Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/06—Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
  • G06Q10/087—Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q50/00—Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism
  • G06Q50/04—Manufacturing

Definitions

• the present invention relates in general to the fiel of manufacturing information handling systems, and more particularly to a method and system for manufacturing information handling systems according to custom image orders.
• information handling systems may also vary regarding what i ⁇ formation is handled, how me. information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or con-ununicated.
• information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications.
• ixrforr ⁇ ation handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate iirforrnation and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
• information handling system bu racks are able to lo isiages - ⁇ -JP drives are not typically capable of direct transfer to a factory work flow process.
• custom images received on hard disk drives are manually validated and prepared for use in the factory work flow process.
• an engineer typically loads the custom image onto a test information handling system having the custom ordered hardware configuration to verify the validity of the custom image, such as the compatibility of the custom image with the hardware configuration.
• the manual verification process is time intensive and prone to errors.
• the engineer typically must build the test unit to the custom order specification- run tests ' on the unit to ensure proper operation of the test unit, and alter the software configuration n the event of any detected failures, a process that may take weeks. Errors in the bunding of the test information handling system, errors or incompleteness in the test verification process and errors in the alteration of the software configuration may delay custom order production or result in the shipment of inoperative units.
• a method and system are provided ⁇ which substantially reduce the disadvantages and problems associated with previous rneth ⁇ ds and syste s for preparing a custom iraap &f use rate production of ' information handling systems.
• An analyzing engine automatically generates a production image and customization scripts to integrate the m-mufacturing of information handling systems with a custom image into a manufacturing work flow process.
• the analyzing engine analyzes an image to determine a custom image hardware configuration base and compares the determined base against ordered information handlings to validate a custom image for production.
• a custom image processing system includes an order engine to accept orders for information handling systems having custom images and an analyzing engine for automatically analyzing a custom image to validate the image for production at a desired level of customization for each information handling system.
• the order engine interfaces with a hard disk drive to receive a custom image and check the image's integrity, and also accepts customization information for orders to manufacture information handling systems with the custom image.
• the analyzing engine receives the custom image and customization information from the order engine to verify the validity of the custom image and to prepare a production image and scripts for manufacture of information handling systems.
• a configuration module of the analyzing engine electronically determines the base hardware configuration of the information handling system that generated the custom image and checks the custom image to ensure that no misconfigurations exist.
• a verification module compares the base hardware configuration with ordered configurations to ensure compatibility of the custom image with the Mormation handling systems manufactured to accept the custom image.
• a customization settings module determines the level of customization settings for each image of a manufactured information handling system. Once a custom image is verified and customization level set, a production module generates a production image for use by a burn rack and a manufacturing script module generates scripts to ensure proper customization level settings for manufactured information handling systems.
• the present invention provides a number of important technical advantages.
• One example of an important technical advantage is the automation of custom image validation for the integration of a custom image into an information handling system production work flow process.
• Automated validation of a custom image reduces the time needed to bring a custom image into production by removing manual validation by engineers. For instance, a custom image is validated without building a physical information h-mdling system to load and run the custom image.' The compatibility of the custom image with associated orders for information handling systems is validated by automatically determining the hardware configuration base that generated the custom image and comparing the base with custom order hardware configuration. . Misconfigurations of the custom image for the hardware configuration base are automatically detected and sent out of the automation for correction. Different levels scripts that are automatically generated based on the customization level of the order for the information handling systems. Automation of custom image processing for production of custom ordered information handling systems substantially reduces the time that elapses from the time a custom image is received until the custom image can be ordered.
• Figure 1 depicts a block diagram of a custom image processing system
• Figure 2 depicts a flow diagram of a process for m-mufacturing information b-mdling systems according to custom image orders.
• Custom images for information h-mdling systems are automatically verified for production of customized mformatkra handling systems by electronically analyzing an ordered custom image.
• Electronic analysis reduces or elimmates the need to build and test an information handling system of the ordered configuration, thus reducing the time, expense and risk of errors in processing a custom image for production of information liandlrng systems.
• an information rjandling system may include any irtstrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes.
• an information handling system may be a personal computer, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price.
• the information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, ando other types of nonvolatile memory.
• Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) device ' s, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display.
• the information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.
