UPDATE SCANNING

• US 20130097595A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stern, Sean Thomas, Hennessey, David Cris
• Granted Patent: US 8,959,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems allow for updates (e.g., questions) to be provided via sync calls to a server (e.g., in determining whether (non-question) software updates should be installed on a client device), where the total number of updates exceeds single sync call server limitations. For example, relationships between updates may be determined and updates may be grouped into two or more sets based upon the relationships, where different sets can independently be transmitted to the server in different sync calls. Grouping updates according to the policies provided mitigates errors that may otherwise occur when making multi-sync calls (e.g., asking a second question before a first question where the second question should follow the first question because the relevance of the second question depends upon an answer to the first question).

Claims

1. A method managing software updates, comprising:

identifying a first set of updates to be sent to an updating service in a first sync call; and

identifying a second set of updates to be sent to the updating service in a second sync call, the first set of up updates different than the second set of updates and the first sync call different than the second sync call.

2. The method of claim 1, the second set of updates comprising at least one update also comprised in the first set of updates.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising creating a model indicative of relationships between respective updates of at least some of at least one of the first and second sets of updates.

4. The method of claim 1, identifying the first set of updates, comprising:

selecting a first basis update; and

identifying zero or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update.

5. The method of claim 4, identifying the first set of updates, comprising:

identifying zero or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the first basis update and the zero or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update.

6. The method of claim 4, identifying the second set of updates, comprising:

selecting a second basis update; and

identifying zero or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update.

7. The method of claim 6, identifying the second set of updates, comprising:

identifying zero or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the second basis update and the zero or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update.

8. The method of claim 7, the second set of updates comprising at least one update also comprised in the first set of updates.

9. The method of claim 1, the first set of updates comprising a first basis update and the second set of updates comprising a second basis update, and the method comprising:

identifying a third set of updates to be sent to the updating service in a third sync call, the third set of updates comprising a third basis update,

determining that the third set of updates is entirely comprised within at least one the first set of updates and the second set of updates; and

not sending the third sync call to the updating service because the third set of updates is entirely comprised with at least one of the first set of updates and the second set of updates.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising labeling respective updates of the first set of updates with a first identifier and labeling respective updates of the second set of updates with a second identifier.

11. A system comprising:

an update classification component configured to group updates into at least a first set of updates and a second set of updates, the updates grouped into the first set configured to be transmitted in a first sync call to an updating service and the updates grouped into the second set configured to be transmitted in a second sync call, the first set of updates different than the second set of updates.

12. The system of claim 11, comprising a dependency component configured to create a model representing preconditions for respective updates.

13. The system of claim 11, the update classification component configured to group updates based at least in part upon:

selecting a first basis update for the first group and selecting a second basis update for the second group; and

identifying zero or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update and identifying zero or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update,

the first set of updates comprising the first basis update and the zero or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update and the second set of updates comprising the second basis update and the zero or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update.

14. The system of claim 13, the update classification component configured to group updates based at least in part upon:

identifying zero or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the first basis update and the zero or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update,

the first set of updates comprising the zero or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the first basis update and the zero or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update; and

identifying zero or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the second basis update the zero or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update,

the second set of updates comprising the zero or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the second basis update and the zero or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update.

15. The system of claim 11, the first set of updates comprising a first basis update and the second set of updates comprising a second basis update, and the update classification component configured to:

identify a third basis update,

identify a third set of updates based upon the third basis update;

determine if the third set of updates is entirely comprised within at least one of the first set of updates and the second set of updates; and

when the third set of updates is not entirely comprised within at least one of the first set of updates and the second set of updates, provide for sending the third set of updates to the updating service via a third sync call.

16. The system of claim 11, the first and second sets of updates comprising at least one update that is common to both the first and second sets of updates.

17. The system of claim 11, comprising a labeling component configured to label respective updates in the first set of updates as being associated with the first set of updates and to label respective updates in the second set of updates as being associated with the second set of updates.

18. The system of claim 11, the update classification component configured to group updates based at least in part upon:

selecting a first basis update for the first group and selecting a second basis update for the second group;

identifying one or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update and identifying one or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update;

identifying one or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the first basis update and the one or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update; and

identifying one or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the second basis update and the one or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update,

the first set of updates comprising the first basis update, the one or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update, and the one or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the first basis update and the one or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update, and

the second set of updates comprising the second basis update, the one or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update, and the one or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the second basis update and the one or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update.

19. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed at least in part via a processor perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying a first set of updates to be sent to an updating service in a first sync call, the first set of updates comprising a first basis update, zero or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update, and zero or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the first basis update and the one or more updates that are preconditions for the first basis update; and

identifying a second set of updates to be sent to an updating service in a second sync call, the second set of updates comprising a second basis update, zero or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update, and zero or more updates whose preconditions are satisfied by at least one of the second basis update and the one or more updates that are preconditions for the second basis update, the first set of updates different than the second set of updates.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, the method comprising creating a dependency tree for updates to be sent to the updating service, the dependency tree representing preconditions for respective updates.