Patent ID: 7882345

Claim:
A system for booting a client, the system comprising: a client configured to initiate a pre-boot image request in response to a boot command, the pre-boot image request comprising a data field for communicating a processor architecture for the client; a boot server configured to provide a non-booting image in response to a first pre-boot image request from the client, the first pre-boot image request comprising an architecture identifier that may be imprecise; the non-booting image configured to query the client and determine a precise processor architecture for the client; the non-booting image further configured to reset a boot process for the client and thereby initiate a second pre-boot image request from the client wherein the second pre-boot image request comprises an architecture identifier that is precise; the boot server further configured to provide a pre-boot image to the client that corresponds to the architecture identifier that is precise in response to the second pre-boot image request; and the boot server further configured to provide a boot image to the client that corresponds to the architecture identifier that is precise in response to a boot image request comprising the architecture identifier that is precise.