U.S. patent application number 12/853249 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-02 for software setup system.
Invention is credited to Benjamin Bowes Beasley, JR., J. Scott Mulligan.
Application Number | 20100306760 12/853249 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42536704 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100306760 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mulligan; J. Scott ; et
al. |
December 2, 2010 |
SOFTWARE SETUP SYSTEM
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for automatic system setup. At least one
embodiment of the present invention stores the setup configuration
information (e.g., in files and/or in directory servers). The setup
configuration information is stored (e.g., using a configuration
file naming scheme) so that the configuration information for a
particular machine can be found. A setup daemon on the machine
searches for suitable configuration information in a number of
places, such as: in a location in a local file system, in locations
in mounted file volumes, and directory servers. The configuration
information may be encrypted, and the setup daemon searches for the
decryption key in a similar fashion.
Inventors: |
Mulligan; J. Scott; (San
Jose, CA) ; Beasley, JR.; Benjamin Bowes; (San Jose,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
APPLE INC./BSTZ;BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP
1279 OAKMEAD PARKWAY, SUITE 300
SUNNYVALE
CA
94085-4040
US
|
Family ID: |
42536704 |
Appl. No.: |
12/853249 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10691993 |
Oct 22, 2003 |
7774774 |
|
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12853249 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
717/174 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 9/44505
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
717/174 |
International
Class: |
G06F 9/445 20060101
G06F009/445 |
Claims
1. A machine readable medium containing executable computer program
instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause
said system to perform a method to set up software on a storage
device of the data processing system, the method comprising:
automatically searching in a plurality of locations for
configuration information, including locations on a network; and
setting up the software to install the software on the storage
device of the data processing system using first configuration
information found in at least one of the plurality of
locations.
2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the first configuration
information comprises: a decryption key; and encrypted
configuration information decryptable with the decryption key.
3. The medium of claim 2, wherein the decryption key and the
encrypted configuration information are found in different
locations of the plurality of locations.
4. The medium of claim 1, wherein the plurality of locations
comprise one default location on a storage device attached fixedly
and locally to the data processing system.
5. The medium of claim 4, wherein the plurality of locations
further comprise one location in a removable medium locally
attached to the data processing system.
6. The medium of claim 4, wherein the plurality of locations
further comprise a remote location accessible to the data
processing system through a network connection.
7. The medium of claim 1, wherein the software is a portion of an
operating system of the data processing system.
8. The medium of claim 1, further comprising: determining a
plurality of identifications of the data processing system; wherein
said searching uses the plurality of identifications to find
configuration information suitable for the data processing
system.
9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of identifications
comprise one of: a) a network address of the data processing
system; b) a hostname of the data processing system; c) a hardware
serial number of the data processing system; and d) a hardware
address of a network interface device of the data processing
system.
10. The medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of identifications
comprise one identification that matches any data processing
system.
11. A method to set up software on a storage device of a data
processing system, the method comprising: automatically searching
in a plurality of locations in a network for configuration
information; and setting up the software to install the software on
the storage device of the data processing system using first
configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of
locations.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the software is a portion of an
operating system of the data processing system.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of locations are
periodically searched.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of locations
comprise one default location on a storage device attached fixedly
and locally to the data processing system.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of locations
further comprise one of: location in a removable medium locally
attached to the data processing system; and a directory server.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/691,993, filed on Oct. 22, 2003.
FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY
[0002] The technology relates generally to software setup for data
processing systems.
BACKGROUND
[0003] It is typical for a data processing system to require a
certain amount of initial setup to be performed before the system
can be utilized. For example, a typically operating system requires
basic information such as: language preferences, keyboard type,
system administrator's account and password, current date and time,
network address, hostname, the software license key for the
operating system, and the optional services that shall be turned on
when the operating system starts, such as email, printer, and web
services.
[0004] It is typical for a computer system to require that this
type of configuration information be provided before the system can
be used. The process for providing this information usually
requires a person to enter the information using a keyboard at the
time the computer system is booted for the first time after the
operating system is installed (or reinstalled). Once the operating
system is configured, subsequent rebooting of the system will not
require this data, as the setup information has already been
applied.
[0005] The process of supplying this configuration information can
be tedious and duplicative, especially when managing a large number
of computers. Further, installation of an operating system on one
computer may need to be performed repeatedly. For example, it may
be desirable to reinitialize a computer to have a fresh
installation of an operating system after certain uses of the
computer. Further, when configuring a large number of computers,
similar data often need to be provided to each of the computers for
the initial setup.
