Updating information in network devices

• US 20020078222A1
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Compas, Jeffrey C., Stockwell, Travis M.
• Application Number:
  US09/738,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078222A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for obtaining information includes retrieving in a network device a listing of available information update packages and automatically updating the network device based on the listing. Transferring information update packages can include determining whether a network device is using a computer network connection and transferring portions of the package to the network device only while the network device is not using the network connection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

retrieving in a network device a listing containing information about available information update packages; and

automatically updating the network device based on the listing.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein information update packages can contain software, data or document files.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically updating the listing includes retrieving specified update packages based on the listing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the listing associates update packages with network devices to which they apply.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein updating the network device includes:

removing old versions of information; and

installing new versions of information.

6. A method comprising:

determining whether a network device is using a computer network connection; and

transferring portions of a package to the network device in a manner based on the determined usage of the network connection by the network device.

7. The method of claim 6 including adjusting the sizes of different portions of the package to be downloaded based on the determined usage of the network connection by the network device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein if the network connection is determined to be in use, the portion size is reset to an original state.

9. A computer system comprising:

a computer network;

a network device coupled to the network;

a file server coupled to the network and containing information update packages;

a managing server coupled to the network and containing a listing about information update packages located on the file servers; and

wherein the network device is configured to obtain the listing and automatically update the network device based on the listing.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the information in the listing includes the locations of servers on which the packages are stored.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the listing associates update packages with network devices and groups of network devices to which they apply.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the downloader is configured to obtain the packages by transferring the packages in portions.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the downloader increases the size of the packages when the network device is not using its connection to the network.

15. The article of claim 14 wherein the listing contains information about where the available packages can be obtained by the network device.

16. The article of claim 14 wherein the listing specifies specific packages corresponding to particular network devices.

17. The article of claim 14 wherein updating the network device includes:

removing old versions of information; and

installing new versions of information.

18. The article of claim 17 wherein the new information update packages are obtained over the network by:

checking if the network device is using a computer network connection; and

retrieving portions of the package to the network device only while the device is not using the network connection.

19. The article of claim 18 wherein before portions of the packages are downloaded the size of the portion is increased.

20. The article of claim 19 wherein if the network is found busy the portion size is reset to its original state.

14. An article comprising a computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instruction for causing a computer system to:

obtain a listing containing information about available information update packages from a managing server; and

automatically update the network device based on the listing.

21. A device comprising:

a downloader component in a network device configured to retrieve a listing stored on a managing server containing information about information update packages located on file servers, obtain those packages over a computer network connection, and install them on the network device.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the downloader comprises a software component stored in the network device'"'"'s memory.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein the downloader comprises a hardware component of the network device.

24. The device of claim 21 wherein the listing contains information about where available packages can be obtained by the downloader component.

25. The device of claim 21 wherein the listing specifies specific packages corresponding to particular network devices.

26. The device of claim 21 wherein the downloader obtains the packages by transferring them in portions over the computer network connection.

27. The device of claim 21 wherein the downloader increases the size of the packages when the network device is not using its computer network connection.

28. The device of claim 21 wherein the computer network connection is a connection to the Internet.

29. The device of claim 21 where the listing contains information encoded using eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

30. The device of claim 21 wherein the downloader transfers the packages over the computer network connection using the HyperText Transfer Protocal (HTTP) GET command.