Software management for software defined radio in a distributed network

• US 20050055689A1
• Filed: 09/10/2003
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Treble Investments LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Treble Investments LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Williams, Terry L., Jordan, Thomas L., Uberbacher, John J., Abfalter, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US10/659,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055689A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A method for installing software to software-defined radio equipment. The method includes the step of transferring software to one or more software-defined radio devices from a remotely located software server. The software server can be a computer operatively connected to the software-defined radio device via a communications network. The transferring step can occur while the software-defined radio device continues to perform software-defined radio functions. The software can be stored to a portion of a data store associated with the software-defined radio device which is not being used as a storage for currently running software. The software can be loaded on a restart of the software defined device. An error indication can be provided if a fault occurs in the transferring step or the loading step. The method also can include the step of reverting from the selected software to a previous software version upon a fault occurrence.

Claims

1. A method for installing software to software-defined radio equipment comprising the steps of:

transferring software to a software-defined radio device from a software server, said software server remotely located with respect to said software-defined radio device;

storing said software to a portion of a data store associated with said software-defined radio device, said portion of said data store not being used as a storage for currently running software; and

loading at least one of said transferred software and said currently running software to said software-defined radio device during a restart of said software-defined radio device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically reverting from said selected software to a previous software version upon a fault detection.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of monitoring said transferring and loading steps.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transferring to said software-defined radio device a selection identifying software to be loaded by said software-defined radio device during a restart of said software-defined radio device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said selection identifies at least one of said transferred software and said currently running software.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said selection identifies a software version.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transferring said transferred software to at least a second software-defined radio device; and

consecutive with said loading step, loading said transferred software to said second software-defined radio device.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing an error indication if a fault is detected in at least one of said transferring step and said loading step.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transferred software comprises a plurality of software components.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a version indicator accessible from a remote location, said version indicator identifying software which is currently loaded on said software-defined radio device.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a software listing accessible from a remote location, said software listing identifying software currently available on said data store.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said storing step comprises storing said transferred software to a second data store associated with said software-defined device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said second data store is non-volatile.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transferring step occurs while said software-defined radio device continues to perform software-defined radio functions.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said software server is a computer operatively connected to said software-defined radio device via a communications network.

16. A method for installing software to software-defined radio equipment comprising the steps of:

receiving to a software-defined radio device software from a software server, said software server remotely located with respect to said software-defined radio device;

storing said software to a portion of a data store associated with said software-defined radio device, said portion of said data store not being used as a storage for currently running software;

receiving to said software-defined radio device a selection identifying at least one of said transferred software and said currently running software to be loaded by said software-defined radio device during a restart of said software-defined radio device;

loading said at least one of said transferred software and said currently running software; and

verifying said loading step.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of automatically reverting from said at least one of said transferred software and said currently running software to a previous software version upon a fault being detected in said loading step.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of providing an error indication upon said fault detection.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring said receiving step; and

providing an error indication if a fault is detected in said receiving step.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of providing a version indicator accessible from a remote location, said version indicator identifying software which is currently loaded on said software-defined radio device.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein said selection identifies a software version.

22. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of providing a software listing which is accessible from a remote location, said software listing identifying software currently available on said data store.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein said storing step comprises storing said transferred software to a second data store associated with said software-defined device.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein said second data store is non-volatile.

25. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of decompressing said transferred software after said receiving step.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein said receiving step occurs while said software-defined radio device continues to perform software-defined radio functions.

27. A system for installing software to software-defined radio equipment comprising:

a software server for transferring software to a software-defined radio device from a location remotely located with respect to said software-defined radio device;

a man-machine interface associated with said software server for receiving from a system operator a selection identifying at least one of said transferred software and said currently running software to be loaded at a next startup of said software-defined radio device;

a data store associated with said software-defined radio device for storing said software, said software stored on a portion of said data store which is not being used to provide currently running software; and

a processor programmed to;

load a selected one of said transferred software and said currently running software to said software-defined radio device during a restart of said software-defined radio device;

provide an error indication if a fault occurs in at least one of said transfer of said software and said loading of said software; and

automatically reverting from said transferred software to a previous software version upon said error indication being generated.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein said processor is further programmed to monitor said transferring of said software, and loading of said selected software.

29. The system according to claim 27, wherein said software server transfers said transferred software to at least a second software-defined radio device, wherein said transferred software is consecutively loaded on said software-defined radio device and on said second software-defined radio device.

30. The system according to claim 27, wherein said software server further comprises a compression application for compressing said software prior to said software being transferred.

31. The system according to claim 27, wherein said transferred software comprises a plurality of software components.

32. The system according to claim 27, wherein said man-machine interface further comprises a version indicator, said version indicator identifying software which is currently loaded on said software-defined radio device.

33. The system according to claim 27, wherein said man-machine interface provides a software listing identifying software currently available on said data store.

34. The system according to claim 27, further comprising a second data store associated with said software-defined device for storing said transferred software.

35. The system according to claim 34, wherein said second data store is non-volatile.

36. The system according to claim 27, wherein said software is transferred to said software-defined radio device while said software-defined radio device continues to perform software-defined radio functions.

37. The method according to claim 27, wherein said software server is a computer operatively connected to said software-defined radio device via a communications network.