Method and apparatus for controlling network and workstation access prior to workstation boot
US5680547A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 8, 1995 |
| Grant date | Oct 21, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 8, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2211/1097
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for preboot file and information transfer between workstations ad other workstations or workstations and servers on local area networks. During a workstation boot sequence, the various components of the workstation and network operating system are loaded and executed. Since all control of the workstation after the boot sequence is passed to the workstation operating system, any management tasks performed after boot must be performed by application programs running on the workstation. The present invention overcomes problems created by using such application programs to perform management tasks by providing a hardware component, for example a ROM or PROM containing appropriate programming placed in the usually unused boot ROM socket of a LAN card installed in the individual workstations, or a chip including a PROM or ROM built onto the motherboard or system board of the individual workstations. The program in the PROM is set up so that, at system startup, prior to loading of the workstation operating system software during the boot sequence, it performs certain operating system functions by using the basic input/output system (BIOS) of the workstation to enabl…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.