution unit 16, a TFTP function unit 13B, an HTTP function unit 14A, and a transmission line 15 used for communication between each component and other devices. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described centering on the differences from the OS installation servers 10 and 10A of the first and second embodiments.

[0098] The OS installation server 10B may be configured entirely in hardware (for example, configured using a dedicated semiconductor chip), or may be configured in software for some or all of the components other than the communication interface such as the transmission line 15. For example, for the OS installation server 10B shown in FIG. 15, each component other than the transmission line can be configured by installing a program (installation control program according to the embodiment) on a computer.

[0099] The TFTP distribution unit 16 has a function of once receiving a packet (TFTP packet) from the host 20 and allocating the packet to each TFTP function unit 13B based on the information of the received packet (source IP address, etc.), the TFTP function unit management data 50, and the above-described host management data D2.

[0100] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the TFTP function unit management data according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 16, the TFTP function unit management data 50 includes the above-described "installation OS identification number", "TFTP function unit allocation" indicating the TFTP function unit 13B that allocates packets based on the installation OS identification number, and "OS installation program" indicating the OS installation program held by each TFTP function unit 13B.

[0101] The TFTP distribution unit 16 obtains the corresponding installed OS identification number from the host management data D2 using the source IP address of the received packet as a key, and then obtains the corresponding TFTP function unit 13B from the TFTP function unit management data 50 using the installed OS identification number as a key, thereby enabling packet distribution (distributing the packet to the hit TFTP function unit 13B).

[0102] Based on the packet distributed from the TFTP distribution unit 16, when the TFTP function unit 13B receives a download request for the OS installation program P (P1 to Pn), it has a function of responding to the OS installation program P held by each TFTP function unit 13 by TFTP. A plurality of TFTP function units 13B (13B-1 to 13B-n) can each respond with a different OS installation program P.

[0103] (C-2) Operations of the Third Embodiment Next, the characteristic operations in the OS installation system 1 according to the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0104] FIGS. 17 and 18 are sequence diagrams showing the characteristic operations of the OS installation system according to the third embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18, the operations of performing multiple types of OS installations and settings on a plurality of hosts 20 from the OS installation server 10B simultaneously and in parallel will be described. Note that the processing of steps S101 to S107 in FIG. 17 is the same as the processing described in FIG. 5 above, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0105] Hereinafter, the description will focus on the processing of steps S301 to S304 (FIGS. 17 and 18), which are the specific processing of the OS installation system 1 of the third embodiment.

[0106] After the above step S106-2, the TFTP distribution unit 16 of the OS installation server 10B receives a request to acquire the OS installation program from the host 20, and distributes packets to each TFTP function unit 13B according to the installation OS identification number described in the host management data D2 acquired using the IP address of the host 20 (the source address of the received packet) as a key and the TFTP function unit management data 50 (S301).

[0107] Each TFTP function unit 13B to which the acquisition request is distributed by the TFTP distribution unit 16 transmits the OS installation program P (in the example of FIG. 17, the OS installation programs P1 and P2) that it holds (S302).

[0108] Then, the main function unit 21 of each host 20 that has acquired the OS installation program P executes the OS installation program P (S303). Here, in the PXE execution of the above step S106, each has acquired a different OS installation program P, and here, the acquired OS installation program P will be executed respectively.

[0109] During the execution of the OS installation program P, each main function unit 21 transmits a request to acquire different OS installation data 40A to the OS installation server 10 using HTTP (S303-1).

[0110] The HTTP function unit 14A of the OS installation server 10 responds with the OS installation data 40A (S304). On each host 20, the main function unit 21 installs the acquired OS installation data 40A (S303-2). Since the subsequent operations are the same as those in the second embodiment (the same as FIG. 14), the description is omitted.

[0111] (C-3) Effects of the Third Embodiment According to the third embodiment, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those in the second embodiment (able to install different types of OSs on each host) only by implementing the OS installation server.

[0112] (D) Fourth Embodiment Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the installation server, installation control program, installation control method, and installation system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0113] In the third embodiment, an example of realizing a plurality of types of OS installations by providing a TFTP distribution unit and a plurality of TFTP function units was shown. In the fourth embodiment, an example of realizing a plurality of types of OS installations by assigning IP addresses to each of the plurality of TFTP function units will be shown.

