Processing software images and generating difference files

• US 20070016629A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: InnoPath Software, Inc. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reinsch, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for pre-processing and post-processing original and new versions of files as part of difference file generation between the original and new file versions, for example byte-level file differencing. Software/executable changes between file versions include primary changes/logical changes, which are defined to be the source code changes, and secondary changes. The secondary changes generally result from the primary changes and are generated by the software compiler/linker utilities. The secondary changes include address changes, pointer target address changes, and changes in address offsets. The pre-processing and/or post-processing systems and methods provided use approximation rules between file versions to remove/reduce the secondary changes and encode information relating to the removal of these changes in information of the corresponding difference file.

Claims

1. A system for updating electronic files comprising:

a generating component for generating a difference file that includes coded differences between an original version and a new version of an electronic file, wherein the generating component reduces a size of the difference file by;

identifying first and second text sections that are common between the original version and the new version, wherein the first text section in the original version includes a first calculable instruction having a first starting address and first target address, and the second text section in the new version includes a second calculable instruction having a second starting address and second target address;

determining at least one of whether to extend a known text section or create a new text section that is common between the original version and the new version based on characteristics of the first and second calculable instructions; and

removing identified differences in text sections common to the original version and the new version; and

a transferring component for transferring the difference file for use in generating a new version.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the generating component reduces a size of the difference file by extending the known text section that is common between the original version and the new version to include the first and second target addresses of the first and second calculable instructions if the first and second target addresses of the first and second calculable instructions are not within one or more known common text sections.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the generating component further reduces a size of the difference file by extending the known text sections that are common between the original version and the new version to include the first and second target addresses of the first and second calculable instructions if the first and second starting addresses of the first and second calculable instructions are offset by an equal amount from starting addresses of the first and second text sections that are common between the original version and the new version.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the generating component reduces a size of the difference file by extending the one or more known text sections that are common between the original version and the new version to encompass the first and second target addresses of the first and second calculable instructions if the first and second starting addresses of the first and second calculable instructions are offset from corresponding references by a calculable amount within the first and second text sections that are common between the original version and the new version.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the generating component reduces a size of the difference file by creating one or more new text sections that are common between the original version and the new version which include the first and second target addresses of the first and second calculable instructions if the first and second target addresses of the first and second calculable instructions are not within one or more known text sections that are common between the original version and the new version.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the generating component reduces a size of the difference file by creating one or more new text sections that are common between the original and the new versions which include the first and second target addresses of the first and second calculable instructions based on at least one of a number, frequency, and spacing of one or more calculable instructions.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the generating component reduces a size of the difference file by creating one or more new text sections that are common between the original version and the new version which include the first and second target addresses of the first and second calculable instructions if the first and second starting addresses of the first and second calculable instructions are not offset by an equal amount from corresponding references of the first and second text sections that are common between the original version and the new version.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining of at least one of whether to extend a known text section or create a new text section that is common between the original version and the new version is based at least in part on a number of correctly preprocessed calculable instructions.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the transferring component transfers the difference file for use in generating a version of the new file on a second device, wherein the second device is at least one processor-based device selected from among personal computers, portable computing devices, cellular telephones, portable communication devices, and personal digital assistants.

10. An apparatus for use in generating difference files, comprising:

means for receiving an original version and a new version of an electronic file;

means for identifying units of code that are common to the original and the new versions;

means for identifying instructions that are common to the units of code, wherein the identified instructions include a first instruction in the original version having a first starting address and first target address, and a second instruction in the new version having a second starting address and second target address; and

means for extending units of code or creating new units of code that are common to the original and the new versions.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for extending units of code or creating new units of code extends units of code or creates new units of code that are common to the original and the new versions by evaluating the identified instructions.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for extending units of code or creating new units of code extends units of code or creates new units of code that are common to the original and the new versions by evaluating whether the first and second target addresses of the first and second identified instructions are not within one or more known common units of code that are common to the original and the new versions.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for extending units of code or creating new units of code extends units of code or creates new units of code that are common to the original and the new versions by evaluating characteristics of the first and second starting addresses of the first and second identified instructions.

14. A method for performing file differencing, comprising:

receiving an original version and a new version of an electronic file;

identifying units of code that are common to the original and the new versions, wherein the units of code that are common to the original and the new versions include common function units;

merging the common function units of the units of code to form one or more common function blocks between the original version and the new version;

identifying instructions that are common to the one or more function blocks, wherein the identified instructions include a first instruction in the original version having a first starting address and first target address, and a second instruction in the new version having a second starting address and second target address; and

extending at least one of the one or more common function blocks or creating one or more new common function blocks based on an evaluation of the first and second identified instructions.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising extending the at least one of the one or more common function blocks or creating the one or more new common function blocks if the first and second target addresses of the first and second instructions are not within one or more known common function blocks.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising extending at least one of the one or more common function blocks to include the first and second target addresses of the first and second instructions if the first and second starting addresses of the first and second instructions are offset by an equal amount from a common reference of the one or more common function blocks.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating the one or more new common function blocks which include the first and second target addresses of the first and second instructions based on at least one of a number, frequency, and spacing of one or more instructions that are common between the original and the new versions of the electronic file.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating the one or more new common function blocks which include the first and second target addresses of the first and second instructions if the first and second starting addresses of the first and second instructions are not offset by an equal amount from corresponding references of the first and second common function blocks.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising extending the at least one of the one or more common function blocks or creating the one or more new common function blocks based at least in part on a number of correctly preprocessed instructions.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating a difference file;

transferring the difference file to a portable processing system; and

generating a version of the new file in the portable processing system using the difference file.

21. A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, reduce a size of a difference file that includes coded differences between an original version and a new version of an electronic file by:

identifying units of code that are common to the original and the new versions, wherein the units of code that are common to the original and the new versions include common function units;

merging the common function units of the units of code to form one or more common function blocks between the original version and the new version;

identifying instructions that are common to the one or more common function blocks, wherein the identified instructions include a first instruction in the original version having a first starting address and first target address, and a second instruction in the new version having a second starting address and second target address; and

extending a common function block or creating a new common function block based on an evaluation of the first and second identified instructions.