Automated OS Image Installer for Server Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Labor-intensive manual tasks in maintaining and installing operating systems on networked devices are prone to errors and inefficiencies, particularly in ensuring identical file structures across servers to maintain compatibility and reduce downtime.
Innovation Solution
An automated OS image installer, implemented as a collection of UNIX shell and Perl scripts, provides a menu-driven program to collect server information and automate the OS installation process, integrating native installation routines and vendor software to streamline the deployment of OS and additional software across an enterprise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual installation procedures are used, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but installation time and error rate increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates master images containing pre-configured operating system installations with all necessary software, drivers, and settings prepared in advance. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for manual configuration during actual installation, significantly reducing installation time while maintaining consistency across multiple deployments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses master images that can be copied and deployed to multiple target systems. These images contain complete operating system installations that can be replicated across numerous machines, ensuring identical configurations and eliminating repetitive manual installation tasks while maintaining adaptability through selective image creation.
2Reliability
If manual installation procedures are used, then customization capability is maintained, but consistency and reliability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares master images in advance with all operating system configurations, software installations, and system settings pre-configured. This preliminary action ensures that every deployment uses the same validated configuration, guaranteeing consistency and reliability across all installed systems while simplifying the actual deployment process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures that all target systems receive identical master images containing the same operating system version, software packages, and configuration settings. This homogeneity approach guarantees that all deployed systems have uniform file structures and configurations, improving reliability and ease of maintenance while reducing process complexity.
3Loss of time
If separate installation procedures are used for OS and core software, then flexibility is maintained, but installation time and potential for error increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines operating system installation with core software installation into a single integrated process. The master images contain both the operating system and all necessary core software pre-configured to work together, eliminating the need for separate installation procedures and reducing both time and complexity while maintaining flexibility through unified image management.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device prompts a user to supply installation parameters for joint installation of an operating system and core software on a server device, and stores, in a memory, the installation parameters received from the user. The computing device provides, to the server device, instructions to install an image of the operating system directly to volumes for the core software, where the instructions require input of installation parameters during the installation. The computing device also receives, from the server device and during the operating system installation, requests for the installation parameters. The computing device sends, to the server device, the stored installation parameters that are responsive to the requests for the installation parameters.