[0114] (D-1) Configuration of the Fourth Embodiment Regarding the configuration of the OS installation system 1 of the fourth embodiment, it can be basically shown using FIG. 3 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, in the fourth embodiment, instead of the OS installation server 10 of the first embodiment, an OS installation server 10C (FIG. 19) is applied, and instead of the host 20 of the first embodiment, a host 20C (FIG. 21) is applied. Hereinafter, the description will be centered on the differences.

[0115] [Configuration of the OS Installation Server] FIG. 19 is an internal configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of the OS installation server according to the fourth embodiment.

[0116] In FIG. 19, the OS installation server 10C has a host control unit 11C, a DHCP function unit 12, TFTP function units 13C (13C-1 to 13C-n), an HTTP function unit 14A, and a transmission line 15 used for communication between each component and other devices. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described centering on the differences from the OS installation servers 10 (10A, 10B) of the first to third embodiments.

[0117] The OS installation server 10C may be configured entirely in hardware (for example, using a dedicated semiconductor chip), or may be configured partially or entirely in software except for communication interfaces such as the transmission line 15. For example, for the OS installation server 10C shown in FIG. 19, each component other than the transmission line 15 may be configured by installing a program (installation control program according to the embodiment) on a computer.

[0118] The host control unit 11C of the fourth embodiment has TFTP function unit management data 60. FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of TFTP function unit management data according to the fourth embodiment.

[0119] In addition to the items of the above-described TFTP function unit management data 50, this TFTP function unit management data 60 holds "TFTP function unit IP address", which is information on the IP address assigned to each TFTP function unit 13C. Based on the IP address information of this TFTP function unit management data 60, the host control unit 11C assigns individual IP addresses to each TFTP function unit 13C via the DHCP function unit 12C.

[0120] The TFTP function unit 13C has the same functions as the above-described TFTP function unit 13B, except that an IP address is individually assigned.

[0121] The DHCP function unit 12C assigns IP addresses to each host 20C, and assigns individual IP addresses to each TFTP function unit 13C according to a request from the host control unit 11C. Further, when notifying the IP address assigned to each host 20C, the DHCP function unit 12C also notifies the IP address of the TFTP function unit 13C corresponding to the installation OS identification number to which each host 20C belongs, according to the host management data D2 and the TFTP function unit management data 60.

[0122] [Configuration of Host] FIG. 21 is an internal configuration diagram showing the internal configuration of a host according to the fourth embodiment.

[0123] In FIG. 21, the host 20C includes a main functional unit 21C, a control module 22, one or more transmission lines 23 (23-1 to 23-n) for connecting the main functional unit 21C to other devices, a transmission line 24 for connecting the control module 22 to other devices, and a transmission line 25 for connecting the control module 22 and the main functional unit 21C.

[0124] When the main functional unit 21 of the third embodiment executes the PXE function, in addition to allocating an IP address to itself, it acquires the IP address of the TFTP functional unit 13C as the IP address of the following destination. Then, it makes a request to acquire the OS installation program with the acquired IP address of the TFTP functional unit 13C as the destination. The operation after acquiring the OS installation program is the same as that of each of the above-described embodiments.

[0125] (D-2) Operation of the Fourth Embodiment Next, the characteristic operation in the OS installation system 1 according to the fourth embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0126] FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram showing the characteristic operation of the OS installation system according to the fourth embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 22, the operation of performing a plurality of types of OS installations and settings simultaneously and in parallel on a plurality of hosts 20C from the OS installation server 10C will be described. Note that the processing of steps S101 to S105 (excluding step S103) in FIG. 22 is the same as the processing described in FIG. 5 above, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0127] Hereinafter, the description will focus on the processing of steps S401 to S404, which are specific processes of the OS installation system 1 of the fourth embodiment.

[0128] After the above step S102, the host control unit 11C of the OS installation server 10C registers the acquired MAC address, the IP address for OS installation of the target host 20C (the IP address for OS installation of the target host 20C described in the host management data D2), and the IP address of each TFTP function unit 13C (the IP address of each TFTP function unit 13C described in the TFTP function unit management data 60) with the DHCP function unit 12 (S401).

[0129] Then, after the above step S105, when the main function unit 21C of each host 20C executes the PXE operation (S402), first, it sends an address acquisition request using DHCP (S402-1). Then, the DHCP function unit 12 of the OS installation server 10C that has received the address acquisition request responds with an IP address value corresponding to the MAC address value of each host 20C to the address acquisition request from each host 20C, and notifies the IP address assigned to the TFTP function unit 13C (S403). Each host 20C assigns the acquired IP address value to the address value of the main function unit 21.

