Methods and apparatus for building system images and split booting

1. A machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a first processing system to perform a method for facilitating split booting, the instructions comprising code for:

facilitating executing, from a memory of a first computing device, a base system image file of a system, wherein the base system image file and an extended system image file of the system are built from a single executable system image file of the system, wherein the base system image file comprises a first set of functions of an operating system, wherein the extended system image file comprises a second set of functions of the operating system, wherein the base system image file is to reside in the first computing device during the step of facilitating executing the base system image file;

facilitating initializing components of the first computing device;

loading the extended system image file; and

facilitating executing the extended system image file from the first computing device without booting the first computing device between the step of loading the extended system image file and the step of facilitating executing the extended system image file, wherein the step of facilitating executing the extended system image file occurs after the step of loading.

2. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the extended system image file is to reside in a second computing device during the step of facilitating executing the base system image file,

wherein the second computing device is different from the first computing device,

wherein the first computing device comprises a first processing system, wherein the second computing device comprises a second processing system,

wherein the loading the extended system image file comprises loading the extended system image file onto the first computing device from the second computing device.

3. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the step of facilitating executing the base system image file is the first time the base system image file is being executed from the memory of the first computing device.

4. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the extended system image file further comprises one or more applications, and

wherein the code of facilitating executing the extended system image file comprises code for:

running the one or more applications from the extended system image file, which is on the first computing device, without booting the first computing device between the step of loading and the step of running one or more applications, wherein the step of running occurs after the step of loading.

5. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first set of functions of the operating system contained in the base system image file comprises a sign-on function,

wherein the instructions further comprise code for:

running the sign-on function before the step of loading completes; and

displaying a sign-on window on a display before the step of loading completes to allow a user to enter credential,

wherein the step of running the sign-on function occurs in a foreground, and

wherein the step of loading occurs in a background so that a user is not aware of the step of loading.

6. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first set of functions of the operating system contained in the base system image file comprises basic operating system functions, networking system functions, functions for abstracting and managing drawing objects, and a sign-on function.

7. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first set of functions of the operating system contained in the base system image file comprises: task scheduler, memory management, a network device driver, a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) driver, a graphics display driver, functions for abstracting and managing drawing objects, and a sign-on function,

wherein the second set of functions of the operating system contained in the extended system image file comprises: a connection manager and one or more applications.

8. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first computing device comprises a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory, wherein the volatile memory is the memory,

wherein the base system image file resides in the non-volatile memory before the step of facilitating executing, from the memory of the first computing device, the base system image file,

wherein the instructions further comprise code for:

copying the base system image file from the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory,

wherein the code for facilitating executing, from the memory of the first computing device, the base system image file, comprises code for:

facilitating executing the base system image file from the volatile memory.

9. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first computing device comprises a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory, wherein the volatile memory is the memory,

wherein the non-volatile memory comprises a basic input/output system (BIOS), wherein the instructions further comprise code for:

facilitating executing the BIOS from the non-volatile memory before the step of facilitating executing, from the memory of the first computing device, the base system image file;

copying the BIOS from the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory;

facilitating executing the BIOS from the volatile memory; and

passing a control from the BIOS to the base system image file to facilitate executing the base system image file,

wherein the BIOS facilitates copying of the base system image file from the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the memory is a volatile memory,

wherein the code for facilitating executing the extended system image file comprises codes for:

presenting one or more applications to a user on a display of the first computing device;

running the one or more applications, wherein the one or more applications are part of the extended system image file;

shutting down the system on the first computing device, while power is provided to the first computing device;

retaining the base system image file and the extended system image file in the volatile memory;

restarting the first computing device using the base system image file and the extended system image file in the volatile memory; and

omitting the step of loading the extended system image file, as the volatile memory already contains the extended system image file.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 2 ,

wherein the first computing device comprises a non-volatile read-only memory (ROM) and a volatile read/write memory (RAM),

wherein the first computing device does not comprise a non-volatile flash memory,

wherein the memory is the volatile RAM,

wherein the code for facilitating executing, from the memory of the first computing device, the base system image file, comprises code for facilitating executing, from the volatile RAM of the first computing device, the base system image file,

wherein the code for loading the extended system image file comprises code for loading the extended system image file, from the second computing device over a network, into the volatile RAM of the first computing device at a predetermined memory location at which the extend system image file is linked,

