Dynamically calculating and applying a timeout value to a manufacturer update service

• US 10,353,683 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Yin, Jianwen, Cao, Yong, Qian, Xianghong
• Primary Examiner(s): Giroux, George
• Application Number:
  US12/418,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20100257525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,756 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

A system for dynamically generating a timeout value based on a customer runtime environment for use with a manufacturer update package. More specifically, the system for dynamically generating a timeout value decomposes calculation of a timeout value based upon the major steps contained within the update service and dynamically calculates the timeout value based upon processor load. In certain embodiments the system uses a heuristic algorithm to perform the calculation.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically generating a timeout value based on a customer runtime environment for use with a manufacturer update package comprising:

decomposing calculation of a timeout value based upon a plurality of major steps contained within an update service contained within a self-extracting archive wrapper, the major steps of the update service comprising an inventory collection step, a payload comparison step and an update execution step, the self-extracting archive wrapper comprising a payload, inventory and execution module, the payload, inventory and execution module comprising a payload, inventory, execution configuration file, the payload, inventory, execution configuration file comprising an entry representing a type, name and expected time to execute a component of the manufacturer update package; and

,

dynamically calculating the timeout value for use with the manufacturer update package based upon processor load; and

,

using a heuristic algorithm to perform the dynamically calculating; and

wherein

the dynamically calculating further comprises calculating a first function value, a second function value, a third function value and a time value, the time value being based upon the first function value, the second function value and the third function value;

the first function value comprises an expected time to perform inventory collection, the second function value comprises an expected time to perform a payload comparison and the third function value comprises an expected time for executing an update operation; and

,

the time value is calculated twice when calculating the timeout value, the time value being first calculated based on a processor status when the update service begins operation and being recalculated when the time value counts down to zero, recalculation of the time value being based upon the processor status so as to determine whether the processor requires more time to complete the update service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the major steps are performed in order and are not performed in parallel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the expected time to perform inventory collection is calculated based upon a sum of expected times to perform inventory collections, a system idle process processor usage rate and an inventory collector processor usage rate.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the expected time to perform the payload comparison is calculated based upon a sum of expected times to perform payload comparison, a payload processor usage rate and a system idle process processor usage rate.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the expected time for executing an update operation is calculated based upon a sum of expected times to perform an update, an update module processor usage rate and a system idle process processor usage rate.

6. An apparatus for dynamically generating a timeout value based on a customer runtime environment for use with a manufacturer update package comprising:

means for decomposing calculation of a timeout value based upon a plurality of major steps contained within an update service contained within a self-extracting archive wrapper, the major steps of the update service comprising an inventory collection step, a payload comparison step and an update execution step, the self-extracting archive wrapper comprising a payload, inventory and execution module, the payload, inventory and execution module comprising a payload, inventory, execution configuration file, the payload, inventory, execution configuration file comprising an entry representing a type, name and expected time to execute a component of the manufacturer update package;

means for dynamically calculating the timeout value for use with the manufacturer update package based upon processor load; and

,

means for using a heuristic algorithm to perform the dynamically calculating; and

wherein

the dynamically calculating further comprises calculating a first function value, a second function value, a third function value and a time value, the time value being based upon the first function value, the second function value and the third function value;

the first function value comprises an expected time to perform inventory collection, the second function value comprises an expected time to perform a payload comparison and the third function value comprises an expected time for executing an update operation; and

,

the time value is calculated twice when calculating the timeout value, the time value being first calculated based on a processor status when the update service begins operation and being recalculated when the time value counts down to zero, recalculation of the time value being based upon the processor status so as to determine whether the processor requires more time to complete the update service.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

the major steps are performed in order and are not performed in parallel.

8. An information handling system comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a system for dynamically generating a timeout value based on a customer runtime environment for use with a manufacturer update package, the system comprising instructions executable by the processor for;

decomposing calculation of a timeout value based upon a plurality of major steps contained within an update service contained within a self-extracting archive wrapper, the major steps of the update service comprising an inventory collection step, a payload comparison step and an update execution step, the self-extracting archive wrapper comprising a payload, inventory and execution module, the payload, inventory and execution module comprising a payload, inventory, execution configuration file, the payload, inventory, execution configuration file comprising an entry representing a type, name and expected time to execute a component of the manufacturer update package; and

,

dynamically calculating the timeout value for use with the manufacturer update package based upon processor load; and

,

using a heuristic algorithm to perform the dynamically calculating; and

wherein

the dynamically calculating further comprises calculating a first function value, a second function value, a third function value and a time value, the time value being based upon the first function value, the second function value and the third function value;

the first function value comprises an expected time to perform inventory collection, the second function value comprises an expected time to perform a payload comparison and the third function value comprises an expected time for executing an update operation; and

,

the time value is calculated twice when calculating the timeout value, the time value being first calculated based on a processor status when the update service begins operation and being recalculated when the time value counts down to zero, recalculation of the time value being based upon the processor status so as to determine whether the processor requires more time to complete the update service.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein:

the major steps are performed in order and are not performed in parallel.

10. A method for dynamically generating a timeout value based on a customer runtime environment for use with a manufacturer update package comprising:

decomposing calculation of a timeout value based upon a plurality of major steps contained within an update service contained within a self-extracting archive wrapper, the major steps of the update service comprising an inventory collection step, a payload comparison step and an update execution step, the self-extracting archive wrapper comprising a payload, inventory and execution module, the payload, inventory and execution module comprising a payload, inventory, execution configuration file, the payload, inventory, execution configuration file comprising an entry representing a type, name and expected time to execute a component of the manufacturer update package; and

,

dynamically calculating the timeout value for use with the manufacturer update package based upon processor load; and

wherein

the dynamically calculating further comprises calculating a first function value, a second function value, a third function value and a time value, the time value being based upon the first function value, the second function value and the third function value;

the first function value comprises an expected time to perform inventory collection, the second function value comprises an expected time to perform a payload comparison and the third function value comprises an expected time for executing an update operation;

the time value is calculated twice when calculating the timeout value, the time value being first calculated based on a processor status when the update service begins operation and being recalculated when the time value counts down to zero, recalculation of the time value being based upon the processor status so as to determine whether the processor requires more time to complete the update service;

the expected time to perform inventory collection is calculated based upon a sum of expected times to perform inventory collections, a system idle process processor usage rate and an inventory collector processor usage rate;

the expected time to perform the payload comparison is calculated based upon a sum of expected times to perform payload comparisons, a payload processor usage rate and a system idle process processor usage rate; and

,

the expected time for executing an update operation is calculated based upon a sum of expected times to perform an update, an update module processor usage rate and a system idle process processor usage rate.