Method and apparatus for downloading firmware to a non-volatile memory

• US 6,601,212 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2000
• Issued: 07/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Boland, William Ross, Guha, Biswaroop
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham, Esaw
• Application Number:
  US09/537,329
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 714/776, 714/766, 717/168-178
• US Class Current: 714/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1666 where the redundant component is memory or memory area
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements

Abstract

A method and apparatus in the form of a peripheral device for downloading firmware responsive to a request by an operatively connected client computer from a connected host or a source to the peripheral device of the type which has a non-volatile memory, the peripheral device being adapted to download the firmware having the operating instructions and data into the non-volatile memory with at least one backup image partition for storing basic configuration and utility operations relating to the firmware and at least one code image partition for storing the firmware. The method includes the steps of receiving a download file for the requested firmware from the client computer, saving a specific data image of the file into one of the image partitions designated by the data image, performing an error check on the data image saved in the designated image partition, terminating the process if an error is found, and repeating the steps of the process for the next data image of said file if no error is found.

Claims

1. A method for downloading firmware responsive to a request by an operatively connected client computer from a connected host or a source to a peripheral device of the type which has a non-volatile memory, the peripheral device being adapted to download the firmware comprising the operating instructions and data into the non-volatile memory having at least one backup image partition for storing basic configuration and utility operations relating to the firmware and at least one code image partition for storing the firmware, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a download file for the requested firmware from the client computer;

saving a specific data image of said file into one of the image partitions designated by said data image;

performing an error check on said data image saved in the designated image partition;

initiating a termination process if an error is found; and

,

repeating the above steps of the process for the next data image of said file if no error is found.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprises the step of initiating said termination process once all the data images for said file have been received for each designated image partition.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said step of ending the process further comprises the steps of:

sending a download-success message to the client computer;

shutting down the peripheral device; and

,

restarting the peripheral device to execute said downloaded firmware.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said specific data image is determined by said file.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said specific data image is a backup image of a basic configuration and utility operations of the firmware.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein said backup image is used for restoring the download process using the information of the basic configuration and utility operations of the firmware.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein said backup image is the first data image for downloading.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said specific data image is a code image of the firmware.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein prior to said step of saving a specific data image, further comprising the steps of:

checking said file for an acceptable format;

receiving said file if the format is acceptable; and

,

initiating said termination process if the format is unacceptable.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein said step of checking said file further comprises the step of reading the first few bytes of said incoming file.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein said step of initiating said termination process further comprises the step of sending an error message to the client.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of saving a specific data image further comprises the steps of:

receiving said data image from the client; and

,

storing said data image in said designated image partition.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of performing an error-check further comprises the step of executing a cyclic redundancy code check for said data image.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of initiating said termination process further comprises the step of sending an error message to the client.

15. The method according to claim 1 further comprises the step of executing the data images from random access memory once all the date images for said file have been received for each designated image partition.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the code image is downloaded without executing the backup image.

17. A peripheral device for downloading firmware from a connected host or a source to a peripheral device that has been requested by an operatively connected client computer, the peripheral device having a non-volatile memory with at least one backup image partition for storing basic configuration and utility operations relating to the firmware and at least one code image partition for storing the firmware, said peripheral device comprising:

means for receiving a file for the requested firmware from the client computer;

means for saving a specific data image of said file into one of the code image partitions designated by said data image;

means for performing an error check on said data image saved in the designated image partition;

means for initiating a termination process if an error is found; and

,

means for repeating the process for the next data image of said file if no error is found.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer readable code stored on a computer readable medium that, when executed, the computer program product causes a computer to:

receive a download file for the requested firmware from the client computer;

save a specific data image of said file into one of the image partitions designated by said data image;

perform an error check on said data image saved in the designated image partition;

initiate a termination process if an error is found; and

,

repeat the above steps of the process for the next data image of said file if no error is found.