wherein the code for facilitating executing the extended system image file comprises code for running one or more applications of the extended system image file from the volatile RAM,

wherein the base system image file is linked to the extended system image file.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first set of functions of the operating system contained in the base system image file comprises a sign-on function,

wherein the instructions further comprise code for:

running the sign-on function;

displaying a sign-on window on a display to allow a user to enter credential,

determining whether the extended system image file is loaded onto the first computing device;

receiving a user's command without booting the first computing device between the step of loading and the step of receiving the user's command;

performing one of the following based on the user's command:

rebooting the first computing device;

shutting down the first computing device, while power is provided to the first computing device; or

running one or more applications,

wherein if the step of shutting down is selected, then performing the following operations:

retaining the base system image file and the extended system image file in the volatile memory;

restarting the first computing device using the base system image file and the extended system image file in the volatile memory if a system start is initiated; and

omitting the step of loading the extended system image file, as the volatile memory already contains the extended system image file,

wherein the step of loading occurs only if the extended system image file is not already loaded onto the first computing device,

wherein the step of running the sign-on function and the step of displaying the sign-on window overlap in time with the step of loading, if the step of loading occurs.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first computing device comprises a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory, wherein the volatile memory is the memory,

wherein the non-volatile memory comprises one or both of a basic input/output system (BIOS) and the base system image file.

14. A computing device comprising the first processing system and the machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 .

15. A computing device, comprising:

a first processing system;

a memory;

means for facilitating executing, from the memory of the computing device, a base system image file of a system, wherein the base system image file and an extended system image file of the system are built from a single executable system image file of the system, wherein the base system image file comprises a first set of functions of an operating system, wherein the extended system image file comprises a second set of functions of the operating system, wherein the base system image file resides in the computing device during facilitating executing the base system image file;

means for facilitating initializing components of the computing device;

means for loading the extended system image file; and

means for facilitating executing the extended system image file from the computing device without booting the computing device between loading the extended system image file and executing the extended system image file, wherein the facilitating executing the extended system image file is to occur after the loading.

16. A method for facilitating split booting, comprising:

executing, from a memory of a first computing device, a base system image file of a system, wherein the base system image file and an extended system image file of the system are built from a single executable system image file of the system, wherein the base system image file comprises a first set of functions of an operating system, wherein the extended system image file comprises a second set of functions of the operating system, wherein the base system image file resides in the first computing device during the step of executing the base system image file;

initializing components of the first computing device;

loading the extended system image file; and

executing the extended system image file from the first computing device without booting the first computing device between the step of loading the extended system image file and the step of executing the extended system image file, wherein the step of executing the extended system image file occurs after the step of loading.

17. A method for building system images to facilitate split booting, comprising:

building, as a single executable file, a system image file of a system,

wherein the system image file comprises a base portion and an extended portion,

wherein the base portion comprises a first set of functions of an operating system, wherein the first set of functions of the operating system comprises basic operating system functions, networking system functions, functions for abstracting and managing drawing objects, and a sign-on function,

wherein the extended portion comprises a second set of functions of the operating system and one or more applications; and

dividing the system image file into a base system image file and an extended system image file, wherein the base system image file comprises the base portion, and the extended system image file comprises the extended portion.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

copying the base system image file onto a non-volatile memory of a first computing device, and

copying the extended system image file onto a second computing device, to be loaded to the first computing device at a later time.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the non-volatile memory comprises a basic input/output system (BIOS).

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the system image file consists of the base portion and the extended portion, the base system image file consists of the base portion, the extended system image file consists of the extended portion, and the second set of functions of the operating system consists of the remaining functions of the operating system.

21. The method of claim 17 ,

wherein the system consists of a plurality of functions,

wherein the plurality of functions comprise the first set of functions of the operating system, the second set of functions of the operating system and the one or more applications,

wherein the step of building comprises:

compiling the plurality of functions of the system; and

linking the plurality of functions of the system,

wherein the base system image file and the extended system image file are linked together,

wherein the base system image file comprises functions to initialize hardware and software operating environment.

22. The method of claim 17 ,

wherein the method is performed at a computing build device,

wherein the computing build device comprises a memory and a processing system,

wherein the step of building comprises building the system image file of the system onto the memory of the computing build device,

wherein the step of dividing is performed by the processing system,

wherein the base system image file and the extended system image file are placed onto the memory.