Dynamic addressing (DA) using a centralized DA manager

• US 20050216537A1
• Filed: 02/01/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: InnoPath Software, Inc. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jiang, James, Raja, Anumele, Ji, De
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Dynamic Addressing (DA) is provided that uses a Centralized DA Manager to manage function calls, global variable, and constant variable references among components of software code. The DA Manager is generated during the process of linking the components and is loaded along with the code into client device memory. References from one component to another are stored in the DA Manager along with the address of each component. In an embodiment, the DA Manager includes linker-defined symbols stored in fixed addresses, such that the linker-defined symbols consistently provide the current address for data requested from another component. Changes to a component during file upgrades that result in location changes of the component in memory are recorded by the DA Manager, thereby maintaining the integrity of references to the component present in the code.

Claims

1. A portable communication device comprising a dynamic addressing manager and a plurality of software components coupled to a processor, the dynamic addressing manager including one or more pairs of elements in a table, wherein each of the pairs of elements forms an association between each identified reference in a component and another of the software components corresponding to the identified reference, the dynamic addressing manager associating the plurality of software components during execution of the code using the pairs of elements, wherein the pairs of elements include symbols defined by a linker application.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each pair of elements has a fixed address in the dynamic addressing manager.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the references include at least one of function calls and variable references.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the variable references include at least one of global variable references and constant variable references.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the table comprises a vector table that is a centralized jump table for at least one of function calls and variable references.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein associating the plurality of software components comprises:

directing a reference from a first component to a pair of elements in an entry of the vector table, wherein the address of the pair is included in one of the pair of elements; and

redirecting the reference to a second component using information of the other of the pair of elements.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the dynamic addressing manager comprises at least one centralized section.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein at least one variable reference is assigned to the centralized section.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein linking the plurality of software components comprises directing a reference to the variable reference to an address of the centralized section corresponding to the variable reference.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising an upgrade client, the upgrade client upgrading the plurality of software components, wherein upgrading includes:

receiving an upgrade file via a wireless coupling;

upgrading at least one of the plurality of software components as appropriate to contents of the upgrade file; and

upgrading the associations among the plurality of software components by upgrading information of the associations of the dynamic addressing manager.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a memory including one or more memory areas, wherein the dynamic addressing manager is stored in the memory.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the memory includes at least one of random access memory and read-only memory.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the client device is at least one of a cellular telephone, a portable computing device, and a personal digital assistant.

14. A method comprising:

organizing code stored in a device memory of a client device into a plurality of components;

identifying one or more references included in each of the plurality of components, wherein each reference is a reference to one or more other components of the code;

generating a manager component that includes one or more address direction entries, wherein each address direction entries includes two fields that form a program link between each identified reference in a component and the other component corresponding to the identified reference; and

linking the plurality of components using the address direction entries of the manager component during execution of the code.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each address direction entry has a fixed address in the manager component.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the references include at least one of function calls, global variable references, and constant variable references.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the references include at least one of relative offset jump/branch instructions and absolute offset jump/branch instructions.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the references include at least one of global constant variables, global read/write data addresses, and global zero initialized data addresses.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the manager component further comprises generating a vector table that stores the one or more address direction entries and that is a centralized jump table for at least one of function calls and global variables.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein linking the plurality of components further comprises:

directing a reference from a first component to an entry of the vector table using a first field of an entry; and

redirecting the reference to a second component using a second field of the entry.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the reference includes at least one of a function call and a variable.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the manager component further comprises:

generating at least one centralized section of the manager component; and

assigning global constant variables to the generated centralized section.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein linking the plurality of components further comprises directing a reference to the global constant variable to an address of the centralized section corresponding to the global constant variable.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein generating the manager component further comprises assigning global read/write data addresses to the generated centralized section.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein linking the plurality of components further comprises directing a reference to the global read/write data addresses to an address of the centralized section corresponding to the global read/write data addresses.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein generating the manager component further comprises assigning global zero initialized data addresses to the generated centralized section.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein linking the plurality of components further comprises directing a reference to the global zero initialized data addresses to an address of the centralized section corresponding to the global zero initialized data addresses.

28. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing the manager component in one or more memory areas of the client device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the memory areas include areas in at least one of random access memory and read-only memory.

