Firmware modification system wherein older version can be retrieved

• US 5,450,589 A
• Filed: 12/27/1994
• Issued: 09/12/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kimura, Makoto, Maebayashi, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Heckler, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/364,035
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: 395/575, 395/600, 395/700, 371/19, 364/DIG. 1 MS File
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/66 of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/24 Loading of the microprogram
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/268 Microinstruction selection not based on processing results, e.g. interrupt, patch, first cycle store, diagnostic programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/328 for runtime instruction patching

Abstract

A firmware modification system in a data processing apparatus, containing a processor for executing a program and a working program holding unit for holding therein data of the program executed by the processor. The system also includes fixed program data storing unit for storing a fixed program data and a modification data storing unit for storing modification data with which the fixed program data is to be modified, where the modification data storing unit is accessible from outside of the data processing apparatus for writing the modification data therein. A fixed program data loading unit is used for reading from the fixed program data storing unit, and loading the fixed program data in the working program holding unit to hold the fixed program data therein, and a working program modifying unit is used for modifying data of the program which is held in the working program holding unit, with the modification data stored in the modification data storing unit.

Claims

1. A program modification system, comprising:

a processor executing a program;

working program holding means for holding the program executed by said processor,

fixed program data storing means for storing an initial version of the program;

modification data storing means for storing modification data, where said modification data storing means is accessible externally for writing the modification data into said modification data storing means;

fixed program data loading means for reading said initial version of the program from said fixed program data storing means, and loading said initial version of the program into said working program holding means;

working program modifying means for modifying the program loaded in said working program holding means using said modification data stored in said modification data storing means where said modification data contains versions of said modification data; and

modification version command means for commanding said working program modifying means to modify the program loaded in said working program holding means with the modification data up to a specific one of the versions; and

said working program modifying means modifying the program held in said working program holding means with the modification data up to the specific one of the versions in an order of the versions from the oldest to the newest when a version command is received.

2. A program modification system according to claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of versions of modification data are stored in said modification data storing means in a plurality of blocks respectively corresponding to the versions, and the blocks are arrayed in the order of the versions from the oldest to the newest; and

said modification version command means indicates the specific one of the versions by indicating a number of blocks containing the modification data up to the specific one of the versions.

3. A program modification system according to claim 2, wherein:

each block of the modification data contains first information indicating a first version of the program up to which first version the program held in said working program holding means is modified with modification data of the block;

said working program holding means contains an area holding second information indicating a second version of the program which is currently held therein; and

said working program modifying means updates said second information indicating the second version of the program, based on said first information when the program held in said working program holding means is modified with the modification data in each block.

4. A program modification system according to claim 3, wherein said working program modifying means comprises version confirming means for determining, whether the version of the program in said working program holding means corresponds to a version up to which version the program held in the working program holding means is to be modified with modification data of each block, before the program held in the working program holding means is modified with the modification data in each block.

5. A program modification system, comprising:

a processor for executing a program;

working program holding means for holding therein data of said program executed by said processor;

fixed program data storing means for storing a fixed data of the program;

modification data storing means for storing modification data, where said modification data storing means is accessible externally for writing the modification data into said modification data storing means;

fixed program data loading means for reading said fixed data of the program from said fixed program data storing means, and loading the fixed data of the program into said working program holding means to hold said fixed data of the program in said working program holding means; and

working program modifying means for modifying said data of the program held in said working program holding means using said modification data stored in said modification data storing means, where said modification data contains versions of said modification data; and

modification version command means for commanding said working program modifying means to modify the data of the program held in said working program holding means with the modification data up to a specific one of the versions in an order of the versions from the oldest to the newest when a version command is received;

said plurality of versions of modification data are stored in said modification data storing means in a plurality of blocks respectively corresponding to the versions;

each block for each version contains;

an address of each data which is to be modified;

new data of the address for said each version; and

old data of the address for an older version which is older than said each version of the block by one version

said working program modifying means modifies the data in said working program holding means in the order of the versions from the oldest to the newest; and

said working program modifying means further comprising;

data comparing means for comparing, before modifying the data in said working program holding means with a new version, said old data of the address as stored in the block of the modification data and the data currently contained in the same address in said working program holding means; and

abnormal stop means for stopping the modifying operation when said old data of each address and the data of the same address in said working program holding means are determined to be not equal by said data comparing means.

6. A firmware modification system, comprising:

a non-volatile non-writable firmware memory storing an initial version of a program;

a volatile memory coupled to said firmware memory and into which the initial version of the program is loaded;

a non-volatile writable modification data memory storing modification data comprising modifications to the initial version of the program; and

a processor, connected to said firmware memory, said volatile memory and said data memory, transferring the initial version of the program from said firmware memory to said volatile memory and modifying the initial version of the program responsive to the modifications stored in said data memory, and

wherein said modification data comprises versions having a version order and said processor modifies the initial version of the program using the versions in the version order and said modification data further comprises current program data and replacement program data, and said processor compares the program to the current program data before modifying the program with the replacement program data.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein when said processor detects a failure in one of the versions, said processor replaces the one of the versions with a prior version.