Patent ID: 7668945

Claim:
A method comprising: executing pre-boot execution logic on a host processor of a target computer to boot the host processor, the pre-boot execution logic to send, to a co-processor module of the target computer, a request to obtain an network address for the target computer, and download an operating system code when provided a boot server name and network address; executing platform management logic on the co-processor module of the target computer to receive the request to obtain a network address for the target computer, determine whether a network address is pre-configured within the coprocessor, and if so, provide the network address to the host processor, obtain a name and network address of a boot server coupled to the target computer over a network, initiate a secure handshake process with the boot server, the handshake process to include an exchange of a security certificate between the target computer and the boot server, and establish a secure channel of communication between the target computer and the boot server using the security certificate; providing the boot server name and network address to the pre-boot execution logic; downloading, via the communication channel, the operating system code from the boot server to the target computer using the pre-boot execution logic; and performing a network boot of the operating system on the target computer.