Stateless Flexible Boot Control for Data Center Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current booting techniques in data centers are inflexible, often skipping essential devices or prioritizing them incorrectly, leading to inefficient operating system loading due to the inability to selectively order specific devices within device types during the boot process.
Innovation Solution
A management system generates and sends server management policies that include attributes to determine a priority order for boot devices, allowing the server to selectively initialize only necessary devices in the correct order, thereby optimizing the boot process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the server initializes all boot devices in the boot list, then device compatibility is improved, but boot time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary boot devices from the initialization process by comparing the boot list against currently hosted device identifiers. Only devices that match the boot list are initialized, while non-matching devices are skipped, thereby reducing boot time without affecting compatibility of required devices
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of initializing all devices in the boot list (excessive action), the patent applies partial action by selectively initializing only the subset of devices that are currently hosted and match the boot list attributes, avoiding unnecessary initialization of unavailable or irrelevant devices
2Stability of the object's composition
If the server uses a fixed boot order for device types, then system stability is improved, but adaptability to specific device configurations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static, fixed boot order into a dynamic configuration by allowing the boot list to be updated with specific device identifiers and attributes. The boot process adapts to current device configurations while maintaining the structured order defined in the boot list, achieving both stability and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different device types to have specific attributes and priorities defined in the boot list. Each device can be individually configured with its own boot priority and attributes, enabling fine-grained control over the boot process while maintaining overall system stability
3Reliability
If the server checks memory capacity for all devices, then boot reliability is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the memory capacity checking operation to apply only to devices that are currently hosted and match the boot list. By removing the checking step for non-matching devices, the system maintains boot reliability for required devices while reducing processing overhead
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are provided herein for optimizing boot order for devices in a data center environment. These techniques may be embodied as a method, apparatus and instructions in a computer-readable storage media to perform the method. A computing apparatus having connectivity to a network receives instructions from a management device in the network. The instructions comprise attributes that are associated with boot devices hosted by the computing apparatus. The attributes are analyzed to determine a priority order for the boot devices. One or more boot devices hosted by the computing apparatus is removed from an initialization process when the one or more boot devices do not match the attributes in the instructions. The remaining boot devices, other than the one or more boot device removed from the initialization process, are initialized in accordance with the priority order.