30. The method of claim 14, further comprising upgrading the code, the upgrading including:

receiving an upgrade file via a wireless coupling;

upgrading at least one of the plurality of components as appropriate to contents of the upgrade file; and

upgrading the linking among the plurality of components of the upgraded code by upgrading the manager component.

31. The method of claim 14, wherein the client device is at least one of a cellular telephone, a portable computing device, and a personal digital assistant.

32. A system comprising:

a first device including a first upgrade component that generates upgrade files, wherein the upgrade files include at least one of information to repair errors in electronic files and information to add functionality to the electronic files; and

a mobile communication device comprising a second upgrade component, a dynamic addressing manager, and a plurality of software components, the dynamic addressing manager including one or more links, wherein each link forms a program link between each identified reference in a component and another of the software components corresponding to the identified reference, the dynamic addressing manager linking the plurality of software components during execution of the code using the links, and wherein the links comprise one or more linker-defined symbols.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising a wireless coupling, wherein the second upgrade component receives the upgrade files via the wireless coupling, the second upgrade component automatically upgrading the plurality of software components using information of the upgrade files.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein upgrading comprises upgrading at least one of the plurality of software components as appropriate to contents of the upgrade file and upgrading the links among the plurality of software components by upgrading information of the links of the dynamic addressing manager.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein each link has a fixed address in the dynamic addressing manager.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the references include at least one of function calls and variable references.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the dynamic addressing manager comprises a vector table that is a centralized jump table for at least one of function calls and variable references.

38. The system of claim 32, wherein the dynamic addressing manager comprises at least one centralized section, wherein at least one variable reference is assigned to the centralized section.

39. The system of claim 32, wherein the first device is a processor-based device accessible by at least one provider of software components hosted on the second device.

40. The system of claim 32, wherein the mobile communication device includes at least one of cellular telephones, portable computing devices, and personal digital assistants.

41. The system of claim 32, wherein the plurality of software components comprise software files including dynamic link library files, shared object files, embedded software components (EBSCs), firmware files, executable files, data files including hex data files, system configuration files, and files including personal use data.

42. A mobile communication device comprising:

means for organizing code stored in a device memory of a client device into a plurality of components;

means for identifying one or more references included in each of the plurality of components, wherein each reference is a reference to one or more other components of the code;

means for generating a manager component that includes one or more links, wherein each link forms a program link between each identified reference in a component and the other component corresponding to the identified reference; and

means for linking the plurality of components using the links of the manager component during execution of the code, wherein the links include one or more linker-defined symbols.

43. The device of claim 42, wherein the means for generating the manager component further comprises means for generating a vector table that is a centralized jump table for at least one of function calls and global variables.

44. The device of claim 43, wherein the means for linking the plurality of components further comprises:

means for directing a reference from a first component to an entry of the vector table; and

means for redirecting the reference to a second component using information of the entry.

45. The device of claim 42, wherein the means for generating the manager component further comprises:

means for generating at least one centralized section of the manager component; and

means for assigning variable references to the generated centralized section.

46. The device of claim 45, wherein means for linking the plurality of components further comprises means for directing a reference to the variable reference to an address of the centralized section corresponding to the variable reference.

47. The device of claim 42, further comprising means for upgrading the code, including:

means for receiving an upgrade file via a wireless coupling;

means for upgrading at least one of the plurality of components as appropriate to contents of the upgrade file; and

means for upgrading the linking among the plurality of components of the upgraded code by upgrading the manager component.

48. A machine-readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, link software components in a portable device by:

organizing code stored in a device memory of a client device into a plurality of components;

identifying one or more references included in each of the plurality of components, wherein each reference is a reference to one or more other components of the code;

generating a manager component that includes one or more links, wherein each link forms a program link between each identified reference in a component and the other component corresponding to the identified reference; and

linking the plurality of components using the links of the manager component during execution of the code, wherein the links include a plurality of linker-defined symbols.

49. The medium of claim 48, further comprising upgrading the code by:

receiving an upgrade file via a wireless coupling;

upgrading at least one of the plurality of components as appropriate to contents of the upgrade file; and

upgrading the linking among the plurality of components of the upgraded code by upgrading the manager component.