DATA IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHODS

• US 20090183149A1
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: TARRICONE, Arthur A. JR., MILNE, Robert T., DEMASI, Rocco P., HERMAN, Andrew L., BLAND, Ronald L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A method performed by a network device may include receiving index information from a second network device identifying an updated application, querying a third network device for the identified updated application, receiving the identified updated application from the third network device, storing the identified updated application received from the third network device and applying stored application user settings from memory to the stored updated application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

saving user settings associated with at least one application in a cache;

receiving information from a first network device identifying an updated application;

querying a plurality of second network devices for the identified updated application;

storing the identified updated application received from one of the plurality of second network devices; and

applying the saved user settings from the cache to the stored updated application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the first network device for the identified updated application when the plurality of second network devices do not contain the identified updated application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing routing information identifying the first and second network devices.

4. The method of claim 3, where the plurality of second network devices are computers in a network domain or sub-network.

5. The method of claim 1, where the identified updated application includes at least one of a software application or an operating system.

6. A network device, comprising:

a memory for storing application user settings; and

logic configured to;

receive information from a second network device identifying an updated application;

query a third network device for the identified updated application;

receive the identified updated application from the third network device;

store the identified updated application received from the third network device; and

apply the stored application user settings to the stored updated application.

7. The network device of claim 6, where the memory stores information identifying the second network device and the third network device.

8. The network device of claim 7, where the second network device is a server and the third network device is a computer.

9. The network device of claim 6, where the logic is further configured to:

automatically query the second network device for the identified updated application when the third network device does not contain the identified updated application.

10. The network device of claim 9, where the identified updated application includes at least one of a software application or an operating system.

11. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of sequences of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the processor to:

create a local cache of user settings in a network device;

store information identifying updated versions of applications;

store information identifying a plurality of other network devices; and

receive the updated versions of applications from at least one of the plurality of other network devices.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to:

store an updated application received from another network device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to:

periodically check for updated applications; and

receive information identifying updated applications in response to the periodic checking.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for causing the processor to:

query the plurality of other network devices for subsequently identified updated applications.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the received information identifying updated applications is received from a server.

16. A method performed in a network device comprising:

receiving application user settings from a second network device;

receiving information from a third network device requesting the user settings; and

transmitting the user settings to the third network device in response to the request, where the application user settings are applied to at least one application in the third network device.

17. The method of claim 16, where the network device is a server.

18. The method of claim 17, where the second network device and third network device comprise computers.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

upgrading, by a user, from the second network device to the third network device.

20. The method of claim 19, where the user is identified by the server as operating the second and third network devices.