• a block diagram depicts a custom image processing system 10 for receiving custom image orders and automatically processing the custom image orders to generate production images on manufactured information handling systems.
• An order engine 12 accepts an image 14, such as by interfacing with a hard disk drive 16, and an order 18 that specifies the customer requirements and hardware configuration information of the ordered information handling systems. For example, a customer configures an information handling system to the customer's desired specification on a hard disk drive 16 and then sends the hard disk drive to the manufacturer along with an order 18 to load the image 14 of the hard disk drive on information h-mdling systems having predetermined hardware configurations.
• An image integrity module 20 of order engine 12 interacts with hard disk drive 16 to check that the integrity of image was not damaged in shipping, such, as with lost sectors.
• a customization module 22 of order engine 12 accepts customization information from order 18 or from a user interface in order to set the level of customization for each production information handling system image. For instance, customization information may include changes to each image to create unique SIDs or computer names.
• Order engine 12 provides a copy of the image and the custo ization information to -uialyzing engine 24 for validation of the image and integration of the image-and orderintoib ⁇ roduclion. work-flow process.
• -A ⁇ configu ⁇ atiott module 26" analyzes the image to determine the operating system, the base hardware configuration and any misconfigured hardware. For instance, configuxation module 26 analyzes the operating system settings and the hardware identifiers that exist in the operating system registry to determine the hardware configuration base that was used to create the image. The base is compared against the registry settings to determine any misconfigurations in which registry settings fail to match the hardware base. Such misconfigurations could result in misconfigured production images that fail to support hardware of production information handling systems. Configuration module 26 provides notice of detected misconfigurations or, alternatively, modifies that image to the proper configuration.
• configuration module 26 determines the base configuration
• capture module 28 captures and stores the base hardware configuration.
• the captured hardware configuration and the ordered information handling system hardware configuration are compared by verification module 30 to determine the existence of a match or only compatible differences. For instance, if the custom image was generated with an information handling system having a hardware configuration that differs in a substantial way from the ordered information handling system, then verification module 30 provides a message warning of an incompatibility of the ordered image and the production information handling system hardware configuration.
• a verified image is prepared for customized production with customization settings module 32 which sets the proper customization level into the image, such as by pushing customization settings determined by customization module 22 into operating system registries.
• a virus module 34 checks the customized image for virus before a production image is generated.
• a production module 36 and manufacturing script module 38 then use the verified image and customization level to generate a production image and m-mufacturing scripts for rrianufacture of information handling systems. For instance, production module 36 generates a PowerQuest image for use on a bum rack 40 and manufacturing script module 38 generates manufacturing scripts that instructs burn rack 40 to load the image burned to a custom information handling system 42.
• the production image and manufacttiring scripts are ' downloaded to handling systems 42 are manufactured to fill order 18. Customer orders for various ordered quantity of information handling systems that include the production image are completed as different orders arrive at the factory from the customer that specify the custom image.
• a flow diagram depicts a process for automatic preparation of a custom image into a production image for manufacturing of custom ordered o ⁇ nation'handling systems.
• the process begins at step 44 with the custom image interfaced with an image processing system. For instance, a customer creates a custom image on an information handling system that matches the image the customer is ordering and then sends the hard disk drive with the custom image to a manufacturing site.
• the image integrity is confirmed by checking that all portions of the image are included on the hard disk drive and, at step 48, the image is
• the customization level is determined from the customer order and, at step 52 the image and customization level are downloaded to the analyzing engine.
• the analyzing engine determines the operating system of the image and the hardware base used to create the image. Analysis of the operating system settings and drivers allows a determination of whether the image was misconfigured for the hardware of the base system.
• the determined hardware configuration is captured and, at step 58, the captured hardware configuration of the base information handling system is compared with the hardware configurations of information h- dling systems ordered by the customer. For instance, if the customer ordered hardware configurations that are different from or incompatible with the base hardware configuration, then manufactured information handling systems that include the custom image may fail to operate properly.
• the verified custom image is customized with customization settings from the customer order by plac g customization settings into the image operating system registry.
• the customized image is scanned for viruses and, at step 64 a production image is created from the customized image for use in the manufacturing process.
• scripts for manufacturing customization are created with instructions for customization durin the production process, and at step 68 the production image and customization scripts are forwarded to the manufacturing line for use by. a bum rack as custom order information h-mdling systems are manufactured.

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• 2002
  • 2002-11-12 US US10/292,035 patent/US7095908B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2003
  • 2003-11-12 JP JP2004552218A patent/JP2006507575A/ja active Pending
  • 2003-11-12 WO PCT/US2003/036426 patent/WO2004044711A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2003-11-12 BR BR0305691-0A patent/BR0305691A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-11-12 GB GB0326408A patent/GB2396036B/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-11-12 AU AU2003295528A patent/AU2003295528B2/en not_active Expired
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