Updating machines while disconnected from an update source

• US 20070006214A1
• Filed: 06/20/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dubal, Scott, Kappler, Elizabeth, Montecalvo, Mark, Boom, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 7,581,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Disclosed are exemplary embodiments for updating a networked machine having at least a dormant state and an active state. In various embodiments, when the machine it is a dormant state, it listens to a network for candidate updates, that is, updates that may be applicable to the machine. In some embodiments, determining the candidate update is an applicable update for the machine may be based at least in part on a variety of reasons, including testing if it has already been applied, does not actually update some aspect of the machine, conflicts with an existing configuration of the machine, conflicts with a policy of the machine, etc. The machine may cache some or all of the candidate updates or applicable updates, where a variety of rationales or policies may be used to control update retention. When the machine enters an active state, such as a power on or non-sleep mode, or other active state, the machine may validate integrity of an applicable update if not done while the machine was dormant, and optionally choose to install it.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating updates over a first network for a machine having at least a dormant state and an active state, the method comprising:

in the dormant state,

listening to the first network for a candidate update,

determining the candidate update is an applicable update for the machine based at least in part on applying a policy associated with the machine to a characteristic of the candidate update, and

caching the applicable update in a first memory; and

in the active state, validating an integrity of the applicable update.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the applicable update while the machine is in the dormant state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising listening to the first network while the machine is in the dormant state for a token which may be cryptographically applied to the applicable update to facilitate said validating the applicable update.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing said validating the applicable update while the machine is in the dormant state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising said validating including retrieving while in the active state integrity validation data for the applicable update over a second network having a higher data throughput than the first network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically applying a cache retention policy to cached updates.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising acting as a peer-source for retrieval by peer machines of said cached applicable updates.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the first network has congestion, and at least while congested, performing said acting as a peer-source.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selectively storing a non-applicable candidate update in a second memory; and

acting as a peer-source for retrieval by peer machines of the applicable update of the first memory or the non-applicable update of the second memory.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a wireless network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein entering the dormant state for the machine comprises the machine performing selected ones of:

initiating a low power operational state, executing a stand-by mode, executing a power-off mode, executing a sleep mode, shutting down a display associated with the machine, or undocking from a docking station.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein entering the active state for the machine comprises the machine performing selected ones of:

executing a wake-up mode, activating a display associated with the machine, and docking with a docking station.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising replacing an unapplied update cached in the first memory with a newer update received over the network.

14. A system for facilitating providing updates to machines communicatively coupled with a network, comprising:

a machine having at least one characteristic capable of being updated with an update provided over the network;

a docking station including a data interface for receiving updates; and

a logic arrangement communicatively coupled with the docking station and operable after the machine undocks there-from to perform;

listening to the data interface for a candidate update for the machine, determining the candidate update is an applicable update for the machine, and caching the applicable update in said memory.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the logic arrangement includes logic to perform validating an integrity of the applicable update.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said logic arrangement includes logic to perform first instructions includes additional instructions, which when accessed after the machine is undocked there-from, results in the docking station validating an integrity of the applicable update.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second data interface having a throughput substantially different than that of said data interface for receiving updates;

a second logic arrangement accessible by at least the machine, which when accessed, results in the machine retrieving over the second data interface integrity validation data for the applicable update, and validating the applicable update by applying said integrity validation data to the applicable update.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a cache controller operable to apply policies stored in the first memory to cached updates to control selected ones of;

deletion of a cached update from the first memory, execution of a cached updates in the first memory, and replacement of an unapplied update cached in the first memory with a newer update.

19. An article comprising a machine-readable medium that contains instructions for facilitating updates over a first network for a processing platform having at least a dormant state and an active state, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

in the dormant state,

listening to the first network for a candidate update,

determining the candidate update is an applicable update for the processing platform based at least in part on applying a policy associated with the processing platform to a characteristic of the candidate update, and

caching the applicable update in a first memory; and

in the active state, validating an integrity of the applicable update.

20. The article of claim 19, said instructions further comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

applying the applicable update while the processing platform is in the dormant state.

21. The article of claim 19, said instructions further comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

listening to the first network while the processing platform is in the dormant state for a token which may be cryptographically applied to the applicable update to facilitate said validating the applicable update.

22. The article of claim 19, said instructions further comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

performing said validating the applicable update while the processing platform is in the dormant state.

23. The article of claim 19, said instructions for said validating further comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

retrieving while in the active state integrity validation data for the applicable update over a second network having a higher data throughput than the first network.

24. The article of claim 19, said instructions further comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

periodically applying a cache retention policy to cached updates.

25. The article of claim 19, said instructions further comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

acting as a peer-source for retrieval by peer processing platforms of said cached applicable updates.

26. The article of claim 19, said instructions further comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

determining the first network has congestion, and at least while congested, performing said acting as a peer-source.

27. The article of claim 19, said instructions further comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing platform, cause said processing platform to perform operations comprising:

selectively storing a non-applicable candidate update in a second memory; and

acting as a peer-source for retrieval by peer processing platforms of the applicable update of the first memory or the non-applicable update of the second memory.

28. Machine-accessible information for facilitating updates over a first network for a machine having at least a dormant state and an active state embodied in a propagated signal, said information, if received and accessed by a machine, results in the machine performing:

in the dormant state,

listening to the first network for a candidate update,

determining the candidate update is an applicable update for the machine based at least in part on applying a policy associated with the machine to a characteristic of the candidate update, and

caching the applicable update in a first memory; and

in the active state, validating an integrity of the applicable update.

29. The machine-accessible propagated signal of claim 28 wherein the propagated signal further includes information which, if received and accessed by the machine, results in the machine performing:

applying the applicable update while the machine is in the dormant state.

30. The machine-accessible propagated signal of claim 28 wherein the propagated signal further includes information which, if received and accessed by the machine, results in the machine performing:

acting as a peer-source for retrieval by peer machines of said cached applicable updates.