[0006] Thus, many system administrators would prefer to use an
automated method to install the operating system. For example, Red
Hat Linux provides a kickstart installation method for the
automated installation. Kickstart installation uses a kickstart
file which is a simple text file containing a list of items that
provides the information required for the installation. The
kickstart file may be created by editing a copy of an existing
kickstart file using a text editor, by running a Kickstart
Configurator application, or by writing it from scratch. The
administrator specifies the location of the kickstart file (e.g., a
boot diskette, a Boot CD-ROM, a Network File System (NFS) volume, a
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) directory, or a local file
system) to begin a kickstart installation. The installation program
uses the information in the kickstart file at the specified
location to complete the installation without further user
input.
SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION
[0007] Methods and apparatuses for automatic system setup are
described here. Some of the embodiments of the present invention
are summarized in this section.
[0008] At least one embodiment of the present invention stores the
setup configuration information (e.g., in files and/or in directory
servers). The setup configuration information is stored (e.g.,
using a configuration file naming scheme) so that the configuration
information for a particular machine can be found among those for
various different machines. A setup daemon/process on the machine
automatically searches for suitable configuration information in a
number of places, such as in a location in a local file system, in
locations in mounted file volumes, and in one or more directory
servers. In the event the configuration information is encrypted,
the setup daemon/process automatically searches for the
corresponding decryption key in a similar fashion.
[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method to set
up software installed on a storage device of a data processing
system includes automatically searching in a plurality of locations
for configuration information and setting up the software installed
on the storage device of the data processing system using first
configuration information found in at least one of the plurality of
locations. In one example, the first configuration information
includes a decryption key and encrypted configuration information
decryptable with the decryption key. The decryption key and the
encrypted configuration information are found in different
locations among the plurality of locations. In one example, the
plurality of locations are periodically searched. In one example,
the plurality of locations include: a default location on a storage
device attached fixedly and locally to the data processing system,
a location in a removable device (e.g., a firewall drive, or a
removable medium, such as a floppy diskette or a CD-ROM) locally
attached to the data processing system, and a remote location
accessible to the data processing system through a network
connection (e.g., a directory server). In one example, the software
is a portion of an operating system of the data processing system,
and the configuration is performed as an initial setup for the
operating system. In one example, a plurality of identifications of
the data processing system are determined (e.g., a network address
of the data processing system, a hostname of the data processing
system, a hardware serial number of the data processing system, a
hardware address of a network interface device of the data
processing system, and others), and the search uses the plurality
of identifications to find configuration information suitable for
the data processing system.
[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method to set
up software for a data processing system includes querying a
directory server to obtain configuration information (e.g., user
account information, time zone information, keyboard information, a
default language, a license key for the software and others) and
setting up the software for the data processing system using the
configuration information obtained from the directory server. In
one example, the software is a portion of an operating system of
the data processing system, and the operating system is set up for
initial use. In one example, a network address and an address of
the directory server is automatically obtained from a server (e.g.,
a DHCP server) on a local area network, a network interface device
of the data processing system is then configured to use the network
address, and querying the directory server uses the address of the
directory server and the network interface device, which is
configured to use the network address. In one example, the
configuration information includes information specifying whether
one or more services of the operating system (e.g., email, printer,
firewall, web, and others) shall be provided on the data processing
system.
[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method to set
up software installed on a data processing system includes:
automatically searching for encrypted configuration information;
determining a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted configuration
information; and setting up the software with the decryption key
and the encrypted configuration information. In one example, the
decryption key is communicated from a remote data processing system
to the data processing system, and the decryption key is not stored
on a file system of the data processing system. In one example, the
decryption key is determined from searching in a plurality of
locations (e.g., a removable storage device locally attached to the
data processing system, a predetermined location in a file volume
in a file system of the data processing system, a database on a
remote directory server system accessible to the server system
through a network connection, and others).
[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method to
configure software installed on a data processing system includes
periodically searching for first configuration information; and
configuring the software installed on the data processing system
using the first configuration information when the first
configuration information is found. In one example, the first
configuration information is encrypted, and the first configuration
information is found in a remote location accessible to the data
processing system through a network connection (e.g., in a
database, such as a directory server).
[0013] The present invention includes methods and apparatuses which
perform these methods, including data processing systems which
perform these methods, and computer readable media which when
executed on data processing systems cause the systems to perform
these methods.
[0014] Other features of the present invention will be apparent
from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description
which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and
not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which
like references indicate similar elements.
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram example of a data processing
system which may be used with the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates providing configuration information for
operating system setup which may be used in various embodiments of
the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates automatically configuring an operating
system according to various embodiments of the present
invention.
[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates software components and data for
automatically configuring an operating system according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates configuration files in one location of a
data processing system which may be searched for automatic setup
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of a method to automatically
configure an operating system according to one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 7 shows a detailed flow diagram of a method to
automatically configure an operating system according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The following description and drawings are illustrative of
the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the
invention. Numerous specific details are described to provide a
thorough understanding of the present invention. However, in
certain instances, well known or conventional details are not
described in order to avoid obscuring the description of the
present invention. References to "one embodiment" or "an
embodiment" in the present disclosure are not necessarily
references to the same embodiment, and such references mean at
least one.
