This invention relates to the generalization of the OS deployment.
Generally, the operating system (OS) is installed by the manager inserting the CD-ROM or the like for installation directly into a server unit. This installation method, though applicable to an environment having a small number of servers, consumes a great amount of both labor and time in an environment involving a large number of servers. In the environment having a great number of servers, therefore, the OS deployment software is often used. The OS deployment software operates on an management server independent of the servers to be installed with the OS and has the function to distribute (deploy) the OS to the servers.
The term “distribution (deployment)” is defined as the operation in which the image data installed with the OS and stored in advance is copied to the disks of the severs to be installed with the OS (hereinafter referred to as the “target servers”). This operation is specifically described below. First, a target server, when newly connected to the LAN connecting to the management server and power switched on, gives a network boot request to the management server.
With the response from the management server to this request, the communication starts between the management server and the target server. After the communication starts, the management server copies the image data designated by the user through the network to the disk of the target server.
In the OS deployment software, assume that the backup image generated by a backup source server unit is deployed to a deployee server unit. In the case where the backup source server unit and the deployee server unit are different in hardware configuration from each other, the problem is posed that the booting is impossible, or even if the booting is possible, an expected operation cannot be realized after deploying an image.
The reason why the aforementioned problem is posed in the case where the backup source server unit and the deployee server unit are different in hardware configuration from each other is that the device driver for the hardware of the backup source server unit and the device driver for the hardware of the deployee may fail to coincide with each other. Assume, for example, that the HBA (host bus adaptor) of the backup source server unit and the HBA of the deployee server unit are different from each other and that the HBA driver installed in the OS of the backup source server unit is not compatible with the HBA of the deployee server unit. In this case, even in the case where the deployee server unit is restarted after deploying the image to the deployee server unit, the deployee server unit cannot be booted.
In the prior art, however, it is difficult to judge whether the hardware specification intended for deployment is different or not.