Updating A Firmware Package

• US 20110154313A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pagan, William G., Nolterieke, Michael H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,639,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates

Abstract

Updating a firmware package including receiving an update package for the firmware package, the firmware package including currently installed components supporting one of a plurality of software layers, the update package including update components that correspond to the currently installed components; retrieving information describing a state of the currently installed components; comparing the information describing the state of the currently installed components to information describing a state of the corresponding update components; constructing a revised update package that includes only update components having a state more recent than the state of the corresponding currently installed components; and updating the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package.

Claims

1. A method of updating a firmware package, the method comprising:

receiving, by a firmware updating module comprising a module of automated computing machinery, an update package for the firmware package, the firmware package comprising one or more currently installed components, each of the currently installed components supporting one of a plurality of software layers, the update package comprising one or more update components that correspond to the currently installed components of the firmware package, each of the update components supporting one of the plurality of software layers;

retrieving, by the firmware updating module from the firmware package during operation of the firmware package, information describing a state of the currently installed components;

comparing, by the firmware updating module, the information describing the state of the currently installed components to information describing a state of the corresponding update components;

constructing, by the firmware updating module, a revised update package that includes only update components having a state more recent than the state of the corresponding currently installed components; and

updating, by the firmware updating module, the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

retrieving information describing a state of the currently installed components further comprises retrieving metadata including information describing the currently installed components, the information comprising version numbers of each currently installed component;

comparing the information describing the state of the currently installed components to information describing a state of the corresponding update components further comprises comparing version numbers of the currently installed components to version numbers of corresponding update components; and

constructing a revised update package further comprises including in the revised update package only update components having a version number greater than the version number of the corresponding currently installed components.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring progress of updating the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package; and

reporting the progress to a user level application module.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein updating the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package further comprising:

for each software layer supported by an update component of the revised update package;

halting operation of the software layer;

replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components; and

restarting operation of the software layer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components further comprises:

retrieving a storage location of each corresponding currently installed component maintained by the firmware package.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components further comprises:

retrieving a storage location of each corresponding currently installed component generated by the firmware updating module upon a previous update of the firmware package.

7. Apparatus for updating a firmware package, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

receiving, by a firmware updating module comprising a module of automated computing machinery, an update package for the firmware package, the firmware package comprising one or more currently installed components, each of the currently installed components supporting one of a plurality of software layers, the update package comprising one or more update components that correspond to the currently installed components of the firmware package, each of the update components supporting one of the plurality of software layers;

retrieving, by the firmware updating module from the firmware package during operation of the firmware package, information describing a state of the currently installed components;

comparing, by the firmware updating module, the information describing the state of the currently installed components to information describing a state of the corresponding update components;

constructing, by the firmware updating module, a revised update package that includes only update components having a state more recent than the state of the corresponding currently installed components; and

updating, by the firmware updating module, the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

retrieving information describing a state of the currently installed components further comprises retrieving metadata including information describing the currently installed components, the information comprising version numbers of each currently installed component;

comparing the information describing the state of the currently installed components to information describing a state of the corresponding update components further comprises comparing version numbers of the currently installed components to version numbers of corresponding update components; and

constructing a revised update package further comprises including in the revised update package only update components having a version number greater than the version number of the corresponding currently installed components.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

monitoring progress of updating the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package; and

reporting the progress to a user level application module.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein updating the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package further comprising:

for each software layer supported by an update component of the revised update package;

halting operation of the software layer;

replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components; and

restarting operation of the software layer.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components further comprises:

retrieving a storage location of each corresponding currently installed component maintained by the firmware package.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components further comprises:

retrieving a storage location of each corresponding currently installed component generated by the firmware updating module upon a previous update of the firmware package.

13. A computer program product for updating a firmware package, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable, when executed, of causing a computer to carry out the steps of:

receiving, by a firmware updating module comprising a module of automated computing machinery, an update package for the firmware package, the firmware package comprising one or more currently installed components, each of the currently installed components supporting one of a plurality of software layers, the update package comprising one or more update components that correspond to the currently installed components of the firmware package, each of the update components supporting one of the plurality of software layers;

retrieving, by the firmware updating module from the firmware package during operation of the firmware package, information describing a state of the currently installed components;

comparing, by the firmware updating module, the information describing the state of the currently installed components to information describing a state of the corresponding update components;

constructing, by the firmware updating module, a revised update package that includes only update components having a state more recent than the state of the corresponding currently installed components; and

updating, by the firmware updating module, the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

retrieving information describing a state of the currently installed components further comprises retrieving metadata including information describing the currently installed components, the information comprising version numbers of each currently installed component;

comparing the information describing the state of the currently installed components to information describing a state of the corresponding update components further comprises comparing version numbers of the currently installed components to version numbers of corresponding update components; and

constructing a revised update package further comprises including in the revised update package only update components having a version number greater than the version number of the corresponding currently installed components.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

monitoring progress of updating the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package; and

reporting the progress to a user level application module.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein updating the currently installed components with corresponding update components of the revised update package further comprising:

for each software layer supported by an update component of the revised update package;

halting operation of the software layer;

replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components; and

restarting operation of the software layer.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components further comprises:

retrieving a storage location of each corresponding currently installed component maintained by the firmware package.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein replacing, with all update components supporting the software layer, corresponding currently installed components further comprises:

retrieving a storage location of each corresponding currently installed component generated by the firmware updating module upon a previous update of the firmware package.

19. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable storage medium comprises a recordable medium.

20. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable storage medium comprises a transmission medium.