[0024] At least one embodiment of the present invention seeks to
store the configuration information so that an automated search
process can potentially discover the configuration information and
automate the software configuration process.
[0025] FIG. 1 shows one example of a typical computer system which
may be used with the present invention. Note that while FIG. 1
illustrates various components of a computer system, it is not
intended to represent any particular architecture or manner of
interconnecting the components as such details are not germane to
the present invention. It will also be appreciated that network
computers and other data processing systems which have fewer or
more components may also be used with the present invention. The
computer system of FIG. 1 may, for example, be an Apple Macintosh
computer.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the computer system 101, which is a form
of a data processing system, includes a bus 102 and system core
logic 112 which interconnect a microprocessor 103, a ROM 107, and
volatile RAM 105 and a non-volatile memory 106. The microprocessor
103, which may be, for example, a G3 or G4 or G5 microprocessor
from Motorola, Inc. or IBM is coupled to cache memory 104 as shown
in the example of FIG. 1. The bus 102 and system core logic 112
interconnect these various components together and also
interconnects these components 103, 107, 105, and 106 to a display
controller and display device 108 and to peripheral devices such as
input/output (I/O) devices which may be mice, keyboards, modems,
network interfaces, printers, scanners, video cameras and other
devices which are well known in the art. Typically, the
input/output devices 110 are coupled to the system through
input/output controllers 109. The volatile RAM 105 is typically
implemented as dynamic RAM (DRAM) which requires power continually
in order to refresh or maintain the data in the memory. The
non-volatile memory 106 is typically a magnetic hard drive, a
magnetic optical drive, or an optical drive (e.g., a DVD RAM), or
other type of memory system which maintains data even after power
is removed from the system. Typically, the non-volatile memory will
also be a random access memory although this is not required. While
FIG. 1 shows that the non-volatile memory is a local device coupled
directly to the rest of the components in the data processing
system, it will be appreciated that the present invention may
utilize a non-volatile memory which is remote from the system, such
as a network storage device that is coupled to the data processing
system through a network interface such as a modem or Ethernet
interface. The bus 102 may include one or more buses connected to
one another through various bridges, controllers and/or adapters as
is well known in the art. In one embodiment the I/O controller 109
includes a USB (Universal Serial Bus) adapter for controlling USB
peripherals, and/or an IEEE-1394 bus adapter for controlling
IEEE-1394 peripherals.
[0027] It will be apparent from this description that aspects of
the present invention may be embodied, at least in part, in
software. That is, the techniques may be carried out in a computer
system or other data processing system in response to its
processor, such as a microprocessor, executing sequences of
instructions contained in a memory, such as ROM 107, volatile RAM
105, non-volatile memory 106, cache 104 or a remote storage device.
In various embodiments, hardwired circuitry may be used in
combination with software instructions to implement the present
invention. Thus, the techniques are not limited to any specific
combination of hardware circuitry and software nor to any
particular source for the instructions executed by the data
processing system. In addition, throughout this description,
various functions and operations are described as being performed
by or caused by software code to simplify description. However,
those skilled in the art will recognize what is meant by such
expressions is that the functions result from execution of the code
by a processor, such as the microprocessor 103.
[0028] A machine readable medium can be used to store software and
data which when executed by a data processing system causes the
system to perform various methods of the present invention. This
executable software and data may be stored in various places
including for example ROM 107, volatile RAM 105, non-volatile
memory 106 and/or cache 104 as shown in FIG. 1. Portions of this
software and/or data may be stored in any one of these storage
devices.
[0029] Thus, a machine readable medium includes any mechanism that
provides (i.e., stores and/or transmits) information in a form
accessible by a machine (e.g., a computer, network device, personal
digital assistant, manufacturing tool, any device with a set of one
or more processors, etc.). For example, a machine readable medium
includes recordable/non-recordable media (e.g., read only memory
(ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media,
optical storage media, flash memory devices, etc.), as well as
electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated
signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals,
etc.), etc.
[0030] In one embodiment of the present invention, the
configuration information is stored as a file in a file system, or
as an entry in a database (e.g., a record on a directory server).
An application program may be used to collect and save the
configuration information into a file or in a directory server. The
configuration information can be saved as clear data without
encryption, which can be easily edited using a text editor.
Alternatively, the application program may further encrypt the
configuration information (e.g., for storage in the directory
server) so that confidential information, such as user accounts and
passwords, are protected against unauthorized access. To facilitate
the automated search and easy management of the configuration data
for a number of computers, the storing of the configuration data
can be associated with the identification information of the
corresponding computers, such as the hostname of a computer, the
Internet Protocol (IP) address and the Media Access Control (MAC)
address of a network interface device of the computer, and a
hardware serial number of the computer. More details are described
below.
