Identification of bootable devices

Abstract

A method for managing an initiation of a computing system. In an embodiment, the method includes a computer processor detecting that a first computing system receives a request to initiate a second computing system. The method further includes accessing a table that includes information associated with a plurality of storage entities that include bootable OS images, where the plurality of storage entities are included in at least one storage system. The method further includes determining a first storage entity that includes a corresponding instance of a first bootable OS image of the requested second computing system. The method further includes initiating the requested second computing system based, at least in part, on the instance of the bootable OS image of the first storage entity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer system for managing an initiation of a computing system, the computer system comprising:
 one or more computer processors;   one or more computer readable storage media; and   program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising:
 program instructions to detect that a first computing system receives a request to initiate a second computing system; 
 program instructions to access a table that includes information associated with a plurality of storage entities that include bootable OS images:
 wherein the table is stored in non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), and the NVRAM is included in the first computing system; and 
 wherein the plurality of storage entities are included in one or more storage systems; 
 wherein the one or more storage systems include a storage area network (SAN) that is network accessible by the first computing system; and 
 wherein a storage entity of the plurality of storage entities is identified as a logical unit that includes a corresponding logical unit number (LUN) value, and wherein the LUN value further includes a World-Wide Name (WWN); 
 
 program instructions to identify at least a first storage entity and a second storage entity that include a corresponding instance of a first bootable OS image based on the request to initiate the second computing system and further based, at least in part, on the table stored in NVRAM that includes information associated with a plurality of storage entities that include bootable OS images; 
 program instructions to validate a corresponding instance of the first bootable OS image of each identified storage entity, wherein program instructions to validate the corresponding instance of the first bootable OS image of the identified storage entity further comprises: 
 program instructions to access a storage system of the one or more storage system that includes the identified storage entity, wherein at least one storage system of the one storage system of the one or more storage systems in network accessible; 
 program instructions to determine a status indicating an integrity of the corresponding instance of the first bootable OS image of the identified storage entity; 
 in response to determining that the status indicating the integrity of the first bootable OS image of the identified first storage entity is acceptable, program instructions to initiate, via a hypervisor, the second computing system based, at least in part on the first bootable OS image of the first storage entity and the request to initiate the second computing system; 
 in response to determining that the integrity of the instance of first bootable OS image of the identified first storage entity is not acceptable, program instructions to update the table stored in NVRAM that includes information associated with a plurality of storage entities, to remove an entry associated with the instance of first bootable OS image of the identified first storage entity that is not acceptable from the table that includes information associated with a plurality of storage entities; 
 in response to determining that the integrity of the first bootable OS image is not acceptable, program instructions to determine a status indicating the integrity of the instance of the first bootable OS image of the identified second storage entity; and 
 in response to determining that the status of the integrity of the instance of the first bootable OS image of the identified second storage entity is acceptable, program instructions to initiate, via the hypervisor, the second computing system based, at least in part on, the instance of the first bootable OS image of the identified second storage entity and the request to initiate the second computing system.