Method and system for loading and updating firmware in an embedded device

• US 20060031664A1
• Filed: 08/04/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Aiken, Craig A., Wilson, Daniel B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,334,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• 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

System and method for loading and/or updating firmware in a device, e.g., an embedded device, operable to be coupled to a host computer system. A first portion of firmware of the device, e.g., a boot loader, may be executable to operate the device, including processing requests from the host computer system and/or enabling the device to execute a second portion of the firmware, e.g., an operating system for the device. The device may be coupled to other devices or instruments. The second portion of the firmware may allow the host computer system to operate and/or control the other devices or instruments through the device. The host computer system may transmit a different version of the second portion of the firmware to the device, e.g., enabling the device to couple to and operate with a specific instrument. The host computer system may not update the first portion of the firmware.

Claims

1. A method for operating a device, wherein the device comprises a boot loader, the method comprising:

the boot loader transferring an operating system from a first memory medium of the device to a second memory medium of the device, wherein the first memory medium comprises non-volatile memory;

the boot loader configuring the second memory medium to allow a processor of the device to execute at least a portion of the operating system, wherein said at least a portion of the operating system is executable from the second memory medium by the processor to operate the device; and

the boot loader processing one or more requests from a host computer system concurrently with one or more of;

said transferring the operating system from the first memory medium to the second memory medium;

said configuring the second memory medium to allow the processor of the device to execute at least a portion of the operating system; and

executing said at least a portion of the operating system from the second memory medium to operate the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the boot loader is stored in the first memory medium and executable by the processor from the first memory medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the boot loader is stored in the second memory medium and executable by the processor from the second memory medium.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein said executing said at least a portion of the operating system from the second memory medium is performed concurrently with said boot loader processing the one or more requests from the host computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the device with the host computer system.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein said associating the device with the host computer system is performed concurrently with one or more of:

said boot loader processing the one or more requests from the host computer system;

said transferring the operating system from the first memory medium to the second memory medium;

said configuring the second memory medium to allow the processor of the device to execute at least a portion of the operating system; and

said executing said at least a portion of the operating system from the second memory medium to operate the device.

7. The method of claim 5,

wherein said associating the device with the host computer system includes enumerating the device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a different operating system from the host computer system, wherein said acquiring the different operating system includes storing the different operating system in the first memory medium; and

transferring the different operating system from the first memory medium to the second memory medium.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein at least one of said acquiring the different operating system and said transferring the different operating system is performed concurrently with said boot loader processing the one or more requests from the host computer system.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

configuring the second memory medium to allow the processor of the device to execute at least a portion of the different operating system.

11. The method of claim 8,

wherein said acquiring the different operating system includes replacing at least a portion of the operating system with the different operating system.

12. The method of claim 1,

wherein the device is coupled to the host computer system through a bus.

13. The method of claim 12,

wherein the bus comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

14. The method of claim 12,

wherein the bus comprises an IEEE 1394 bus.

15. The method of claim 1,

wherein the device is coupled to the host computer system through an Ethernet connection.

16. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more requests includes a request for a version of the operating system.

17. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more requests includes a request for a status.

18. The method of claim 1,

wherein the device is an embedded device.

19. A device, comprising:

a processor;

a first memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the first memory comprises non-volatile memory, and wherein the first memory medium stores a boot loader and an operating system; and

a second memory medium coupled to the processor;

wherein the boot loader is executable by the processor to;

transfer the operating system from the first memory medium to the second memory medium; and

configure the second memory medium to allow the processor to execute at least a portion of the operating system, wherein said at least a portion of the operating system is executable from the second memory medium by the processor to operate the device;

wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to process one or more requests from a host computer system concurrently with one or more of;

said transferring the operating system from the first memory medium to the second memory medium;

said configuring the second memory medium to allow the processor of the device to execute said at least a portion of the operating system; and

the processor executing said at least a portion of the operating system.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the boot loader is executable by the processor from the first memory medium.

21. The device of claim 19,

wherein the boot loader is executable by the processor from the second memory medium.

22. The device of claim 19,

wherein the device is operable to transfer the boot loader from the first memory medium to the second memory medium;

and

wherein the boot loader is executable by the processor from the second memory medium.

23. The device of claim 19, wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to:

associate the device with the host computer system.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to perform said associating the device with the host computer system concurrently with one or more of:

said processing the one or more requests from the host computer;

said transferring the operating system from the first memory medium to the second memory medium;

said configuring the second memory medium to allow the processor of the device to execute said at least a portion of the operating system; and

the processor executing said at least a portion of the operating system from the second memory medium to operate the device.

25. The device of claim 23,

wherein, in said associating the device with the host computer system, the boot loader is further executable by the processor to enumerate the device.

26. The device of claim 19, wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to:

acquire a different operating system from the host computer system, wherein acquiring the different operating system includes storing the different operating system in the first memory medium.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to perform said acquiring the different operating system from the host computer system concurrently with one or more of:

said processing the one or more requests from the host computer;

said transferring the operating system from the first memory medium to the second memory medium;

said configuring the second memory medium to allow the processor of the device to execute said at least a portion of the operating system; and

the processor executing said at least a portion of the operating system from the second memory medium to operate the device.

28. The device of claim 26,

wherein, in said acquiring the different operating system, the boot loader is further executable by the processor to replace at least a portion of the operating system with the different operating system.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to:

configure the second memory medium to allow the processor of the device to execute at least a portion of the different operating system.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to perform said configuring the second memory medium to allow the processor of the device to execute said at least a portion of the different operating system concurrently with said processing the one or more requests from the host computer.

31. The device of claim 19,

wherein the device is coupled to the host computer system through a bus.

32. The device of claim 31,

wherein the bus comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

33. The device of claim 31,

wherein the bus comprises an IEEE 1394 bus.

34. The device of claim 19,

wherein the device is coupled to the host computer system through an Ethernet connection.

35. The device of claim 19,

wherein the one or more requests includes a request for a version of the operating system.

36. The device of claim 19,

wherein the one or more requests includes a request for a status.

37. The device of claim 19,

wherein the second memory medium comprises the boot loader;

wherein the second memory medium comprises a first portion of the second memory medium and a second portion of the second memory medium; and

wherein the device is operable to enable or disable the second portion of the second memory medium.

38. The device of claim 37,

wherein the boot loader or the operating system are further executable by the processor to:

determine a size of the boot loader and the operating system;

determine a size of the first portion of the second memory medium;

determine if the size of the boot loader and the operating system is less than or equal to the size of the first portion of the second memory medium; and

if the size of the boot loader and the operating system is less than or equal to the size of the first portion of the second memory medium, disable the second portion of the second memory medium.

39. The device of claim 38,

wherein the processor comprises the first portion of the second memory medium.

40. The device of claim 37,

wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to:

determine a size of the operating system;

determine a size of available space of the first portion of the second memory medium;

determine if the size of the operating system is less than or equal to the size of available space of the first portion of the second memory medium;

if the size of the operating system is less than or equal to the size of available space of the first portion of the second memory medium, transfer the operating system to the first portion of the second memory medium; and

if the size of the operating system is not less than or equal to the size of available space of the first portion of the second memory medium, enable the second portion of the second memory medium and transfer the operating system to the second memory medium.

41. The device of claim 40,

wherein the boot loader is further executable by the processor to:

if the size of the operating system is less than or equal to the size of available space of the first portion of the second memory medium, disable the second portion of the second memory medium.

42. The device of claim 40,

wherein the processor comprises the first portion of the second memory medium.

43. The device of claim 19,

wherein the device is an embedded device.