[0031] In one embodiment of the present invention, different
portions (e.g., user account information and license keys) of the
configuration information can be stored in different files and
directory service records. The information found in different files
and records are combined (e.g., based on a priority scheme) when
applied to the configuration process. For example, the file
associated with a hardware serial number of a computer is intended
only for the computer with this hardware serial number, and, data
in a generic entry at a directory server can be applied to any
computer. When certain data is missing from the file associated
with the hardware serial number of the computer, the corresponding
data in the generic entry in the directory server can be used.
[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates methods of providing configuration
information for operating system setup which may be used in various
embodiments of the present invention. In FIG. 2, computer X (205)
may be a computer that is to be set up. Setup assistant 233
provides a user interface for a user to enter the configuration
information interactively into computer 205. After setup assistant
233 collects all the necessary information, the collected
configuration information may be written into default location 237
on computer 205. Once the configuration information is present in
default location 237, a configurator (a running software module)
starts to set up the operating system using the configuration
information in the default location. In one embodiment of the
present invention, the setup assistant can also store the
configuration information in other locations 235, which can be
specified by the user. For example, the configuration information
may be stored on a hard drive or a removable medium, such as a
floppy diskette, a ZIP diskette, an IEEE 1394 compatible drive (a
disk drive attachable to a data processing system through an
IEEE-1394 port), a flash memory device, etc. Once the configuration
information is stored, it can be used for setup during
reinstallation or for modification for another computer.
[0033] In one embodiment, an administrator computer can be used to
set up a target computer through the network. For example, when
target computer 205 is in the setup process, setup responder 231
can run as a daemon process to listen to the network 203 for a
broadcast message from a setup searcher running on administrator
computer 203. The setup assistant on administrator computer 203 can
find out the computers on the network that need to be set up using
setup searcher (e.g., a separate process or a module of setup
assistant). The setup searcher broadcasts a message on the subnet
to look for a list of computers that are in the setup process. In
response to the message from the setup searcher, the setup
responder sends a message to the setup searcher. The message from
the setup responder includes identification information of the
target computer (e.g., the IP address, the MAC address and the
hostname) and other information indicative of the status of the
installation and/or setup process. Note that the IP address of the
target may be configured through a DHCP server, or through a
self-assigning process (e.g., selecting one IP address from a class
of IP network address, checking it for any conflict on the subnet,
and using it if there is no conflict). The setup searcher presents
the list of target computers that responded to the broadcast
message to the setup assistant. The administrator can then select
one target computer for remote configuration. If the administrator
knows the identification information of the target computer, the
administrator can also directly ask the setup assistant to set up
the target computer. Once the administrator enters the
configuration for the target computer on the administrator
computer, the setup assistant on the administrator computer places
the configuration information in a configuration file on the
default location (e.g., 237) on the target computer. For example,
the during the setup process, a password for accessing a file on
the target computer can be automatically set to a value known to
the administrator (e.g., the hardware serial number of the target
computer). The setup assistant can then use the password to copy
the configuration file from the administrator computer to the
target computer (e.g., using Secure Copy (scp), which provides
encrypted file transfer of data over insecure networks).
[0034] Alternatively, when computer 205 needs setup configuration
information, it may also run setup responder 231 to communicate
with a remote administrator computer through a network for remote
setup. For example, setup responder 231 may broadcast, on a subnet,
a request for a remote setup assistant to collect the configuration
information on behalf of computer 205. To remotely set up computer
205 from administrator computer 203, one can start a setup
assistant on administrator computer 203 on the subnet to target
computer 205 for remote setup. In response to the request for a
remote setup assistant from computer 205, the setup assistant on
administrator computer 203 establishes communication with setup
responder 231 for remote setup. In one embodiment, setup responder
231 requires the remote setup assistant to submit a correct
password (e.g., the hardware serial number of computer 205) from
the administrator computer to allow the administrator computer to
remotely set up computer 205. After the communication between
administrator computer 203 and target computer 205 is established
for remote setup, one can use the user interface of administrator
computer 203 to collect the configuration information for target
computer 205. In one embodiment, after the setup assistant of
administrator computer 203 communicates the configuration
information to setup responder 231 of target computer 205, setup
responder 231 writes the configuration information into a file in
default location 237, so that the setup program can use the
configuration information to perform the initial setup of the
operating system.
[0035] Setup daemon 239 on the target computer monitors default
location 237 for a configuration file. If a configuration file is
found at the default location, the setup process can configure the
target computer according to the parameters in the configuration
file. In one embodiment of the present invention, setup daemon 239
not only monitors the default location for the configuration file
but also searches for configuration information at other locations.
