Apparatus and method for upgrading a computer system operating system

• US 5,930,515 A
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stoll, Karl W., Ducharme, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US08/941,044
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 395/500, 395/200.51, 395/712, 395/182.12, 395/706, 395/708, 364/184, 711/151, 382/166, 382/236
• US Class Current: 717/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/818 OS software

Abstract

A method for upgrading a computer operating system of a computer system, for example, a communications receiver includes a main processor, a slave processor, a first memory, and a second memory, wherein an existing operating system resides in the first memory. The first memory is attached to the main processor and the second memory is attached to the slave processor. The method comprises the steps of receiving a new operating system in the second memory; erasing the existing operating system from the first memory; and loading the new operating system into the first memory. In a communications receiver such as a satellite business receiver for receiving and decoding video, audio and data bitstreams, the first memory may be FLASH memory and the second memory may be cache memory of a video processor, and, more particularly, a video random access memory.

Claims

1. A method for upgrading an operating system in a computer system of a satellite video receiver, the computer system including a main processor, a video decoding chip, a first memory, and a second memory, wherein an existing operating system resides in the first memory, comprising the steps of:

receiving a new operating system in the second memory;

erasing the existing operating system from the first memory; and

loading the new operating system into the first memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first memory is attached to the main processor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second memory is attached to the video decoding chip.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first memory is FLASH memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second memory is cache memory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of assembling applications programs from the new operating system in the first memory.

7. An apparatus for upgrading an operating system in a computer system of a satellite video receiver, the computer system including a main processor, a video decoding chip, a first memory, and a second memory, wherein an existing operating system resides in the first memory, comprising:

means for receiving a new operating system in the second memory;

means for erasing the existing operating system from the first memory; and

means for loading the new operating system into the first memory.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first memory is attached to the main processor.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second memory is attached to the video decoding chip.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first memory is FLASH memory.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second memory is cache memory.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for assembling applications programs from the new operating system in the first memory.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising an input/output interface for user interaction with said new operating system.