Background software loading in cellular telecommunication systems

• US 6,324,411 B1
• Filed: 05/20/1997
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Genell, Bror Erik Gunnar
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US08/859,395
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/403, 455/550, 455/561, 455/558, 455/560, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/8, 395/200.5, 395/200.69, 395/200.51, 395/200.47, 395/200.43, 370/410, 370/522, 707/204
• US Class Current: 455/561
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A method of loading software in cellular telecommunication systems is disclosed. The method permits software data to be loaded in the background while transceiver devices may be engaged in voice or data traffic. Each of the devices includes a run-time memory, backup memory, and a device processor. The data is transmitted from the mobile switching center to the backup memory of the designated device while the device is operating from run-time memory. In a first embodiment, the data is copied from backup memory to run-time memory when the device is idle. In a second embodiment, device operations are switched to run from backup memory when the device is idle. Subsequent software loading cycle between run-time and backup memories. In a third embodiment, a single memory bank comprises both run-time and backup memory. The backup memory area is located in a different location in the memory bank than the run-time memory area. The software data is written in the background to the backup memory area without disturbing device traffic. When the device is idle, the location pointer is switched to the backup memory area so that the device runs newly loaded software. The inventive concept permits efficient software loading that reduces down-time and is transparent to the user.

Claims

1. A method of loading software in a telecommunication system, wherein said telecommunication system comprises a mobile-switching center, a base station in communication with the mobile switching center by way of a digital transmission link, wherein said base station includes a run-time memory, a backup memory, and a device processor, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting software data from the mobile switching center via the digital transmission link to the backup memory in the base station;

continuing to fully support telecommunication services software in said run-time memory while said software data is being loaded into said backup memory, wherein said support of telecommunication services software remains uninterrupted by said loading of said software data;

detecting that the base station is in an idle state; and

executing the software data that has been loaded into the backup memory.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said executing step is performed by copying the software data from the backup memory to the run-time memory.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the copying of software data from the backup memory to the run-time memory is directed by the device processor.

4. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the copying of software data occurs during an update time interval.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the transmission of data via the digital transmission link occurs in timeslot 9 allocated in the T1 link standard.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein the transmission of data occurs in multiple timeslots.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said executing step is performed by switching operations from the run-time memory to the backup memory by the device processor thereby causing operations associated with at least one transceiver device to run from the newly loaded software.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the run-time memory and the backup memory are comprised in a single memory bank, and wherein said executing step is performed by changing a location pointer to the backup memory thereby causing operations associated with at least one transceiver device to run from the newly loaded software.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of detecting further comprises the step of:

signalling, from said mobile switching center to said device processor, that an idle state exists for said device processor.

10. A telecommunication system comprising:

a mobile switching center;

a base station in communication with the mobile switching center via a digital transmission link, said base station including a plurality of transceiver devices wherein each of said devices includes a run-time memory bank, a backup memory bank, and a device processor; and

a mobile station in wireless communication with the base station;

wherein software data is transmitted from the mobile switching center to one of said transceiver devices via the transmission link to the backup memory bank, and wherein ongoing traffic of said one transceiver device is uninterrupted and fully handled by the runtime memory bank while said software data is being loaded into said backup memory bank and further wherein said software data is executed to handle subsequent traffic when said base station is in an idle state.

11. A telecommunication system as recited in claim 10 wherein said digital transmission link is a T1 optical link.

12. A telecommunication system as recited in claim 10 wherein the device processor copies the data from the backup memory to the run-time memory when said one transceiver device is idle.

13. A telecommunication system as recited in claim 10 wherein the device processor, wherein when signaled by the mobile switching center, switches device operations from the run-time memory to the backup memory thereby executing the newly loaded software.

14. A telecommunication system as recited in claim 10 wherein the run-time memory and the backup memory comprise a single memory bank such that the backup memory is assigned a different starting address than the run-time memory, and wherein the processor switches device operations from run-time memory to run from the backup memory in order to execute the newly loaded software by changing a pointer to said different starting address.

15. The telecommunication system of claim 10, wherein said mobile switching center sends a signal to said device processor that said idle state exists therefor.

16. A telecommunication system comprising:

a base station including a plurality of transceiver devices, whereon each of said devices includes a run-time memory bank that fully supports a first services software, a backup memory bank, and a device processor;

a mobile station in wireless communication with said base station; and

a mobile switching center in communication with said base station via a digital transmission link;

wherein a second services software is transmitted from said mobile switching center to one of said transceiver devices via the digital transmission link to the backup memory bank while ongoing traffic of said one transceiver device is uninterrupted and fully supported by the run-time memory bank; and

wherein upon finishing loading said second services software into the backup memory bank and detecting of said base station in an idle state, the device processor executes the second services software stored in the backup memory to fully support ongoing traffic of said one transceiver device.

17. The telecommunication system of claim 16, wherein said mobile switching center sends a signal to said device processor that said idle state exists therefor.