Patent ID: 7213065
Filing Date: 2007-05-01
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A system for providing dynamic server allocation and provisioning within a data center, wherein the data center includes a plurality of servers connected via a communications network, the system comprising: a storage element for storing a plurality of server images, the plurality of server images being available for the plurality of servers; a server manager capable of assigning one of the plurality of server images stored in the storage element to each of the plurality of servers, and capable of controlling the power of each of the plurality of servers; a plurality of boot loaders, each boot loader residing on one of the plurality of servers, each boot loader being capable of receiving commands from the server manager to associate at least one of the plurality of server images with at least one of the plurality of servers; and a server monitor capable of receiving a heartbeat signal and a load measurement signal periodically from each of the plurality of servers via the communications network, and capable of reporting the heartbeat signal and the load measurement signal to the server manager; wherein the server manager is able to allocate and provision the plurality of servers using the heartbeat signal according to a set of pre-determined criteria in response to the load measurement signal received from each of the plurality of servers, wherein the at least one of the server images is associated with the at least one of the plurality of servers by instructing the boot loader to load an operating system kernel on at least one of the plurality of servers and connect the system kernel to a root file system image associated with the at least one of the server images.