Intelligent boot device selection and recovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9665378-B2
Application number	US-201414325347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2014
Priority date	Mar 25, 2010
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

Techniques for recovering virtual machine state and boot information used to boot an installed guest operating system on systems where the information has either been lost or is not present are described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer readable storage device, excluding signals per se, comprising computer readable instructions that upon execution on a computing device cause the computing device at least to:
detect, prior to initiating a boot of a guest operating system, a path to a boot loader, the path to the boot loader stored in firmware, wherein the boot loader is configured to load a guest operating system stored on a boot disk, wherein the guest operating system is configured to execute in a virtual machine; and
store, prior to booting the guest operating system, the path to the boot loader on the boot disk.

2. The computer readable storage device, excluding signals per se of claim 1 , further comprising computer readable instructions that upon execution on the computing device cause the computing device at least to:
effectuate the virtual machine in accordance with configuration information stored on the boot disk.

3. The computer readable storage device, excluding signals per se of claim 2 , further comprising computer readable instructions that upon execution on the computing device cause the computing device at least to:
boot the guest operating system in the virtual machine.

4. The computer readable storage device, excluding signals per se of claim 1 , further comprising computer readable instructions that upon execution on the computing device cause the computing device at least to:
update the path to the boot loader, wherein the path to the boot loader is stored on the boot disk.

5. The computer readable storage device, excluding signals per se of claim 1 , further comprising computer-readable instructions that upon execution on the computing device cause the computing device at least to:
update the path to the boot loader, wherein the path to the boot loader is stored in firmware.

6. The computer readable storage device, excluding signals per se of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that upon execution cause the computer device to store, prior to booting the guest operating system, the path to the boot loader on the boot disk further comprise instructions that upon execution on the computer device cause the computer device at least to:
store the path to the boot loader within at least one of a hidden partition on the boot disk, an un-partitioned portion of the boot disk, a file system for the guest operating system, or metadata for a virtual hard drive.

7. A method, comprising:
detecting, prior to booting a guest operating system, a path to a boot loader, the path to the boot loader stored in firmware, wherein the boot loader is configured to load a guest operating system stored on a boot disk, wherein the guest operating system is configured to execute in a virtual machine; and
storing, prior to booting the guest operating system, the path to the boot loader on the boot disk.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
effectuating the virtual machine in accordance with configuration information stored on the boot disk; and
booting the guest operating system in the virtual machine.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
updating the path to the boot loader, wherein the path to the boot loader is stored on the boot disk.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
updating the path to the boot loader, wherein the path to the boot loader is stored in firmware.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the storing, prior to booting the guest operating system, the path to the boot loader on the boot disk further comprises:
storing the path to the boot loader within at least one of a hidden partition on the boot disk, an un-partitioned portion of the boot disk, a file system for the guest operating system, or metadata for a virtual hard drive.

12. A computing system, comprising:
a processor;
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor and bearing instructions that upon execution by the processor configure the system at least to:
detect virtual machine configuration information stored on a boot disk for a guest operating system;
effectuate a virtual machine in accordance with at least a portion of the detected virtual machine configuration information;
update a path to a boot loader, the path to the boot loader stored on the boot disk; and
boot the guest operating system in the virtual machine.

13. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the memory further bears instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the processor at least to:
store updated virtual machine configuration information on the boot disk prior to stopping the guest operating system.

14. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the memory further bears instructions that upon execution by the process cause the processor at least to:
store an updated path to the boot loader on the boot disk.

15. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the memory further bears instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the processor at least to:
store, by a firmware process, an updated path to the boot loader in boot firmware.

16. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the memory further bears instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the processor at least to:
determine whether the path to the boot loader stored on the boot disk is correct.

17. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the memory further bears instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the processor at least to:
effectuate the virtual machine in accordance with policy information associated with the virtual machine.

18. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the memory further bears instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the processor at least to:
store, prior to booting the guest operating system, updated virtual machine configuration information on the boot disk.

19. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the path to the boot loader stored on the boot disk is stored within at least one of a hidden partition on the boot disk, an un-partitioned portion of the boot disk, a file system for the guest operating system, or metadata for a virtual hard drive.

20. The computing system of claim 12 , wherein the configuration information describes a physical machine that effectuated the operating system.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Warkentin Andrei
• Oshins Jacob

Classifications

• G06F9/441 Primary

  Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded · CPC title

• G06F9/4401 Primary

  Bootstrapping (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F9/4416

  Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL] · CPC title