For example, setup daemon 239 may search locations 235 in the
target computer (such as directories or folders in mounted volumes
of the target computer) and locations in the other computers (such
as directory server 207, or other type of databases).
[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, the setup
assistant of administrator computer 203 can collect the
configuration for a target computer without performing the remote
setup. The collected configuration information for the target
computer is stored into a file (e.g., on a removable medium) or as
a record on directory server 207.
[0037] One may modify the configuration information of one computer
(e.g., computer 205) to generate configuration information for
other computers (e.g., computers 221-227). For example, computers
A-D (221-227) can be rack-mount servers that do not have displays
and input devices attached to them individually. Some server
computers do not have displays and input devices (e.g., keyboard
and mouse), and some server computers share displays and input
devices. For example, a Keyboard, Video and Mouse (KVM) Switch
(217) may be used to selectively couple display 213, keyboard 211
and mouse 215 to one of computers 221-227. It is generally a time
consuming task to provide configuration information individually
through the input devices (e.g., keyboard 211 and mouse 215). In
one embodiment of the present invention, after the configuration
files are generated (e.g., through the use of a set up assistant,
or through modifying an existing copy of the configuration file),
the configuration information can be maintained at a number of
locations. A computer in need of configuration information (e.g.,
servers 221-227) can then automatically search for the suitable
configuration information to automate the configuration process.
Since the computer can search in a plurality of locations
automatically, it is not necessary to specify a location to the
configurator manually. Thus, the task of managing system
configuration can be greatly simplified, especially for a large
number of computers.
[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates methods to automatically configure an
operating system according to various embodiments of the present
invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, a computer
(e.g., 321-327) can determine a number of identifications for
itself, such as hardware serial number, IP address, hostname, a
hardware address (e.g., MAC address) of a network interface device
and others (e.g., an identification assigned specifically for the
purpose of configuration). Some of the identifications (e.g.,
hardware serial number, IP address, hostname, MAC address) can be
uniquely associated with the individual devices to be set up. Other
identifications (e.g., subnet mask, or "generic" which matches any
computer) can be associated with a group of computers. In one
embodiment of the present invention, the identifications that may
match more than one computer have low priorities in searching and
applying the configuration information, and the unique
identifications have high priorities. Further, the configuration
files associated with the unique identifications can be used to
overwrite certain information in the configuration files associated
with non-unique identifications. Thus, a generic configuration file
can have the common configuration information, and the specific
configuration file may only contain the configuration information
that is unique to the target computer. Thus, a large number of
configuration files can be easily maintained for a large of number
computers.
[0039] A hardware serial number is typically stored on a
non-volatile memory of a computer (e.g., a ROM of the computer).
The hardware serial number can be used to uniquely identify the
computer. A MAC address may also be used to uniquely identify the
computer. However, it is understood that a computer may have a
number of network interface devices and thus a number of different
MAC addresses. Further, a network interface device may be a
removable device (e.g., a PCMCIA network card, or a network device
attachable to a USB port). Based on the MAC addresses, a Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server can be configured to
assign predetermined IP addresses to the corresponding computers.
Alternatively, the DHCP server can be configured to sequentially
assign a list of IP addresses to a number of computers, which are
configured one after another. A DHCP server can also provide
various network configuration information, such as the IP addresses
of Domain Name System (DNS) servers and Network Information Service
(NIS) servers. Using the IP address, a computer can further
determine its hostname through querying the DNS servers.
Alternatively, the hostname, IP address and other identifications
for the computer can be provided in a configuration file in a local
file system of the computer (e.g., on a hard drive, a removable
device, such as an IEEE 1394 compatible drive, a floppy diskette,
or a CD-ROM). Further, these identifications can be obtained
through a remote setup assistant (e.g., on a computer 303 attached
to the same subnet of the computer that is to be configured) during
the installation process or during the configuration process. In
one embodiment of the present invention, at least one network
interface device is configured during the remote installation of
the operating system for the computer. Thus, after the
installation, the identification information is available to the
computer for initial setup. Once the identifications for the
computer are determined, configuration information can be further
searched based on these identifications.
[0040] In one embodiment of the present invention, the
configuration information can be maintained in a number of
locations, and a daemon process runs in the background to
automatically search for the configuration information in various
locations. For example, configuration files for various computers
can be stored on removable media 311 (e.g., an IEEE 1394 compatible
drive, a floppy diskette, or a CD-ROM). The configuration files
have a naming system so that the configuration files for a specific
computer can be identified and retrieved using the identification
information of the computer. Since a computer may have a number of
different identifications, the daemon process searches for
applicable configuration files according to the priorities
associated with the identifications. For example, when the computer
has a hardware serial number, the configuration file with a name
that matches the hardware serial number has a high priority.
