SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING CONFIGURATION DATA AT DISCONNECTED REMOTE DEVICES

• US 20110153791A1
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Palme, Matt, Quaill, Stephen, Cheung, Edward, Jones, Bryan
• Granted Patent: US 9,280,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods for managing configuration data. These are particularly directed towards the management of configuration data in disconnected remote devices of a host system. For example, this may be an access control environment having one or more connected access control devices (i.e. devices in communication with a central server), and one or more disconnected access control devices (i.e. devices operating without communication with the central server), the latter being regarded as disconnected remote devices. In overview, the present systems and methods make use of a versioning protocol to allow the reliable distribution of configuration data at the disconnected remote devices, this protocol operating to best ensure the propagation of the most current configuration data.

Claims

1. A method, performable by a disconnected remote device of a host system, for managing configuration data, the method including the steps of:

(a) commencing communication with a manual update device that carries configuration data;

(b) determining version information for the configuration data carried by the manual update device;

(c) comparing the version information of the configuration data carried by the manual update device with version information of configuration data applied by the disconnected remote device;

(d) in the case that the version information for the configuration data carried by the manual update device supersedes version information of configuration data applied by the disconnected remote device, selectively applying the configuration data carried by the manual update device to the disconnected remote device;

(e) in the case that the configuration data carried by the manual update device is successfully applied to the disconnected remote device, writing data indicative of the successful application to the manual update device for subsequent propagation in the host system; and

(f) in the case that the version information for the configuration data carried by the disconnected remote device supersedes version information of configuration data applied by the manual update device, selectively applying the configuration data carried by the disconnected remote device to the manual update device for subsequent propagation.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein selectively applying selectively applying the configuration data carried by the manual update device to the disconnected remote device includes:

(i) determining whether the configuration data to be applied is complete; and

(ii) only applying the configuration data in the event that it is complete.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein determining whether the configuration data to be applied is complete includes taking a hash of the configuration data to be applied.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the disconnected remote device includes an access control device.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the manual update device includes a portable computational platform.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the manual update device includes a flash memory device.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the manual update device is a smartcard.

12. A disconnected remote device according to claim 8 according to claim 1 wherein the manual update device includes a portable computational platform.

8. A disconnected remote device configured for operation as part of a host system without a communication channel to the host system, the disconnected remote device including:

a communications port for interacting with a manual update device that carries configuration data;

a memory module for maintaining software instructions; and

a processor for executing the software instructions;

wherein the disconnected remote device is configured to;

determine version information for the configuration data carried by the manual update device;

compare the version information of the configuration data carried by the manual update device with version information of configuration data applied by the disconnected remote device;

in the case that the version information for the configuration data carried by the manual update device supersedes version information of configuration data applied by the disconnected remote device, selectively apply the configuration data carried by the manual update device to the disconnected remote device;

in the case that the configuration data carried by the manual update device is successfully applied to the disconnected remote device, provide an instruction for writing data indicative of the successful application to the manual update device for subsequent propagation in the host system; and

in the case that the version information for the configuration data carried by the disconnected remote device supersedes version information of configuration data applied by the manual update device, selectively apply the configuration data carried by the disconnected remote device to the manual update device for subsequent propagation.

9. A disconnected remote device according to claim 8 wherein selectively applying selectively applying the configuration data carried by the manual update device to the disconnected remote device includes:

(i) determining whether the configuration data to be applied is complete; and

(ii) only applying the configuration data in the event that it is complete.

10. A disconnected remote device according to claim 9 wherein determining whether the configuration data to be applied is complete includes taking a hash of the configuration data to be applied.

11. A disconnected remote device according to claim 8 wherein the disconnected remote device includes an access control device.

13. A disconnected remote device according to claim 8 wherein the manual update device includes a flash memory device.

14. A disconnected remote device according to claim 8 wherein the manual update device is a smartcard.

15. A method for managing configuration data in a host system including one or more connected devices that are connected to a host system network and one or more disconnected remote devices that are not connected to the host system network, the method including:

at a disconnected remote device, reading configuration data from a manual update device, and based on a version control protocol either selectively applying the read configuration data to the disconnected remote device or applying configuration data stored at the disconnected remote device to the manual update device, and in the case that the read configuration data is selectively applied writing data indicative of that application to the manual update device; and

at a connected device, reading from the manual update device data indicative of successful application of configuration data to one or more disconnected remote devices, and propagating that data to a central controller of the host system.