[0130] Next, the main function unit 21C of each host 20C sends a request to acquire the OS installation program P to the TFTP function unit 13C of the OS installation server 10C using TFTP for the notified TFTP function unit 13C (S402-2). Each TFTP function unit 13C of the OS installation server 10C sends the OS installation program P to the main function unit 21C of each host 20C (S404). Since the subsequent operations are the same as those in the third embodiment (the same as FIGS. 18 and 14), the description is omitted.

[0131] (D-3) Effects of the Fourth Embodiment According to the fourth embodiment, by only implementing the OS installation server, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those in the third embodiment without providing a TFTP distribution unit 16 as in the third embodiment. In particular, since the TFTP distribution unit 16 can be eliminated, there is an advantage that it is easy to apply to a server with limited processing resources (such as a CPU and memory).

[0132] (E) Other Embodiments Although various modified embodiments have been mentioned in each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention can also be applied to the following modified embodiments.

[0133] (E-1) In each of the above-described embodiments, it is assumed that the IP network M is a LAN (a network within the same segment), but a wide-area network such as the Internet may be applied. In this case, in the OS installation system 1, a router may be arranged between the host 20 and the IP network M, and the router may have the function of the DHCP function unit 12 of the OS installation server 10.

[0134] (E-2) In each of the above-described embodiments, the description has been made on the premise that the main function units 21 (21A, 21C) of the host 20 (20A, 20C) and the control module 22 (22A) are hardware-independent, but some configurations such as network cards may be common.

[0135] [[ID=?]] (E-3) In each of the above-described embodiments, DHCP, HTTP, TFTP, and SSH etc. have been described as examples of the protocols used by the OS installation server 10 (10A to 10C) and each host 20 (20A, 20C), but the protocols to be used are not limited to these, and protocols having the same functions as each protocol may be used.

[0136] (E-4) In each of the above-described embodiments, the types of the OS to be installed on the host 20 (20A, 20C) have not been particularly described, but the types of the OS to be installed are not limited, and for example, OSs such as UNIX (registered trademark) and Windows (registered trademark) can be applied. Further, the software to be installed is not limited to the OS, and various kinds of software may be applied.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0137] It should be noted that there seems to be a missing number in the tag ID in the original text. I've left it as it is in the translation for consistency with the original. If this is an error, please correct it in the original text for a more accurate translation.1…OS installation system, 10, 10A~10C…OS installation servers, 11, 11A, 11C…host control units, 12, 12C…DHCP function units, 13, 13A~13B…TFTP function units, 14, 14A…HTTP function units, 15…transmission line, 16…TFTP distribution unit, 20, 20A, 20C…hosts, 21…main function unit, 22, 22A…control modules, 23~25, 29…transmission lines, 26, 27…console input / output ports, 30, 30A, P…OS installation programs, 40, 40A…OS installation data, 50, 60…TFTP function unit management data, D1, D2…host management data, M…IP network.

Claims

1. An installation server that controls the installation of software on a plurality of computers connected via a network and composed of a main functional unit and an auxiliary functional unit, a computer management information holding means for holding computer management information including information on IP addresses pre-assigned to the auxiliary functional units of each of the plurality of computers and information on installation IP addresses assigned to the main functional units of each of the plurality of computers; a MAC address acquisition means for acquiring the MAC address of the main functional unit via the auxiliary functional unit of each of the plurality of computers; associating and holding the MAC address of the main functional unit of each of the acquired plurality of computers with the installation IP address described in the computer management information assigned to the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers, and if there is a request for IP address assignment from the main functional unit, an IP address assignment means for assigning the corresponding installation IP address to each MAC address; a network boot instruction means for instructing each of the auxiliary functional units of the plurality of computers to execute a network boot for the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers; software transmission means for transmitting the software to be installed on the main functional unit after assigning the installation IP address to the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers that execute the network boot, using the IP address assignment means An installation server characterized by comprising.

2. The computer management information includes first identifiers respectively associated with each type of software installed on the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers, The software transmission means transmits the software to be installed on the main functional unit based on the first identifier The installation server according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The first identifier can be input and output through a console input / output port for the main functional unit and the auxiliary functional unit, When the main functional unit executes the network boot, after obtaining, via the auxiliary functional unit, the first identifier corresponding to each of the plurality of computers from the computer management information of the installation server, a request is made to transmit a program for installing the software based on the first identifier. The installation server according to claim 2, characterized in that.

