Method and system for performing SW upgrade in a real-time system

• US 20030177486A1
• Filed: 02/19/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Bakke, Knut, Johansen, Odd Oyvind, Mohagheghi, Parastoo
• Granted Patent: US 7,089,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running

Abstract

A new method is disclosed, for upgrading the software in a real-time distributed software system comprising several processes running in parallell. The method involves a preparatory procedure in which the new software is installed. Then, the software is activated, the components ordered to save configuration data and transaction data in a database, whereupon the components are stopped. When the preparatory procedure is completed, a restart procedure is invoked. This involves selecting start level (full upgrade involving all components, or a partial upgrade concerning just one or a few components). The modules concerned are started from the new software version. On each start level a number of start phases are defined. These are sequential steps performed during the restart operation. Each module subscribes to a number of these phases. Some of the phases are defined as synchronisation points, here called service levels, which all modules have to arrive at before the process is allowed to commence. During this process, each module is given the responsibility of converting any configuration data or transaction data belonging to it, if needed. The conversion is done by reading the old data from the database mentioned above and converting said data to the format required by the new software.

Claims

1. A method for upgrading the software in a system comprising several application modules running in parallell, one or more of the modules holding configuration data and/or transaction data which must survive the upgrade operation, comprising the steps of:

a) the new software is installed on the system and activated,

b) all modules are ordered to save their configuration and/or transaction data,

c) all modules are stopped,

d) all modules are restarted from the new software version,

e) any module which need to convert the configuration and/or transaction data in order to comply with the new software version will load said data from the database and define an upgrade module,

f) said upgrade module will read said data, convert the data into the required format, and save the converted data.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said configuration and/or transaction data is stored in a database, and said upgrade module is arranged to save the converted data by writing them back into said database.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step c) further comprises the steps of:

c1) selecting a start level defining the number of application modules that are concerned by the upgrade, each start level comprising a number of start phases defining activities;

c2) allocating a number of start phases to each application module; and

c3) executing the start phases sequently for each application module.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein some of the start phases are defined as synchronization points, and, on arriving on such a phase, each application module being arranged to temporarily stop the execution of the phase untill all application modules has reached the same phase.

5. A system for processing data comprising a number of software modules running in parallel, comprising:

a number of start levels each defining the extent of a start or restart procedure,

each start level including a number of start phases each defining an activity,

each software module subscribing to a number of start phases of each start level.

6. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the system further comprising a database holding configuration and transaction data for one or more of the software modules.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the system further comprising an upgrade module associated with each software module, said upgrade module being adapted to read configuration and transaction data from said database, convert the data and write the data back into the database.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein some of said start phases are defined as synchronization points, and, on arriving on such a phase, each application module being arranged to temporarily stop the execution of the phase untill all application modules has reached the same phase.