Hypervisor-Based Remote Booting for Diskless Clients

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Solution Overview

Problem

Most operating systems are not conducive to remote booting, requiring costly modifications to accommodate diskless systems, as they are typically configured for local storage and lack versatility in booting arrangements.

Innovation Solution

Employing a hypervisor that captures and diverts communication actions from the operating system to remote storage, allowing for various booting arrangements without modifying the operating system, thereby enabling remote booting in diskless client systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If operating systems are configured for local storage booting, then they can boot from local hard drives, but they cannot boot from remote storage without costly modifications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebooting arrangement versatilityVSAvoidOS modification cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

A hypervisor is introduced as an intermediary layer between the operating system and the storage device. The hypervisor intercepts boot requests from the OS and redirects them to remote storage devices, allowing the OS to boot from remote storage without any modifications to the OS itself. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining OS compatibility while enabling remote booting capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system is segmented into distinct layers: the hypervisor layer that handles storage abstraction and the OS layer that remains unchanged. By separating the boot redirection functionality into a standalone hypervisor component, the OS maintains its original local-storage-oriented design while the hypervisor provides the remote booting capability, eliminating the need for costly OS modifications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If a hypervisor is introduced to enable remote booting, then booting versatility is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebooting arrangement versatilityVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hypervisor is designed to automatically intercept and redirect boot requests without requiring manual configuration or complex management intervention. The system self-manages the boot process by having the hypervisor naturally intercept OS boot calls and redirect them to appropriate remote storage devices, reducing operational complexity despite the added architectural layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8898355B2Diskless client using a hypervisor

Publication Date: 2014.11.25 LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH

AI summary

An arrangement for facilitating remote booting in diskless client systems as just described. To this end, there is broadly contemplated herein the employment of a hypervisor that can freely accommodate a variety of booting arrangements for a given OS. This then ensures that few if any modifications, especially costly ones, would need to be made to the OS to ensure greater versatility.