METHOD FOR COMBINED UNICAST/MULTICAST SOFTWARE TRANSMISSION

• US 20120072901A1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag
• Original Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag
• Inventors: HESSENAUER, UDO, HUSTERER, THOMAS, KRAMER, ULRICH
• Granted Patent: US 9,525,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method for transmitting software from a central computer to at least two further computers, includes connecting the central computer and the at least two further computers with a communication link for data transmission. The central computer sets up a connection to the at least two further computers and requests properties of the at least two further computers. The central computer transmits to the at least two further computers, which have been identified as having multicast capability, those parts of the software which are suitable for multicast transmission. The central computer sets up a unicast connection to the at least two further computers for those parts of the software not suitable for multicast transmission.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting software from a central computer to at least two further computers, the method comprising the following steps:

interconnecting the central computer and the at least two further computers with a communication link for data transmission;

setting up a connection from the central computer to the at least two further computers and requesting properties of the at least two further computers, with the central computer;

transmitting parts of the software, being suitable for multicast transmission, from the central computer to the at least two further computers having been identified as having multicast capability; and

setting up a unicast connection from the central computer to the at least two further computers for parts of the software not suitable for multicast.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing the multicast and unicast connections between the central computer and the further computers simultaneously.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the software is an operating system or a piece of firmware including parts suitable for multicast transmission and including individualized parts for unicast transmission.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the transmission of the parts of the software by repeatedly changing the central computer back and forth between unicast transmission and multicast transmission modes.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

dividing the software into blocks and transmitting the software block by block to the further computers, with the central computer; and

setting a maximum block size corresponding to a minimum of a maximum block size supported by the further computers.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises causing the central computer to wait a prescribed time for an individual acknowledgement by each of the further computers, following a transmission of a last fragment of a block during the transmission of the software.

7. The method according to claim 6, which further comprises providing a signal for termination of the transmission or a signal for a renewed reception standby state, in the individual acknowledgment by each of the further computers.

8. The method according to claim 7, which further comprises:

excluding from the multicast transmission by the central computer each of the further computers having signaled a termination or not having sent an acknowledgement within a prescribed maximum time; and

continuing a transmission of further blocks of the software for multicast transmission with a remainder of the further computers.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing the central computer and the further computers with an interface for a CAN bus or an Ethernet interface.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the further computers are local computers of a machine processing printing substrates.