IP Library Granted Patent US 10,942,751
Granted Patent B2
US 10,942,751 · App. 15/970,689 · Granted Mar 9, 2021

Placeholder boot option and boot option replacement system

Inventors: Wei Liu (Austin, TX); Mark W. Shutt (Austin, TX); Tzu-Hsiu Tsai (Zhongshan District, TW); Mukund P. Khatri (Austin, TX); Richard Louis Holmberg, Jr. (Austin, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
G06F9/4416G06F8/61G06F9/4406G06F9/4411
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,942,751
App. No.
15/970,689
Granted
Mar 9, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A boot option system includes a pre-boot execution environment system coupled to a server device through a network. The server device creates a device placeholder boot option including a device path terminating at a storage controller in the server device. During a first boot and based on first boot instructions received from the pre-boot execution environment system, the server device moves the device placeholder boot option to a desired location within a boot sequence for the server device. During a second boot and based on second boot instructions received from the pre-boot execution environment system, the server device provides an operating system on the server device. The server device then replaces, at the desired location within the boot sequence, the device placeholder boot option with an operating system boot option that was provided on the server device in response to the provisioning of the operating system on the server device.

Claims (40)

1. A boot option system, comprising:

a pre-boot execution environment system; and

a server device that is coupled to the pre-boot execution environment system through a network, wherein the server device is configured to:

create, prior to installation of an operating system on the server device, a device placeholder boot option that includes a device path terminating at a storage controller in the server device;

move, prior to installation of the operating system on the server device and during a first boot of the server device and based on first boot instructions received through the network from the pre-boot execution environment system, the device placeholder boot option to a desired location within a boot sequence for the server device;

provide, during a second boot of the server device that is subsequent to the first boot and based on second boot instructions received through the network from the pre-boot execution environment system, the operating system on the server device; and

replace, at the desired location within the boot sequence for the server device, the device placeholder boot option with an operating system boot option that was provided on the server device in response to the provisioning of the operating system on the server device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server device is configured to:

determine that the device placeholder boot option for the server device is enabled, wherein the device placeholder boot option is created in response to determining that the device placeholder boot option is enabled for the server device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is provided on the server device using an operating system copying process, and wherein the operating system boot option is copied to the server device as part of the operating system copying process.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is provided on the server device using an operating system installation process, and wherein the operating system boot option is created on the server device as part of the operating system installation process.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the storage controller is coupled to a storage subsystem in the server device, and wherein the device placeholder boot option is created before a virtual disk has been provided in the storage subsystem.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the device placeholder boot option is created before a boot loader file has been provided on the server device.

7. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

a storage controller;

a processing system that is coupled to the storage controller; and

a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide an Universally Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) engine that is configured to:

create, prior to installation of an operating system on a storage system that is coupled to the storage controller, a device placeholder boot option that includes a device path terminating at the storage controller;

move, prior to installation of the operating system on a storage system and during a first boot and based on first boot instructions, the device placeholder boot option to a desired location within a boot sequence;

provide, during a second boot that is subsequent to the first boot and based on second boot instructions, the operating system on the storage system; and

replace, at the desired location within the boot sequence, the device placeholder boot option with an operating system boot option that was provided on the storage system in response to the provisioning of the operating system.

8. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the UEFI engine is configured to:

determine that the device placeholder boot option is enabled, wherein the device placeholder boot option is created in response to determining that the device placeholder boot option is enabled.

9. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the operating system is provided using an operating system copying process, and wherein the operating system boot option is copied to the storage system as part of the operating system copying process.

10. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the operating system is provided using an operating system installation process, and wherein the operating system boot option is created on the storage system as part of the operating system installation process.

11. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the device placeholder boot option is created before a virtual disk has been provided in the storage system.

12. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the device placeholder boot option is created before a boot loader file has been provided on the storage system.

13. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the device placeholder boot option is created before the storage system is coupled to the storage controller.

14. A method for providing a boot option, comprising:

creating, by a computing device and prior to installation of an operating system on the computing device, a device placeholder boot option that includes a device path terminating at a storage controller in the computing device;

moving, by the computing device during a first boot and based on first boot instructions and prior to installation of the operating system on the computing device, the device placeholder boot option to a desired location within a boot sequence for the computing device;

providing, by the computing device during a second boot that is subsequent to the first boot and based on second boot instructions, the operating system on the computing device; and

replacing, by the computing device at the desired location within the boot sequence, the device placeholder boot option with an operating system boot option that was provided on the computing device in response to the provisioning of the operating system on the computing device.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, that the device placeholder boot option is enabled for the computing device, wherein the device placeholder boot option is created in response to determining that the device placeholder boot option is enabled for the computing device.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the operating system is provided using an operating system copying process, and wherein the operating system boot option is copied to the computing device as part of the operating system copying process.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the operating system is provided using an operating system installation process, and wherein the operating system boot option is created on the computing device as part of the operating system installation process.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the device placeholder boot option is created before a virtual disk has been provided in a storage subsystem that is coupled to the storage controller.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the device placeholder boot option is created before a boot loader file has been provided on the computing device.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the device placeholder boot option is created before a storage system has been coupled to the storage controller.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (046366/0014) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060450/0306 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 046286 FRAME 0653 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058298/0093 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Jun 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046366/0014 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (CREDIT) Recorded Jun 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046286/0653 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 3, 2018
From: LIU, WEI; SHUTT, MARK W.; TSAI, TZU-HSIU; KHATRI, MUKUND P.; HOLMBERG, RICHARD LOUIS, JR.
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 045711/0707 →