System and method for updating testing devices in a distributed environment

• US 20050114499A1
• Filed: 11/24/2003
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Monk, John M.
• Application Number:
  US10/718,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114499A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• 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]

Abstract

A distributed testing device system, including a user interface, a server communicating with the user interface, and at least one distributed testing device communicating with the server, wherein a user selects at least one distributed testing device for an update via the user interface and the server communicates with the selected at least one distributed testing device to download the update from the server and execute the update on said at least one distributed testing device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a user interface;

a server communicating with the user interface; and

at least one distributed testing device communicating with the server, wherein a user selects at least one distributed testing device for an update via the user interface and the server communicates with the selected at least one distributed testing device to download the update from the server and executes the update on said at least one distributed testing device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the selected at least one distributed testing device receives an update notification from the server, and the selected at least one testing device acknowledges the update notification to the server.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein communications between the selected at least one distributed testing device and the server comprises downloading an installation package from the server to the selected at least one testing device.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein while downloading the installation package from the server to the selected at least one testing device, the selected at least one testing device communicates a download status update to the server.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein after downloading the installation package from the server to the selected at least one testing device, the selected at least one testing device prepares the installation package.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein while preparing the installation package at the selected at least one testing device, the selected at least one testing device communicates a preparation status update to the server.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein after preparing the installation package at the selected at least one testing device, the selected at least one testing device executes the installation package.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein while the selected at least one testing device executes the installation package, the selected at least one testing device communicates an execution status update to the server and wherein the selected at least one testing device communicates to the server a completion of the execution of the installation package.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a client graphic user interface (GUI).

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the GUI is a subset of other graphic user interfaces.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein more than one distributed testing devices are updated in parallel or in serial sequence.

12. A method for remotely updating devices, comprising:

remotely selecting at least one distributed testing device for an update process via a interface unit;

initiating the update process via a server by notifying the selected at least one distributed testing device that the update process is required; and

executing the update process on the at least one distributed testing device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the selected at least one distributed testing device receives a notification of the update process from the server and sends an acknowledgment of the notification to the server.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein after receiving a notification of the update process the selected at least one distributed testing device proceeds to download from the server the update process.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein while downloading the update process, the selected at least one distributed testing device communicates a status of the download of the update process to the server and the status of the download of the update process is displayed on the interface unit.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein after downloading the update process, the selected at least one distributed testing device prepares the update process.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the selected at least one distributed testing device communicates a status of the preparation of the update process to the server and the status of the preparation of the update process is displayed on the interface unit.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein after the preparation of the update process, the selected at least one distributed testing device executes the update process.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the selected at least one distributed testing device communicates, a status of the execution of the update process, to the server and the status of the execution of the update process is displayed on the interface unit.

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein the distributed testing devices are updated in serial or parallel sequence.

21. A distributed testing apparatus, comprising:

a graphic user interface (GUI);

a server communicating with the GUI; and

at least one distributed testing device communicating with the server, to perform a testing of a network in accordance with control by an end user via the GUI, wherein a user selects at least one distributed testing device for an update via the user interface and the server communicates with the selected at least one distributed testing device to download the update from the server and executes the update on said at least one distributed testing device.

22. A method for updating testing devices in a network, comprising:

selecting a testing device, for an update package, in the network via a user interface and submitting an update request to a server;

notifying the selected testing device via the server that the update package is required;

receiving the notification at the selected testing device and submitting an acknowledgment to the server;

downloading to the selected testing device the update package from the server after submitting the acknowledgment to the server and notifying the server a download status of the update package;

preparing the update package for execution at the selected testing device after downloading the update package from the server and notifying the server a preparation status of the update package;

executing the update package at the selected testing device after preparing the update package and notifying the server an execution status of the update package.