Patent ID: 7386711
Filing Date: 2008-06-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: a master system including: a master memory, a storage mechanism for storing a first remote boot image and a second remote boot image, and a master system controller; a first slave system including: a first memory, a first processor, and a first programmable interface coupled to the master system, the first programmable interface including a first system controller; a second slave system including: a second memory, a second processor, and a second programmable interface coupled to the master system, the second programmable interface including a second system controller; and a bus communicatively coupling the master system, the first slave system, and the second slave system; wherein the master system is configured to interrogate the first or the second slave systems to identify their respective one or more characteristics after the master system is booted and the respective first or second system controller is released by said booted master system; wherein the master system is configured to determine that the first remote boot image should be used for the first slave system in response to said interrogation of the first slave system and based on said identified one or more characteristics of the first slave system, to update the first programmable interface to cause the first slave system to retrieve the first remote boot image and to boot from said retrieved first remote boot image, and to release the first processor for booting from the first remote boot image after said updating the first programmable interface; and wherein the master system is configured to determine that the second remote boot image should be used for the second slave system in response to said interrogation of the second slave system and based on said identified one or more characteristics of the second slave system, to update the second programmable interface to cause the second slave system to retrieve the second remote boot image and to boot from said retrieved second remote boot image, and to release the second processor for booting from the second remote boot image after said updating the second programmable interface; wherein said updating the first programmable interface and the second programmable interface includes: the master system assigning each of the first and the second system controllers an address or range of addresses to be used by the master system for accessing registers of the first and the second system controllers; and the master system manipulating said registers of the first and second system controllers and programming the master system controller such that a boot address that is part of a boot-code range of addresses is redirected for accessing the first remote boot image by the first slave system and the second remote boot image by the second slave system.