APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SHARING CONFIGURATION DATA AMONG A PLURALITY OF DEVICES

• US 20060053114A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Melius, Jeffrey Alan, Burr, John Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system includes a network and a producer device in communication with the network. The producer device includes instructions to transmit a data sample to a consumer device via the network and to receive a request from the consumer device to send configuration information. The configuration information relates to the data sample. The producer device also includes instructions to transmit the configuration information to the consumer device via the network. A method includes transmitting a data sample from a producer device to a consumer device via a network, receiving a request at the producer device to send configuration information to the consumer device, and transmitting the configuration information to the consumer device via the network. A computer program product includes a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method, which includes transmitting a data sample from a producer device to a consumer device via a network, receiving a request at the producer device to send configuration information to the consumer device, and transmitting the configuration information to the consumer device via the network.

Claims

1. A system for sharing configuration information among a plurality of devices, the system comprising:

a network;

a producer device in communication with the network, the producer device including instructions to;

transmit a data sample to a consumer device via the network;

receive a request from the consumer device to send configuration information, the configuration information relating to the data sample; and

transmit the configuration information to the consumer device via the network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of data type, encoding, location, and array length a signature, a time stamp, data size, an array element index, cardinality, an offset, and an address of the data sample.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes default values.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the producer device transmits the data sample having the first configuration and a version of the first configuration and at least one of an indication that the second configuration is pending and a version of the second configuration.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the producer device receives the request from the consumer device to send the configuration information in response to the at least one of the indication that the second configuration is pending and the version of the second configuration.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes a first configuration and a second configuration, the producer device transmits at least one of the data sample having the first configuration, a version of the first configuration, an indication that the second configuration is pending, and a version of the second configuration.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the producer device receives the request from the consumer device to send the configuration information in response to the at least one of the indication that the second configuration is pending and the version of the second configuration.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the consumer device detects a mismatch in the configuration information via the network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the producer device receives an instruction from external source to change the configuration information from a first configuration to a second configuration.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the producer device instructs the consumer device via the network that a change in the configuration information is pending.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the producer device maintains a first configuration for a predetermined time and creates a second configuration.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the producer device transmits the second configuration to the consumer device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the producer device implements the second configuration and the consumer device responds and implements the second configuration.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the network includes at least one of an local area network, a wide area network, a global network, a virtual private network, an intranet, an Ethernet local area network with internet protocol.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving an instruction at the producer device to change the configuration information from a first configuration to a second configuration.

18. The method of claim 17, instructing the consumer device via the network that the change in the configuration information is pending.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising maintaining the first configuration at the producer device for a predetermined time and creating the second configuration at the producer device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting the second configuration to the consumer device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising implementing the second configuration at the producer device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising implementing the second configuration at the consumer device in response to the producer device implementing the second configuration.

15. A method for sharing configuration information among a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

transmitting a data sample from a producer device to a consumer device via a network;

receiving a request at the producer device to send configuration information to the consumer device, the configuration information relating to the data sample; and

transmitting the configuration information to the consumer device via the network.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting a mismatch at the consumer device in the configuration information.

23. A computer program product for sharing configuration information among a plurality of devices, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

transmitting a data sample from a producer device to a consumer device via a network;

receiving a request at the producer device to send configuration information to the consumer device, the configuration information relating to the data sample; and

transmitting the configuration information to the consumer device via the network.