System for providing data backup and restore with updated version by creating data package based upon configuration data application data and user response to suggestion

• US 7,051,327 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2001
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: LaSor, Jeff, Milius, Daniel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/850,800
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 717/177, 717/168, 717/173
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing a data backup to an information handling system using software updates. The information handling system has one or more applications included thereon and is capable of being communicatively coupled to a remote server through a network connection. A data package is created based upon configuration data and application data stored on the server. The configuration data includes data previously obtained from the information handling system, such as settings and user data. The application data includes data corresponding to the applications included on the information handling system. The data package is formatted into a software update format and transmitted over the network connection to the information handling system. The data package is suitable for restoring the information handling system after failure, and may be utilized by the information handling system as a software update to restore itself.

Claims

1. A method of providing a data backup for an information handling system, the information handling system having one or more applications included thereon and capable of being communicatively coupled over a network connection to a remote server, and the server having one or more applications available thereon, comprising:

creating a data package based upon configuration data and application data stored on the server, the configuration data including settings and user data previously obtained from the information handling system and the application data including data corresponding to the applications included on the information handling system, the application data further including an updated version of one of the applications included on the information handling system;

based upon at least one of the application data and the configuration data stored on the server, producing a suggestion for at least one of;

an application to be installed on the information handling system, hardware for the information handling system, and a configuration setting for the information handling system;

displaying the produced suggestion on the information handling system;

receiving a response to the displayed suggestion;

further creating the data package based upon the response to the displayed suggestion;

formatting the data package into a software update format;

labeling the data package to indicate the information handling system for which the data package was created; and

,

transmitting the data package over the network connection to the information handling system, the data package being suitable for restoring the information handling system.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the network connection includes at least one of:

a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, and a Recommended Standard 232 (RS-232) connection.

3. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

querying the information handling system whether each application included thereon is available on the server.

4. The method as described in claim 3, wherein if a respective application included on the information handling system is available on the server, the application data further includes an identifier indicating the respective application and enabling retrieval of the respective application from the server.

5. The method as described in claim 3, wherein if a respective application included on the information handling system is not available on the server, the application data further includes the respective application.

6. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with hardware for the information handling system.

7. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with the configuration data.

8. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with another one of the applications included on the information handling system.

9. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

including the produced suggestion in the data package; and

displaying the produced suggestion on the information handling system after transmitting the formatted data package thereto.

10. A storage medium readable by a computing device and having instructions encoded thereon for causing the computing device to perform a method of providing a data backup for an information handling system, the information handling system having one or more applications included thereon and capable of being communicatively coupled over a network connection to a remote server, and the server having one or more applications available thereon, the method comprising the steps of:

creating a data package based upon configuration data and application data stored on the server, the configuration data including settings and user data previously obtained from the information handling system and the application data including data corresponding to the applications included on the information handling system, the application data further including an updated version of one of the applications included on the information handling system;

based upon at least one of the application data and the configuration data stored on the server, producing a suggestion for at least one of;

an application to be installed on the information handling system, hardware for the information handling system, and a configuration setting for the information handling system;

displaying the produced suggestion on the information handling system;

receiving a response to the displayed suggestion;

further creating the data package based upon the response to the displayed suggestion;

formatting the data package into a software update format;

labeling the data package to indicate the information handling system for which the data package was created; and

,

transmitting the data package over the network connection to the information handling system, the data package being suitable for restoring the information handling system.

11. A method of obtaining a data backup for an information handling system, the information handling system having one or more applications included thereon and capable of being communicatively coupled over a network connection to a remote server, and the server having one or more applications available thereon and application data stored thereon corresponding to the applications included on the information handling system, comprising:

querying the information handling system for data about the applications included thereon;

determining if each application included on the information handling system is available on the server;

if a respective application included on the information handling system is available on the server, storing an identifier as the application data, the identifier indicating the respective application and enabling retrieval of the respective application from the server;

if a respective application is not available on the server, storing the respective application as the application data;

creating a data package based upon the application data stored on the server, the application data including an updated version of one of the applications included on the information handling system, the data package being further created based upon configuration data stored on the server, the configuration data including settings and user data previously obtained from the information handling system;

based upon at least one of the application data and the configuration data stored on the server, producing a suggestion for at least one of;

an application to be installed on the information handling system, hardware for the information handling system, and a configuration setting for the information handling system;

displaying the produced suggestion on the information handling system;

receiving a response to the displayed suggestion;

further creating the data package based upon the response to the displayed suggestion;

formatting the data package into a software update format;

labeling the data package to indicate the information handling system for which the data package was created; and

,

transmitting the data package over the network connection to the information handling system, the data package being suitable for restoring the information handling system.