[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, a configuration
file is designed to contain all the configuration information
required to complete the setup process. Thus, once a configuration
file is found (e.g., a file that matches the hardware serial
number), no further search is necessary. Alternatively, portions of
the configuration information may be distributed in a number of
different configuration files. A configuration file may contain
only a portion of the configuration information, and the daemon
process continues the search until all required configuration
information is found. For example, a configuration file associated
with an identification that matches a group of computers (e.g., the
subnet address, or a file that matches all the computers) can be
used to store all the common information for the configuration
process. A configuration file that is uniquely associated with the
identification of one computer (e.g., the hardware serial number)
can be used to provide the configuration information unique to the
computer (e.g., hostname and software license key). Further, the
configuration information may further be grouped in portions (e.g.,
selection of optional services, configuration parameters specific
for one service, and others) so that different portions of the
configuration information may be specified in different
configuration files. In one embodiment, the configuration
information for setting up a server computer includes the
information for setting up programs and services such as AFP (Apple
File Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), print server,
NetBoot, web server (e.g., Apache), WebDAV (WWW Distributed
Authoring and Versioning), NTP (Network time protocol) client, NTP
server, QTSS (Quicktime Streaming Server), mail, SMB (Server
Message Block, e.g., Samba), LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol) client, LDAP server, NetInfo client, password server,
watchdog and others. Through the search process, the daemon process
may collect and copy the configuration information into a
configuration file at the default location.
[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, the
configuration files at the default location may be created in a
number of ways. For example, the local interactive setup assistant
or the local setup responder in communication with a remote setup
assistant may save a configuration file at the default location.
The daemon process may search and copy configuration files from
various other locations to the default location. Alternatively, the
local interactive setup assistant can be configured to save the
configuration files in different locations, from where the daemon
process may discover and copy the suitable configuration
information to the default location.
[0043] In one embodiment of the present invention, the daemon
process searches predetermined locations in all mounted file
volumes. A file volume is typically a set of files stored in a
hierarchical fashion in an individual storage medium (e.g., files,
directories, or folders in other directories or folders). For
example, the files in a removable medium (e.g., an IEEE 1394
compatible drive, a floppy diskette, a CD-ROM) are typically
mounted as a file volume (e.g., as a directory tree in the root
files system in Mac OS X available from Apple Computer, Inc. or in
a similar Unix-style operating system, or as a logical drive in a
Microsoft Windows operating system). The files on a large capacity
hard drive may be mounted as a single file volume or partitioned
and mounted as multiple file volumes. In one embodiment, the daemon
process searches in a predetermined location (e.g., directory (or
folder) "Auto Server Setup") in each of the mounted file volumes in
the computer system. For example, if a file volume is mounted at
the directory "/Volumes/Volume Name", the daemon process searches
the directory "/Volumes/Volume Name/Auto Server Setup/" for matched
configuration files. When a removable storage device (e.g., an IEEE
1394 compatible drive, or a CD-ROM) is attached to the computer,
the computer automatically mounts the file volume for the storage
device (e.g., mounted at "/Volumes/removable drive"). Then, the
corresponding location (e.g., "/Volumes/removable drive/Auto Server
Setup/") in the local storage devices is searched to find suitable
configuration files. In one embodiment of the present invention,
the computer may also automatically mount any available network
file volumes (e.g., on a local area network) and search the
configuration information in the mounted network file volumes. In
addition to the file volumes mounted in the file system of the
computer, the computer may further search in one or more databases
accessible to the computer through a network (e.g., directory
server 307 or other network resources, such as an HTTP server). The
addresses of the network resources can be specified in a
configuration file in the file system or through other servers,
such as a DHCP server). A directory server provides directory
services by sending data entries to a client in response to a query
from the client. A directory server may communicate with a client
in a standard protocol such as Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP). Alternatively, an Active Directory server or other
type of directory server that uses other communication protocols
may also be used to provide the directory service. Configuration
information may also be retrieved from a web server using an HTTP
protocol. The address of the web server can be provided to the
computer as the default World Wide Web (WWW) server by a DHCP
server (or in a configuration file).
[0044] A configuration file may contain confidential information,
such as user accounts and passwords. Thus, a configuration file may
be encrypted. For example, the configuration file stored on the
directory server (e.g., 307) can be encrypted and a decryption key
can be stored separately in a different configuration file in a
better-guarded location (e.g., removable media 311). Alternatively,
the decryption key can be supplied to the computer remotely from a
setup assistant running on a remote computer through a network
connection. For example, the remote setup assistant may receive the
decryption key from the user input device at the administrator
computer, communicate the decryption key to the setup responder,
which decrypts an encrypted configuration file using the decryption
key without storing the decryption key in the file system. In one
embodiment of the present invention, the decryption key may also be
automatically found by searching in a plurality of locations in a
similar fashion.
