Patent ID: 6185623
Filing Date: 2001-02-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
Method for booting diskless client workstations by subnet broadcasting load programs to a plurality of client workstations including a master client workstation and all passive client workstations that join a subnet broadcast files transfer group to reliably reconstitute at said plurality of client workstations a file of said load Programs for booting said plurality of client workstations transmitted from a server as a plurality of subnet broadcast datagrams, comprising the steps of:operating a subnet broadcast server to transfer datagrams including said load programs together with a subnet broadcast identifier and source port identifier to both said master client workstation and said passive client workstations on a subnet basis;operating gateways at subnets not matching said subnet broadcast address to unicast said datagram to a next gateway;operating said master client workstation and said passive client workstations responsive to said subnet broadcast identifier and server's source port for determining whether a received datagram is part of a transfer of interest to said client;operating routers connected to destination subnets to data link layer broadcast unicasted datagrams from an intervening subnet to all neighbors on the matching subnet while disregarding forwarding this data link layer broadcast to any adjoining subnets; andoperating a passive client workstation on said matching subnet to track received datagrams and upon said client becoming a master client workstation to request missing datagrams in ascending order by including in acknowledge packets a block number equal to or greater than the last block transmitted by said server.