4. It has software transmission management information holding means for holding software transmission management information including information on a plurality of first transmission functional units that hold programs for installing the software for each of the first identifiers. The software transmission means is When receiving a transmission request for the software based on the network boot, using the IP address of each main functional unit of the plurality of computers that are the request sources as a key from the computer management information, the corresponding first identifier is obtained, and further, using the obtained first identifier as a key, information on the corresponding first transmission functional unit is obtained from the software transmission management information, and a distribution unit that distributes the transmission request to the corresponding first transmission functional unit. And a plurality of first transmission functional units that transmit a program for installing the software based on the first identifier to the main functional unit. The installation server according to claim 2, characterized in that.

5. It has software transmission management information holding means for holding software transmission management information including information on a plurality of first transmission functional units that hold programs for installing the software for each of the first identifiers. The software transmission means has the plurality of first transmission functional units. The IP address assignment means assigns an IP address to each of the plurality of first transmission functional units based on the software transmission management information, and notifies the main functional unit that executes the network boot of the IP address assigned to each of the plurality of first transmission functional units. When each of the plurality of first transmission functional units receives a transmission request for the software based on the network boot addressed to its own IP address, it transmits a program for installing the software based on the first identifier to the main functional unit. The installation server according to claim 2, characterized in that.

6. The computer management information includes individual setting information that is setting information individually applied to the software to be installed in each of the main functional units of the plurality of computers. The software transmission means transmits the individual setting information of each of the plurality of corresponding computers after installing the software in the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers. The installation server according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that.

7. The software is an operating system. The IP address assignment means is realized by using DHCP. The software transmission means is realized by using TFTP and HTTP. The installation server according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that.

8. A computer mounted on an installation server that controls the installation of software on a plurality of computers connected via a network and composed of a main functional unit and an auxiliary functional unit, and includes information on IP addresses pre-assigned to the auxiliary functional units of each of the plurality of computers and information on installation IP addresses assigned to the main functional units of each of the computers. MAC address acquisition means for acquiring the MAC address of the main functional unit via the auxiliary functional unit of each of the plurality of computers. The MAC address of the main functional unit of each of the plurality of acquired computers is associated with and held with the installation IP address described in the computer management information assigned to the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers. If there is a request for IP address assignment from the main functional unit, IP address assignment means for assigning the corresponding installation IP address to each MAC address. Network boot instruction means for instructing each of the auxiliary functional units of the plurality of computers to execute network boot for each of the main functional units of the plurality of computers. After assigning the installation IP address to the main functional unit of each of the plurality of computers that execute the network boot by using the IP address assignment means, software transmission means for transmitting the software to be installed in the main functional unit. An installation control program characterized by causing [it] to function.

9. The computer management information includes first identifiers respectively associated with each type of software installed in each of the main functional units of the plurality of computers, and the software transmission means transmits the software to be installed in the main functional unit based on the first identifier. The installation control program according to claim 8, characterized by the above.

10. An installation control method for use in an installation server that controls the installation of software on a plurality of computers connected via a network and composed of a main functional unit and an auxiliary functional unit, and holds computer management information including information on IP addresses pre-assigned to the auxiliary functional units of each of the plurality of computers and information on installation IP addresses to be assigned to the main functional units of each of the plurality of computers, wherein the installation server has a MAC address acquisition means, an IP address assignment means, a network boot instruction means, and a software transmission means, the MAC address acquisition means acquires the MAC address of the main functional unit via the auxiliary functional unit of each of the plurality of computers, the IP address assignment means associates and holds the MAC address of each of the main functional units of the plurality of computers acquired with the installation IP address described in the computer management information to be assigned to each of the main functional units of the plurality of computers, and if there is a request for IP address assignment from the main functional unit, assigns the corresponding installation IP address to each MAC address, the network boot instruction means instructs each of the auxiliary functional units of the plurality of computers to execute network boot on each of the main functional units of the plurality of computers, and the software transmission means, after assigning the installation IP address to each of the main functional units of the plurality of computers that execute network boot using the IP address assignment means, transmits the software to be installed in the main functional unit. An installation control method characterized by the above.

11. The computer management information includes first identifiers respectively associated with each type of software installed in each of the main functional units of the plurality of computers. The software transmission means transmits the software to be installed in the main functional unit based on the first identifier. The installation control method according to claim 10, characterized in that.

12. A software installation system including a plurality of computers connected via a network and composed of a main functional unit and an auxiliary functional unit, and an installation server. An installation system characterized in that the installation server according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is applied as the installation server.

Images