[0045] Some databases (e.g., directory server 307) may not accept
binary data as an entry. Thus, the binary information (e.g., the
encrypted content of a configuration file) may be encoded as ASCII
data for storage in the database. The ASCII data entry can be
subsequently decoded after the retrieval to obtain the original
binary data (e.g., the encrypted content of the configuration
file). It is understood that any methods known in the field for
converting between a binary format and an ASCII format and for
encryption and decryption can be used with the present
invention.
[0046] FIG. 4 illustrates software components and data for
automatically configuring an operating system according to one
embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, computer A (401)
contains installed operating system 403 (e.g., installed on a hard
drive and at least partially loaded into the memory of computer
401). During the installation, network information 409 (e.g.,
hostname 421, network address 423, DNS server address 425, and
directory server address 427) may be provided to the computer so
that when the system is rebooted for initial setup, this
information is already available to computer 401. Alternatively,
this network information may be collected from configuration files
or from a DHCP server after the reboot for initial setup. Computer
401 may have hardware serial number 407 (e.g., stored in a ROM of
computer 401). Further, a network interface device of computer 401
has a Media Access Control (MAC) address 405 that may be used to
uniquely identify the computer. In computer 401, default location
411 (e.g., "/Auto Server Setup/") is designated for the storage of
the configuration information that will be used to complete the
initial setup process. Once configuration information is available
at the default location (e.g., in an unencrypted format), the
system automatically configures the operating system. In one
embodiment of the present invention, configuration files can also
be stored at other locations 413 (e.g., the topmost level directory
"Auto Server Setup" in at least one of the mounted file volumes).
Configuration file locator 415 automatically searches in various
locations to find configuration information suitable for setting up
the installed operating system 403.
[0047] FIG. 5 illustrates configuration files in one location of a
data processing system which may be searched for automatic setup
according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example,
directory (or folder) 501 may be in the topmost level of a
removable media. A computer may have a network interface device
with a MAC address of 003065653740. An encrypted configuration file
003065653740.plist (509) can be used to store the configuration
information for the compute with the MAC address of 003065653740.
Configuration information for computers with other MAC addresses
can also be stored in files 513 and 514 named with the
corresponding MAC addresses. Thus, a computer in need of
configuration information can select the configuration files
according to its corresponding identifications. Decryption keys are
typically provided separately from the corresponding encrypted
configuration files (and are typically located in different
locations). For example, the encryption key for the computer with
the hardware serial number XB12345ABCD can be stored in file
XB12345A.pass (511), and the corresponding encrypted configuration
information may be stored on a directory server. Note that in this
example only the first 8 characters of the hardware serial number
is used to name the configuration file. Further, the configuration
files may be stored in files named with the IP addresses or
hostnames of the corresponding computers (e.g., files 505 and 507).
The configuration file "generic.plist" (503) matches any computer.
Thus, the file 503 can be used to store configuration information
common to a large number of computers. In FIG. 5, the extensions of
the files are not shown. It is understood that the extensions of
files may be shown or may be hidden. Files can have the same name
but different extensions. For example, the encryption key may be
saved in XB12345A.pass and the encrypted configuration information
may be stored in XB12345A.plist.
[0048] The IP address and the hostname of a computer may be
obtained from a DHCP server (e.g., according to the MAC address of
the computer). Alternatively, the network information (e.g., IP
address, subnet mask, hostname, default gateway, DNS server
address, directory server address, and others) can also be
specified in a separate configuration file (e.g., in
"003065653740.plist" for a network device with the MAC address of
003065653740). After configuration file locator finds the
configuration file with the network information (e.g.,
"003065653740.plist"), the network interface device with the
corresponding MAC address (e.g., 003065653740) can be configured
for Internet access, and the corresponding IP address and hostname
can be further used in the search for additional configuration
information.
[0049] FIG. 5 illustrates the naming of configuration files in a
file volume. Similarly naming schemes can also be used for entries
on a directory server when the configuration files are stored as
entries on the directory server.
[0050] To prevent tampering with the configuration process, the
configuration file locator may request that the configuration file
found in less trustworthy locations (e.g., directory server, a
remote file system, a remote database) be authenticated against
keys found in trusted locations (e.g., a local file system, such as
a file on a removable storage device or a file on a hard drive).
For example, the encrypted configuration information available at a
remote computer (e.g., a directory server) must be successfully
decrypted with a decryption key provided through a secure channel
(e.g., from a file on a local hard drive or a locally attached
removable storage media) before the information can be used.
