Supervisory control system for networked multimedia workstations that provides reconfiguration of workstations by remotely updating the operating system

• US 5,684,952 A
• Filed: 07/25/1994
• Issued: 11/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Stein, Michael Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US08/280,333
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200, 364/900, 364/514, 364/221, 364/221.7, 395/159, 395/700, 395/200, 395/200.09, 395/600, 395/200.1, 395/430, 395/200.17, 395/650, 395/200.01, 395/712, 380/25, 434/336
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication

Abstract

A supervisory control system for a networked multimedia computing system permits a teacher or network administrator to quickly and easily update system software on selected destination workstations with the system software currently residing on the master workstation. In one mode of operation, only basic system software is updated, while user-defined preferences are unchanged. In a second mode of operation, both the system software and all user-controlled settings are replaced, to permit the remote workstations to be configured in a desired manner.

Claims

1. In a networked computer system of the type that includes a master workstation and a multiplicity of other workstations, a method for remotely configuring selected ones of the other workstations from said master workstation, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a desired version of an operating system program from said master workstation to each of said selected other workstations;

storing said desired version of said operating system program in a predetermined location at each of said selected other workstations;

storing information relating to a current version of the operating system program in said predetermined location at each of said other workstations;

revising a parameter at each of said other workstations to refer to the desired version of the operating system program;

restarting each of said selected other workstations;

loading the desired version of the operating system program into memory for each of the other workstations to thereby control the operation of each of said selected other workstations with said desired version of the operating system program upon restart; and

deleting the current version of said operating system program from each of said selected other workstations after said restart step.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

moving said desired version of the operating system program from said predetermined location to the location at which said current version was stored; and

revising said parameter to refer to the location where said desired 8 version of the operating system program is stored.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of transferring user preference items stored at said selected other workstations to said predetermined location prior to said restarting step, and associating said user preference items with said desired version of the operating system program.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said desired version of the operating system program has user preference items associated with it that are transferred from the master workstation.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of presenting a user-selectable option at said master workstation to transmit said desired version of the operating system program with user preference items stored at said master workstation, or to permit said desired version of the operating system program to work with user preference items stored at the selected other workstations.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said predetermined location is a folder for receiving all files transferred from said master workstation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said information relating to the current version of the operating system program is an identification of the location at which said version is stored.

8. A method for remotely configuring selected workstations in a networked computer system of the type that includes a master workstation and a multiplicity of other workstations, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a new version of an operating system program from said master workstation to at least some of said other workstations;

storing said new version of said operating system program in a predetermined location in respective memories at said other workstations;

storing the memory location of a current version of the operating system program in said predetermined location at each of said other workstations where the new version of the operating system program is stored;

restarting said other workstations;

loading the new version of the operating system program into the respective memories of the other workstations to thereby control the operation of said other workstations with said new version of the operating system program; and

deleting the current version of the operating system program from each of said selected other workstations after said restart step.

9. A networked computer system, comprising:

a master workstation;

a plurality of other workstations connected to said master workstation, each of said other workstations including a non-volatile memory storing an operating system that is loaded into a working memory to control the operation of the other workstation, and a designated memory area for storing files received from said master workstation;

means at said master workstation for transmitting an updated version of an operating system to said other workstations for storage in said designated memory areas;

means at said other workstations that are responsive to the transmission of said updated version of an operating system for storing in said designated memory area the identification of a current version of the operating system;

means for restarting said other workstations and causing the updated version of the operating system to be loaded into their working memories; and

means at said other workstations for deleting the current version of the operating system identified in the designated memory area.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further including means at said other workstation for moving the updated version of the operating system from said designated area to the memory location that was occupied by said deleted version of the operating system.

11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said designated memory area comprises a folder in said non-volatile memory.

12. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said restarting means includes means for changing a pointer in the other workstations to identify the updated version of the operating system stored in said designated area as the version to be loaded into working memory upon stamp.

13. A method for reconfiguring any one or more remote workstations that are currently executing a first version of an operating system program, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a second version of an operating system program from a master workstation to the remote workstations which are currently executing said first version of an operating system program;

storing said second version of an operating system program in a predetermined location in respective memories at said remote workstations;

storing the memory location of the first version of an operating system program which is currently being executed on said remote workstations;

restarting said remote workstations;

loading the second version of an operating system program into the respective memories of the remote workstations to thereby control the operation of said other workstations with said second version of an operating system program; and

deleting the first version of an operating system program at said stored memory location on each of said remote workstations.

14. The method of claim 13 further including the step of transferring the second version of an operating system program to said stored memory location after the first version has been deleted.

15. A computer-readable medium containing a program which carries out the steps of:

transmitting an update version of an operating system program to each of a plurality of workstations;

storing said update version of said operating system program in a predetermined location at each of said workstations;

storing information relating to a current version of the operating system program that is currently being executed by the workstation in said predetermined location at each of said workstations;

revising a parameter at each of said workstations to refer to the update version of the operating system program;

restarting each of said workstations;

loading the update version of the operating system program into memory for each of the other workstations to thereby cause the workstations to execute said update version of the operating system program upon restart; and

deleting the current version of said operating system program from each of said selected other workstations after said restart step.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein said program carries out the further steps of:

moving said update version of the operating system program from said predetermined location to the location at which said current version was stored; and

revising said parameter to refer to the location where said update version of the operating system program is stored.