Subscription-based program module installation and update system and method
First Claim
1. A method of automatically updating one or more software components on a plurality of target computers from a server computer, the method comprising the steps of:
- identifying target computers of the plurality of target computers as registered target computers by verifying a registration status with the server computer;
transmitting an advertisement message from the server computer to each of the registered target computers, the advertisement message indicating that a software module update is available;
determining, on each of the registered target computers, if the software module update is an authorized update;
certifying, on each of the registered target computers that determines to implement the software module update, the software module update request to the server computer;
downloading, to each of the registered target computers, the software module update from a database location specified by the server computer, for each registered target computer that certifies the software module update request;
declining the advertised update and transmitting a decline message to the server computer for each registered target computer that does not certify the software module update request;
installing the software module update on each registered target computer that certifies the software module update request, based on a pre-defined time schedule; and
transmitting an alarm alert to the server computer for each update operation that is not successfully completed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for automatically updating program modules on a plurality of computers coupled to a server computer in a large-scale distributed network is described. In a network comprising disparate types of server computers, target server computers are first divided into logical groups based on server functionality. File updates are made available on a master update server. The master update server advertises the availability to the target servers. The master update server creates an advertising message and transmits or otherwise makes available the advertising message to the target server computers. Each target server computer determines whether the update is to be performed. If an update is to be performed, the target server computer accesses the file location of the update file specified in the advertising message and downloads the update program. If an update is not be performed, a decline message is transmitted to the update server. The update module is installed on the target server computer in accordance with a pre-defined update schedule. A certified communications protocol encoding a registered serial number of the update server is utilized to facilitate verification of the update server identity to the target server computer.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of automatically updating one or more software components on a plurality of target computers from a server computer, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying target computers of the plurality of target computers as registered target computers by verifying a registration status with the server computer;
transmitting an advertisement message from the server computer to each of the registered target computers, the advertisement message indicating that a software module update is available;
determining, on each of the registered target computers, if the software module update is an authorized update;
certifying, on each of the registered target computers that determines to implement the software module update, the software module update request to the server computer;
downloading, to each of the registered target computers, the software module update from a database location specified by the server computer, for each registered target computer that certifies the software module update request;
declining the advertised update and transmitting a decline message to the server computer for each registered target computer that does not certify the software module update request;
installing the software module update on each registered target computer that certifies the software module update request, based on a pre-defined time schedule; and
transmitting an alarm alert to the server computer for each update operation that is not successfully completed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method distributing software programs over a network coupling a server computer to a plurality of client computers, the method comprising the steps of:
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creating an update publication directory on the server computer;
storing one or more files comprising a software program update in the update publication directory;
creating an advertisement message indicating the availability of a software program update for installation by one or more of the plurality of client computers;
incorporating a link to the update publication directory within the advertisement message;
transmitting the advertisement message to the plurality of client computers;
receiving the advertisement message in a target client computer of the plurality of client computers;
determining a sender identification of the server computer from the advertisement message;
validating the sender identification by performing a comparison of the sender identification determined from the advertisement message with a pre-stored sender identification; and
accessing the one or more files comprising the software program update from the update publication directory on the server computer if the sender identification determined from the advertisement message matches the pre-stored sender identification. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An apparatus for distributing software programs over a network coupling a server computer to a target client computer, the apparatus comprising:
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means for creating an update publication directory on the server computer;
means for storing one or more files comprising a software program update in the update publication directory;
means for creating an advertisement message indicating the availability of a software program update for installation by the target client computer;
means for incorporating a link to the update publication directory within the advertisement message;
means for transmitting the advertisement message to the target client computer;
means for receiving the advertisement message in the target client computer;
means for determining a sender identification of the server computer from the advertisement message;
means for comparing the sender identification determined from the advertisement message with a pre-stored sender identification to validate the advertisement message; and
means for accessing the one or more files comprising the software program update from the update publication directory on the server computer if the sender identification determined from the advertisement message matches the pre-stored sender identification. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification