Methods and apparatus for software provisioning of a network device

• US 20080134165A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Straub, Albert William, Anderson, Lori
• Granted Patent: US 10,104,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/818 OS software

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for provisioning or updating software over a network. In one embodiment, the network comprises a cable network, and each particular client device (e.g., set-top box) on the network is identified by an address or other unique descriptor. A version association file stored on a server or downloaded to the device maps particular application versions to one or more addresses corresponding to individual client devices. When the version association file is modified or created, the server transmits an upgrade message over the network (optionally along with the current version association file). Upon receiving an upgrade message, a set-top box accesses the version association file, and compares a designated application version to that of the application currently in use. If the designated version is not present on the set-top, the box will terminate any old version of the application currently running and download and install the designated version.

Claims

1. A method of operating consumer premises equipment (CPE) in operative communication with a content-based network, the method comprising:

providing a module operable to run on said CPE and adapted to perform a first task;

remotely causing said module to run on said CPE, thereby invoking said first task;

discovering, based at least in part on said running of said module, at least one software component to download and install;

downloading said at least one software component to said CPE; and

executing said downloaded at least one component on said CPE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said content-based network comprises a cable television network, and said CPE comprises an OCAP-compliant set-top box adapted to run at least one monitor application within a software stack thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said act of providing comprises providing a substantially immutable module that runs at startup or restart of said CPE only.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said act of remotely causing comprises transmitting, from a head-end of said cable network a message causing said CPE to restart.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said act of discovering comprises accessing a file, said file comprising at least information correlating said CPE to a particular version of said at least one software component.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said at least one software component comprises said monitor application.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said act of downloading comprises:

selecting said at least one component from a carousel;

downloading said at least one component via an in-band downstream channel; and

installing said at least one component on said CPE.

8. A method of operating a consumer premises device in operative communication with a content-based network so as to selectively reconfigure said device with a desired software configuration, the method comprising:

installing a module operable to run on said device and adapted to perform an access of an association file, said association file comprising information associating a plurality of said devices within said network and a plurality of software configurations;

selectively identifying at least said device to be configured according to at least one of said plurality of software configurations;

generating said association file, said file relating said device and said at least one software configuration;

remotely causing said module to run on said device, thereby causing said access of said file;

discovering, based at least in part on said access, at least one software component to download and installed on said device;

downloading said at least one software component to said device; and

executing said downloaded at least one component on said device so as to reconfigure said device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said content-based network comprises a cable television network, and said consumer premises device comprises an OCAP-compliant set-top box adapted to run at least one monitor application within a software stack thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said act of installing comprises providing a substantially immutable module that runs at startup or restart of said consumer premises device only.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said act of remotely causing comprises transmitting, from a head-end of said cable network a message causing said consumer premises device to restart.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said act of discovering comprises accessing a file, said file comprising at least information correlating said consumer premises device to a particular version of said at least one software component.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one software component comprises an OCAP-compliant monitor application.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said act of downloading comprises:

selecting said at least one component from a carousel;

downloading said at least one component via an in-band downstream channel; and

installing said at least one component on said consumer premises device.

15. A method of operating a consumer premises device in operative communication with a content-based network so as to selectively reconfigure said device with a new software configuration without rebooting, the device comprising a module operable to run on said device and adapted to access an association file, said association file comprising information associating a plurality of said devices within said network and a plurality of software configurations, the method comprising:

determining whether a new version of an application running on said device is required;

starting said module;

accessing said association file to identify said new version of said application;

downloading said new version of said application to said device; and

launching said new version using said module.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said running application comprises an OCAP-compliant monitor application.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving notification of changes to said association file; and

terminating said running application before launching said new version using said module.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said act of receiving comprises receiving a DSM-CC catalog update message.

19. A network device comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor in data communication with said storage device;

wherein said storage device is adapted to store a first application and one or more monitor applications, said first application adapted to interface with said at least one monitor application and comprising;

a first module adapted to read an address identifying said network device over a network;

a second module adapted to read a file comprising an application designation and an address designation;

a third module adapted to determine whether a first of said one or more monitor applications is currently running on said network device; and

a fourth module adapted to launch a second of said one or more monitor applications if one or more conditions are met.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein said one or more conditions comprises said third module indicating that said first of said one or more monitor applications is not running on said network device.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein said one or more conditions further comprise said address designation including said address.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein said file comprises a version association file (VAF).

23. The device of claim 19, wherein said first application comprises a bootstrap application.

24. The device of claim 19, wherein said application designation is configured to indicate a target application, and said address designation is configured to indicate a range of addresses specified for said target application.

25. The device of claim 19, wherein said device comprises a premises content distribution apparatus for use with a plurality or media-capable devices, said content distribution apparatus comprising:

a first interface capable of at least receiving media content from a first network;

a mass storage device in data communication with said first interface and adapted to store at least a portion of said media content;

a coaxial cable interface configured to provide networking throughout at least a portion of said premises over coaxial cable present therein; and

a wireless access interface adapted to support at least one wireless network substantially within said premises;

wherein said media content is accessible to users on both said coaxial cable network and said at least one wireless network.

26. A network device comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor in data communication with said storage device;

wherein said storage device is adapted to store at least one first application, the at least one first application adapted to;

read an address that identifies said network device on a network;

launch a target application; and

receive an update message, and cause reading of a version association file substantially in response to said update message.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein said version association file comprises:

an application designation configured to indicate a target application; and

an address designation configured to indicate a range of addresses specified for said target application.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein said version association file is disposed remotely from said device, said device accessing said file via at least a portion of a cable network via upstream communication.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein said network comprises a cable network, said device comprises a consumer premises device, and said at least one first application comprises an OCAP-compliant monitor disposed at an intermediary layer of a protocol stack of said device.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein said update message comprises a downstream message generated at least once in response to a change made to said version association file.

31. The device of claim 27, wherein said first application is adapted to terminate at least one process running on said device if said address designation includes said address and said target application is not present or accessible on said device.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein said at least one first application is adapted to query a registered application of said device for an appropriate time to shut down, receive a message from said registered application in response thereto, and terminate said registered application at said appropriate time.

33. A network device for use in content-based network comprising a plurality of client devices, the device comprising:

a storage device;

a processor in data communication with said storage device; and

at least one computer file disposed on said storage device, said at least one file comprising;

an application designation, said application designation being configured to indicate a target application; and

an address designation, said address designation being configured to indicate one or more addresses specified for said target application, said one or more addresses being associated with respective ones of said client devices;

wherein said at least one file is adapted to be read by said respective ones of said client devices in order to determine if an update or change to said target application is required.

34. The network device of claim 33, further comprising a computer program adapted to broadcast an update message to at least a portion of said client devices upon a modification to said at least one file.

35. The network device of claim 34, wherein said network device comprises at least one of a server or file carousel adapted for use in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network, and said client devices each comprises set-top boxes disposed at a user premises.

36. The network device of claim 33, wherein said at least one file is adapted to be accessed by a bootstrap module operative to run on respective ones of said client devices.

37. The network device of claim 36, wherein said application comprises a plurality of designations each indicating a different version of the target application, said bootstrap module being configured to determine which of said plurality of different versions is appropriate for its host client device.

38. The network device of claim 37, wherein said storage device further comprises at least one of said different versions of said target application, and said network device further comprises an uploader module adapted to transmit a selected one of said at least one different versions of said target application to a designated one of said client devices.

39. The network device of claim 33, wherein said address designation comprises at least one of a MAC address, a Hub ID, and an empty setting.

40. The network device of claim 33, wherein said address designation comprises at least one of a TUNER ID or TUNER USE variable.

41. The network device of claim 33, wherein said address designation comprises a one-way cryptographic hash value, said one-way cryptographic hash allowing for anonymous identification of individual ones of said client devices and association with one or more of different versions of the target application.

42. The network device of claim 33, wherein said application designation comprises an application ID value or code.

43. The network device of claim 33, wherein said application designation comprises an application type, said application type comprising at least one of a type designating a monitor application or a conditional access (CA) application.

44. The network device of claim 33 wherein said application designation comprises a launch order.

45. The network device of claim 33, wherein said network device is disposed at a switching node or a broadcast switched network.

46. A method of operating a consumer premises device in operative communication with a content-based network so as to selectively reconfigure said device with a new software configuration without rebooting, the device comprising a module operable to run on said device and adapted to access an association file, said association file comprising information associating a plurality of said devices within said network and a plurality of software configurations, the method comprising:

determining whether an application running on said device is required to be updated or replaced by;

starting said module; and

accessing said association file to identify if an updated or replacement version of said application is available;

if said updated or replacement version is available, downloading said updated or replacement version of said application to said device; and

launching said updated or replacement version using said module.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein said running application comprises an OCAP-compliant monitor application.

48. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

receiving notification of changes to said association file; and

terminating said running application before launching said updated or replacement version using said module.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein said act of receiving comprises receiving a DSM-CC catalog update message.

50. A computer readable storage device comprising a storage medium, said medium adapted to store at least one computer program, said at least one program adapted to:

determine an address that uniquely identifies a computerized device on which said at least one program runs;

receive an update message, and cause reading of a remote association file substantially in response to said update message;

determine that an updated or replacement version for a target application resident on the computerized device should be downloaded to said computerized device based at least in part on said address; and

cause the download of updated or replacement version.

51. The device of claim 50, wherein said association file comprises:

an application designation configured to indicate said target application; and

an address designation configured to indicate a range of addresses specified for said target application.

52. The device of claim 50, wherein said computerized device is coupled to a cable network, and said target application comprises an OCAP-compliant monitor disposed at an intermediary layer of a protocol stack of said computerized device.

53. The device of claim 52, wherein said update message comprises a downstream message generated at least once in response to a change made to said association file.

54. The device of claim 51, wherein said at least one computer program comprises a bootstrap module adapted to terminate at least one process running on said device if said address designation includes said address and said target application is not present or accessible on said device.

55. The device of claim 50, wherein said at least one computer program is adapted to query said target application of said computerized device for an appropriate time to shut down, receive a message from said target application in response thereto, and terminate said target application at said appropriate time.

56. The device of claim 50, wherein said storage device comprises a read-only memory device, and said at least one program comprises bootstrap code stored therein.

57. Application management apparatus for use in a content-based network, comprising:

a plurality of consumer premises equipment (CPE) in operative communication with said content-based network, said CPE comprising a module operable to run thereon and adapted to perform a first task; and

a network distribution apparatus adapted to store information relating individual ones or classes of said CPE and versions of one or more applications used thereon;

wherein said distribution apparatus is configured to;

remotely cause said module to run on at least one of said CPE, thereby invoking said first task, said first task comprising discovering at least one software component to download and install; and

download said at least one software component to said at least one CPE; and

wherein said at least one CPE executes said downloaded at least one component.

58. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein said information relating individual ones or classes of CPE is stored in a version association file, and said discovering at least one software component comprises accessing said file to identify one of said versions applicable to said at least one CPE.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein said module comprises a bootstrap module stored in one of firmware or software of said at least one CPE.

60. A method of doing business comprising:

providing a client device for use within a network, the client device comprising a program adapted to cause reading of a file to determine the status of its current configuration as compared to an updated configuration;

causing the device to read the file during operation;

determining that the current configuration requires update;

downloading one or more components needed to effect the update; and

installing and running said one or more components, thereby updating the client device.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein said program comprises a bootloader module adapted to, in response to an update communication from the network or a remote location, access a version association file to identify an update or change to an existing application on said client device.

62. The method of claim 60, wherein performance of said method is substantially invisible to a user of said client device.

63. The method of claim 60, wherein performance of said method is scheduled for one or more particular times or operational events.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein said one or more events comprises at least one of device start-up, reboot, or shutdown.

65. The method of claim 60, wherein performance of said method is substantially instigated by a process running on the client device when said process detects at least one of (i) a software operational anomaly;

or (ii) a software incompatibility.

66. The method of claim 60, wherein said file is transmitted to said client device as part of an update message.