[0051] FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of a method to automatically
configure an operating system according to one embodiment of the
present invention. After operation 601 installs operating system
software to a storage device of a data processing system, operation
603 starts to run the operating system from the storage device of
the data processing system. Since the operating system needs an
initial setup, operation 605 automatically searches, in a plurality
of locations, for a configuration file that contains a plurality of
parameters for setting up the operating system. If a configuration
file is found for setting up the operating system in operation 607,
operation 609 automatically sets up the operating system for normal
operation according to the parameters in the configuration file.
The search for the configuration file continues until a
configuration file becomes available (e.g., after a configuration
file is supplied on a removable media, or after a configuration
file is created by an interactive setup assistant program, or after
a configuration file is obtained from a remote location through
network).
[0052] FIG. 7 shows a detailed flow diagram of a method to
automatically configure an operating system according to one
embodiment of the present invention. Operation 701 starts to run on
a data processing system a freshly installed operating system that
has not been configured for the data processing system. Operation
703 starts a user interface to collect configuration parameters
from user input devices that are locally attached to the data
processing system. The user interface writes the collected
configuration parameters in a configuration file at a default
location when the user interface finishes collecting the
parameters. In one embodiment, the user interface is started
regardless if the user input devices are attached to the system.
Alternatively, the user interface is not started if there are no
user input devices (e.g., display, or keyboard and mouse) locally
attached to the data processing system. Further, in one embodiment,
the user interface may be automatically terminated if there is no
user input for a period of time, even if the data processing system
has locally attached user input devices. If operation 705 detects a
network interface device, operation 707 configures the network
interface. Note that the network interface may be a removable
network interface card (e.g., a PCMCIA network card, or a based
network interface device attachable to a USB port or an IEEE-1394
port). The network interface device may be configured through a
DHCP server or through configuration parameters available on the
data processing system (e.g., through the installation process of
the operating system, or found in a configuration file). If
operation 709 determines that the network interface is working,
operation 711 starts a service allowing remote setup which when
used creates a configuration file at the default location according
to user input at a remote station. It is understood that the remote
setup may be performed without having to configure certain aspects
of the network device. For example, the remote setup service may
use TCP/IP protocol but not limited to TCP/IP protocol. Thus, it is
not necessary to set up IP address for the network interface device
to have a working network interface. For example, the remote setup
service may use communication protocols that are not limited to IP
addressing. If a removable medium is detected in operation 713,
operation 715 automatically mounts the removable media so that one
or more predetermined locations on the removable media may also be
searched for configuration information. If operation 717 determines
that no configuration file is present at the default location (or
not all configuration information is available at the default
location), operation 719 searches predetermined locations in all
mounted volumes for configuration information. If a configuration
file is found in operation 719, operation 723 copies the
configuration file to the default location. Otherwise, operation
721 further queries a remote directory server for a configuration
file. The directory server may store an entire configuration file
as one record (e.g., in an encoded and encrypted format). After the
configuration information is available at the default location,
operation 725 configures the operating system using the parameters
in the configuration file at the default location (e.g., to
initialize services, setup print, email, web, user accounts, file
sharing, preferences).
[0053] Although FIGS. 6 and 7 are illustrated with specific
sequences of operations, it is understood that different sequences
can also be used. For example, some of the operations may be driven
by related events, and some of the operations may be performed in
different threads or processes. For example, detecting removable
network interface devices and removable media can be in a separate
process and driven by the event of attaching the devices, and
searching the configuration file may be in another separate
process, which periodically searches various locations.
[0054] Although the above examples are for the initial setup of an
operating system after the installation of the operation system, it
is understood that the methods according to various embodiments the
present invention can also be used for the automatic setup of other
software applications. For example, configuration information for a
software application (e.g., a multimedia program) can be stored on
a database (e.g., a directory server) so that the configuration
process after the reinstallation of the software application (e.g.,
after the reinstallation of the entire computer system) can be
automated. Further, the configuration information can be used for
software program upgrade and migration (e.g., moving from one
computer to another). Further, the database of the configuration
information can have a version control so that when the updated
configuration information is loaded into the database, a daemon
process can automatically discover the updated configuration
information and cause the corresponding software application to be
configured according to the updated configuration information.
[0055] Since the system can automatically search and discover the
configuration setup data, the need for time-consuming data entry
through interactive user interface can be eliminated, and the time
from installation to up-and-usable can be shortened. Administrators
can save setup data on local hard drives, shared storage, CDs, IEEE
1394 compatible drives, iPods, Flashcard memory, and other storage
devices that can be attached to the system. Further, setup data can
be stored in a database, such as a directory server. The setup
configuration data can be stored as clear data or as encrypted
data. Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide
administrators with a great deal of flexibility in managing and
organizing the configuration for one or more systems.
[0056] In the foregoing specification, the invention has been
described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof.
It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto
without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the
invention as set forth in the following claims. The specification
and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative
sense rather than a restrictive sense.
* * * * *