RAM Disk Boot Image for Non-Intrusive IT Endpoint Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IT systems face challenges in efficiently and remotely managing and deploying images across multiple machines within an enterprise environment, especially when local disks are corrupted or locked by running programs, preventing non-intrusive data harvesting and deployment.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a boot image that instantiates a RAM disk on managed endpoints, allowing for remote harvesting and deployment of images by comparing hashes to determine unique data, and using a RAM disk to bypass local disk issues, enabling efficient and non-intrusive image management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a boot image is executed from the local disk, then the system can operate normally, but the local disk becomes locked and cannot be read or written to by external systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a boot image as an intermediary component that mediates between the local disk and the remote imaging system. The boot image is executed from the local disk but creates a RAM disk as an intermediate storage layer, allowing the system to operate while the RAM disk serves as a accessible copy for remote imaging operations without locking the original local disk.
2Reliability
If the local disk is corrupted or locked by running programs, then normal booting fails, but the disk data cannot be accessed for imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating a boot image and RAM disk before the local disk corruption or locking occurs. The boot image is prepared in advance and can be executed to create a functional RAM disk environment even when the local disk is compromised, allowing data to be accessed and imaged before the corruption prevents further access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating a boot image that is a copy of the essential system data, and then creating a RAM disk that serves as a working copy of this boot image. This copying mechanism allows the system to operate from the copied data in the RAM disk while the original local disk remains accessible for imaging purposes, even when corrupted or locked.
3Extent of automation
If images are stored in a library for deployment to multiple machines, then image management is improved, but storage efficiency and retrieval speed may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating boot images that can be stored in a library and deployed to multiple machines. The boot image serves as a reusable template that can be copied and deployed efficiently across multiple endpoints, improving automation while maintaining deployment speed through the use of standardized, pre-configured image templates.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and computer program product for harvesting an image from a local disk of a managed endpoint to an image library is provided. In an embodiment of the method for harvesting an image, a managed endpoint is provided with a boot image that causes the endpoint to instantiate a RAM disk and execute the boot image from the RAM disk. The boot image is used to harvest an image by determining data on a local disk of the managed endpoint to be included in the image that are not already stored in the image library. In one embodiment, this is done by comparing hashes calculated on the data on the local disk to hashes of data in the image library. The data not already stored in the image library are then copied to the image library.