Bootstrap Configuration for Automated Device Setup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Providing configuration settings for large groups of computing devices is costly and difficult, as it typically requires individual technician intervention or user configuration, increasing expenses and complexity for entities like businesses and schools.
Innovation Solution
A bootstrap configuration system that allows entities to provide a device configuration file to computing devices, using a reference to a server location, enabling automated configuration and ongoing management, thereby simplifying the process and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If individual technician configuration is used for each computing device, then configuration accuracy and control are improved, but labor cost and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a master configuration profile that contains all necessary configuration settings. This profile can be copied and applied to multiple computing devices simultaneously, ensuring consistent configuration accuracy across all devices while eliminating the need for individual technician intervention on each device.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration settings are prepared in advance in a master profile before deployment. This preliminary action allows all configuration parameters to be predefined and validated once, then automatically applied to numerous devices, dramatically reducing the time required compared to individual configuration while maintaining precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual user configuration is required for each device, then configuration flexibility is improved, but support cost and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a configuration management system that acts as an intermediary between the master profile and individual devices. This system automatically distributes and applies configuration settings, reducing operational complexity while preserving flexibility through the ability to create and manage multiple profile templates with different configuration options.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration profile system is designed to be universal, capable of managing diverse computing devices through a single interface. The system can handle multiple configuration types and device variants, reducing support complexity while maintaining adaptability through parameterized profile templates.
3Productivity
If automated configuration is implemented, then productivity and cost-effectiveness are improved, but configuration control and precision may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration management system incorporates feedback mechanisms that verify successful application of configuration profiles to devices. The system can detect and report configuration errors, allowing for corrective action while maintaining automated high-volume deployment. This feedback loop ensures configuration control is preserved despite automation.
Solution Approach 2:
All configuration parameters are validated and prepared in advance in the master profile before automated deployment begins. This preliminary validation ensures configuration precision is maintained, as errors are caught during profile creation rather than during device configuration, allowing high-speed automated application without sacrificing control.
Data Source
AI summary
In the described embodiments, a device configuration file is used to set configuration settings on a computing device during a configuration operation (e.g., an initial configuration or a re-configuration of the computing device). The device configuration file is retrieved from a location where the device configuration file is hosted using a reference to the location from a bootstrap configuration. The bootstrap configuration is provided by a bootstrap configuration server and is retrieved by the computing device from the bootstrap configuration server during the configuration operation.