System for and method of streaming data to a computer in a network
A system for and method of rapidly streaming data to one or more client devices, such as personal computers (PC's) from a server employing virtual disk emulation and broadcasting or multicasting of data residing on a network server. In some embodiments, the streamed data includes files necessary to boot and configure the one or more client devices, the data including hibernation, O/S and application files.
1. A method for using a hibernation image from a network to boot a client computing device, the method comprising:
(a) transmitting, by a client computing device to a server, a first disk read request generated by a pre-boot execution environment protocol of the client computing device;
(b) receiving in response to the first disk read request, by the client computing device from the server, data comprising a first master boot record;
(c) executing, by the client computing device, the received first master boot record;
(d) transmitting, by the client computing device to the server, a second disk read request generated by the first master boot record;
(e) receiving in response to the second disk read request, by the client computing device from the server, data comprising a second master boot record;
(f) executing, by the client computing device, the received second master boot record;
(g) downloading, by the second master boot record, an operating system loader;
(h) determining, by the operating system loader, existence of a valid hibernation image on the server;
(i) issuing, by the operating system loader, a third disk read request, the third disk read request directed to a disk sector comprising the hibernation image;
(j) intercepting, by the first master boot record, the third disk read request and redirecting the intercepted request to the server;
(k) receiving, by the client computing device from the server, the hibernation image; and
(l) booting, by the client computing device, an operating system using the hibernation image received from the server.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing, by the client computing device, the hibernation image locally on the client computing device.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying, by the client computing device, a sector comprising a portion of the hibernation image not received by the client computing device from the server and requesting from the server retransmission of the sector.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising caching, by the client computing device, a file providing system utility functions with the hibernation image.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising de-queuing, by a storage driver executing on the client computing device, read and write requests from the client computing device.
6. A system for using a hibernation image from a network to boot a client computing device comprising:
a client computing device
transmitting to a server a first disk read request generated by a pre-boot execution environment protocol of the client computing device;
executing a first master boot record received in response to the first disk read request;
transmitting to the server a second disk read request generated by the execution of the first master boot record;
executing a second master boot record received in response to the second disk read request;
downloading, by the second master boot record executing on the client computing device, an operating system loader;
determining, using the operating system loader, existence of a valid hibernation image on the server, issuing, by the operating system loader, a third disk read request, the third disk read request directed to a sector comprising the hibernation image;
intercepting, by the first master boot record, the third disk read request and redirecting the intercepted request to the server; and
booting an operating system using the hibernation image received from the server; and
the server
transmitting to the client computing device data comprising the first master boot record;
transmitting to the client computing device data comprising the second master boot record; and
transmitting to the client computing device the hibernation image.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the client computing device stores the hibernation image locally on the client computing device.
8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the client computing device identifies a sector comprising the hibernation file not received by the client computing device from the server and requesting from the server retransmission of the sector.
9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the server transmits to a plurality of client computing devices, data comprising the first master boot record.
10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the server transmits the hibernation image to a plurality of client computing devices.
11. The system of claim 6 , wherein a managing server identifies the server from a plurality of servers to be paired with the client computing device.
12. The system of claim 6 , wherein the client computing device caches a file providing system utility functions with the hibernation image.
13. The system of claim 6 , wherein a storage driver executing on the client computing device de-queues read and write requests from the client computing device.