Communications networks

• US 20050108288A1
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Hartshorne, Paul, Hunneyball, Timothy, Munns, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,992,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

In order to upgrade firmware at network elements in a communications network a network upgrade protocol agent is installed on each network element. These agents run an upgrade protocol which allows an upgrade to be loaded onto a first network element and then broadcast through the network. The protocol includes notification messages, which change the state of the network elements to which the upgrade relates, download messages which include the firmware upgrade, apply messages which instruct relevant network elements to apply the upgrade, and inventory messages which send an inventory of firmware stored at a network element to neighboring elements to enable a determination to be made of whether a network element has received all relevant firmware upgrades.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of upgrading firmware installed on network elements of a communications network, comprising the steps of:

a) loading a firmware upgrade onto a source network element on the network; and

b) broadcasting the upgrade through the network to network elements to which the firmware upgrade applies, including the step of sending a notification message identifying a type of the network element to which the upgrade applies to network elements adjacent the source network element, and the step of broadcasting the notification message through the network by each network element receiving the notification message passing it to adjacent network elements.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein on receipt of the notification message, a network element of the type identified in the message switches to a receiving state for receipt of the firmware upgrade.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of broadcasting the upgrade through the network comprises sending a download message including an image of the firmware upgrade to network elements adjacent the source network element, and broadcasting the download message through the network by each network element receiving the download message passing it to adjacent network elements.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein each network element comprises a plurality of different functions to which the firmware upgrade relates, comprising subdividing the firmware upgrade image in the download message into a plurality of sub-images according to the network element function to which they relate.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein the notification message includes a flag instructing network elements receiving the firmware upgrade to apply the upgrade immediately after it has been received.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step of broadcasting the firmware upgrade comprises sending an apply message from the source network element to adjacent elements, and sending the apply message from each network element at which it is received to adjacent network elements, the apply message instructing network elements to which the firmware upgrade applies to apply the upgrade.

27. The method according to claim 26, comprising periodically sending an inventory message from a given network element to adjacent elements, the inventory message comprising a list of firmware stored at the network element, and, at the adjacent network elements receiving the inventory message, comparing the received firmware list with its own firmware list and, if the comparison indicates that the network element sending the inventory message does not have all the firmware in the receiving network element'"'"'s list, sending the missing firmware to the network element originating the inventory message.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the inventory message includes a network element type identifier and is responded to only by adjacent network elements of the same type.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the apply message includes an indication that application of the firmware upgrade is deferred to a specified time.

30. A method of upgrading firmware installed on network elements of a communications network, comprising the steps of:

a) installing a protocol agent on each network element for running a network upgrade protocol;

b) installing a firmware upgrade at a source network element; and

c) broadcasting the firmware upgrade through the network to network elements to which the firmware upgrade applies by applying the network upgrade protocol at each network element, the broadcasting step including the step of sending a notification message identifying a type of the network element to which the upgrade applies to network elements adjacent the source network element, and the step of broadcasting the notification message through the network by each network element receiving the notification message passing it to adjacent network elements.

31. A communications network, comprising:

a plurality of network elements, each network element having a network upgrade protocol element for receiving network upgrade messages from adjacent network elements, broadcasting received network upgrade messages to adjacent network elements, and upgrading network elements firmware according to content of the network upgrade message;

the network upgrade messages comprising an identifier of network element types to be upgraded.

32. A network element for a communications network, comprising:

a network upgrade protocol agent for receiving network upgrade messages from at least one adjacent network element on the communications network, for broadcasting received network upgrade messages to the at least one adjacent network element on the communications network, and for upgrading network element firmware according to content of the network upgrade message;

the network upgrade messages comprising an identifier of network element types to be upgraded.

33. An apparatus for upgrading firmware installed on network elements of a communications network, comprising:

a) means for loading a firmware upgrade onto a source network element on the network; and

b) means for broadcasting the upgrade through the network to network elements to which the firmware upgrade applies, the broadcasting means including means for sending a notification message identifying a type of the network element to which the upgrade applies to network elements adjacent the source network element, and means for broadcasting the notification message through the network by each network element receiving the notification message passing it to adjacent network elements.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the network upgrade protocol (NUP) agent comprises means for breaking a firmware image into a plurality of functional sub-images.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the NUP agent comprises means for examining a NUP message to determine whether message content is relevant to the network element.

36. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the NUP agent comprises means for changing a state of the agent, on receipt of a network upgrade protocol message relevant to the network element, whereby the network element receives and stores the firmware upgrade.

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the NUP agent comprises means for sending an inventory of firmware stored at the NUP agent to adjacent network elements on the communications network.

38. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the NUP agent comprises means for receiving an inventory from an adjacent network element on a communications element, for comparing the received inventory with its own inventory and, if the received inventory contains items not in its own inventory, identifying those items to the network element from which the inventory was received.

39. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the NUP agent includes means for applying received firmware in respect to an apply message.

40. A network upgrade protocol for upgrading firmware stored in network elements of a communications network, the protocol comprising:

a notification message identifying a type of the network element to be upgraded, a download message for downloading a firmware upgrade to the network elements of the identified type, and an apply message for causing network elements which have received the firmware upgrade to apply the firmware upgrade.

41. The network upgrade protocol according to claim 40, comprising an inventory message for causing an inventory of firmware to be sent from a network element to adjacent elements, and for causing the adjacent network elements each to indicate to the network element sending the inventory message if any firmware identified in the inventory message is not stored at an adjacent network element.