Boot Drive Selection via Watermark Verification

Solution Overview

Problem

The selection of a system boot drive in computer systems is unreliable and inconsistent, often requiring user input and leading to difficulties in provisioning the operating system, especially in organizations that require consistent configurations.

Innovation Solution

A storage device selector process that automatically identifies the boot drive using a watermark with a token, timestamp, and checksum, which is written during the booting process and verified in subsequent runtime environments, allowing for reliable and consistent selection without user input.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If filtering mechanisms are used to select boot drive, then the selection process is automated, but the reliability and consistency of selection deteriorates when storage devices have identical criteria

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboot drive selection automationVSAvoidboot drive selection reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by writing a watermark with unique identification data to the selected boot drive during the boot process, before the operating system fully loads. This preliminary marking ensures that the boot drive is reliably identified and remembered in subsequent operations, preventing incorrect selections even when multiple drives have identical characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by scanning for the watermark after booting to verify and confirm the selected boot drive. This feedback mechanism ensures that the drive selected during booting is correctly identified and remembered, providing reliable confirmation of the selection process and preventing errors in subsequent operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If user input is required for boot drive selection, then the ease of operation improves, but the productivity and time efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboot drive selection easeVSAvoidprovisioning speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically selecting and marking the boot drive without requiring user intervention. The watermark mechanism enables the system to autonomously remember and verify the selected drive, eliminating the need for users to manually select drives during provisioning while maintaining operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If filtering mechanisms are used to select boot drive, then the ease of operation improves, but the reliability deteriorates when storage devices have identical optimal criteria

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboot drive selection easeVSAvoidboot drive selection reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by writing a watermark with unique identification data to the selected boot drive during the boot process, before the operating system fully loads. This preliminary marking ensures that the boot drive is reliably identified and remembered in subsequent operations, preventing incorrect selections even when multiple drives have identical characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by scanning for the watermark after booting to verify and confirm the selected boot drive. This feedback mechanism ensures that the drive selected during booting is correctly identified and remembered, providing reliable confirmation of the selection process and preventing errors in subsequent operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8127122B2Selection of boot drive in a computer system

Publication Date: 2012.02.28 HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEV LP

AI summary

A boot drive of a computing system is identified during at least two runtime environment of the computer system. The computer system includes at least two storage devices. An indicia is created on a selected storage device. The at least two storage devices are scanned for the indicia during a subsequent runtime environment of the computer system after the first runtime environment.