12. The method as described in claim 11, wherein the network connection includes at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, and a Recommended Standard 232 (RS-232) connection.

13. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising:

verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with hardware for the information handling system.

14. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising:

verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with the configuration data.

15. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising:

verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with another one of the applications included on the information handling system.

16. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising:

including the produced suggestion in the data package; and

displaying the produced suggestion on the information handling system after transmitting the data package thereto.

17. A storage medium readable by a computing device and having instructions encoded thereon for causing the computing device to perform a method of obtaining a data backup for an information handling system, the information handling system having one or more applications included thereon and capable of being communicatively coupled over a network connection to a remote server, and the server having one or more applications available thereon and application data stored thereon corresponding to the applications included on the information handling system, the method comprising the steps of:

querying the information handling system for data about the applications included thereon;

determining if each application included on the information handling system is available on the server;

if a respective application included on the information handling system is available on the server, storing an identifier as the application data, the identifier indicating the respective application and enabling retrieval of the respective application from the server;

if a respective application is not available on the server, storing the respective application as the application data;

creating a data package based upon the application data stored on the server, the application data including an updated version of one of the applications included on the information handling system;

based upon at least one of the application data and the configuration data stored on the server, producing a suggestion for at least one of;

an application to be installed on the information handling system, hardware for the information handling system, and a configuration setting for the information handling system;

displaying the produced suggestion on the information handling system;

receiving a response to the displayed suggestion;

further creating the data package based upon the response to the displayed suggestion;

formatting the data package into a software update format;

labeling the data package to indicate the information handling system for which the data package was created; and

,

transmitting the data package over the network connection to the information handling system, the data package being suitable for restoring the information handling system.

18. A system for providing a data backup to an information handling system, the information handling system having one or more applications included thereon and capable of being communicatively coupled to the system over a network connection, comprising:

a storage device;

one or more applications stored on the storage device;

configuration data stored on the storage device, the configuration data including settings and user data previously obtained from the information handling system;

application data stored on the storage device, the application data including data corresponding to the applications included on the information handling system, the application data further including an updated version of one of the applications included on the information handling system;

a software program capable of creating a data package based upon the configuration data and the application data stored on the storage device, formatting the data package into a software update format, and transmitting the data package over the network connection to the information handling system, the data package being suitable for restoring the information handling system;

wherein the software program is further capable of, based upon at least one of the application data and the configuration data stored on the storage device, producing a suggestion for at least one of an application to be installed on the information handling system, hardware for the information handling system, and a configuration setting for the information handling system;

displaying the produced suggestion on the information handling system;

receiving a response to the displayed suggestion; and

further creating the data package based upon the response to the displayed suggestion; and

wherein the software program is further capable of labeling the data package to indicate the information handling system for which the data package was created.

19. The system as described in claim 18, wherein the network connection includes at least one of:

a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, and a Recommended Standard 232 (RS-232) connection.

20. The system as described in claim 18, wherein the software program is further capable of querying the information handling system whether each application included thereon is available on the storage device.

21. The system as described in claim 20, wherein if a respective application included on the information handling system is available on the storage device, the application data further includes an identifier indicating the respective application and enabling retrieval of the respective application from the storage device.

22. The system as described in claim 20, wherein if a respective application included on the information handling system is not available on the storage device, the application data further includes the respective application.

23. The system as described in claim 18, wherein the software program is further capable of verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with hardware for the information handling system.

24. The system as described in claim 18, wherein the software program is further capable of verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with the configuration data.

25. The system as described in claim 18, wherein the software program is further capable of verifying compatibility of the updated version of the application with another one of the applications included on the information handling system.