1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to the wireless computing. In particular, the invention consists of a system for securely booting from and operating from a remote data storage device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mobile computing has become extremely popular with today's computer users. The design of today's mobile computers is a trade-off between performance, size, weight, battery life, and cost. One limiting factor is the cost, weight, size, and power requirements of memory storage devices, such as hard disk drives, for storing operating systems and software applications. However placing a memory storage device within a mobile computer creates a potential for a single-point failure, resulting in the loss of all data in the event of damage or theft and an inability to boot the computer, i.e., load the operating system into working memory.
A primary function of a local memory storage device is to hold start-up instructions for a computer's boot process. A typical boot process 10 is illustration in the flow chart of FIG. 1. In step 12, the mobile computer is powered-on and a power-on self test (“POST”) is executed. The potential locations for an operating system boot partition are identified in step 14. If an operating system boot partition may be located on a PCI adapter, a basic input/output system (“BIOS”) for the peripheral communications interconnect local bus (“PCI”) adapter is loaded into working memory in step 16. Once the operating system boot partition has been located, the operating system's executable instructions are loaded into working memory (step 16) and the boot process is turned over to the operating system (step 18). Finally, communication standards, such as internet protocols (“IP”), are configured to allow the computer to communicate with remote devices.
A potential solution to single-point failure is to transfer information to remote memory storage devices such a disk servers or tape libraries. A common method of communicating with these off-system devices is to utilize a communication network. Typically, such communication networks have employed local-area networks (“LANS”), wide-are networks (“WANS”), or storage-area networks (“SANS”). These networks have traditionally utilized networks conforming to IEEE standards, such as IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet). Using the IEEE 802.11b standard, mobile computers may be connected to the base stations through the transmission and reception of radio signals. Additionally, the IEEE 802.11b specification allows for the wireless transmission of approximately 11 million bits per second (“Mbps”) of digital data at indoor distances up to a few hundred feet and outdoor distances up to tens of miles on a 2.4 gigahertz (“GHz”) radio broadcast band.
The wireless broadcast communication networks are primarily used for Internet protocol (IP) based communication, but can be used for just about any type of digital communication. The area of effective transmission and reception depends on transmission strength, reception antennae, and line-of-sight obstructions.
Utilizing these wireless communication networks, mobile computers can easily access software applications from and store data to remote storage devices. However, booting a computer and loading an operating system from a remote device is more problematic. Additionally, providing a secure connection absent a local memory storage device can be difficult.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,705, Sanjay Anand et al. disclose offloading processors tasks, including data encryption and message circulation. However, Anand's disclosed invention is not directed to mobile computing and does not discuss booting a device absent a local memory storage device. It would be advantageous to have a system for providing a secure connection between a mobile computer and a remote memory storage device that includes an ability to load boot instructions from a remote memory storage device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,968, Richard I. Knox et al. disclose a data processing network with a client connected to a server. The client issues a boot request (“RPL”) and the server sends bootstrap code to the client. The bootstrap code is loaded into client memory and causes the client to issue a bootstrap request from a second server. The system disclosed by Knox is an attempt to boot a client computer in a mixed network environment. While potentially effective in allowing a boot process to occur in a mixed network protocol environment, Knox's invention utilizes conventional encryption techniques to provide security. It would be advantageous to have a mixed security model environment to resolve a single network unsecured boot process.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,499, Mark A. McKelvey discloses an embedded security processor used in conjunction with a main processor to provide security for a computer system that is accessible over a computer network. McKelvey's system includes a security processor, preferably an expansion card plugged into the computer system's data bus, that secures access from one network to another and may optionally include a firewall. However, McKelvey does not teach a method for securing the delivery of a boot image to a mobile computer sans memory storage device. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to utilize a disk management session (“DMS”) for securing a remote boot process using a combination of trusted and untrusted connections.