Object ordering tool for facilitating generation of firmware update friendly binary image

• US 7,739,679 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Qumei, Iyad
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brophy; Matthew J
• Application Number:
  US11/100,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20070079306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-173
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading

Abstract

An object ordering tool analyzes output from a linker to determine ordering of code objects in first and second firmware binary images. The tool produces a linker script file used by the linker to link the code objects of the second firmware binary image in a more optimal order for production of updating information used in the electronic device for updating firmware of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A system for generating updating information for updating code in an electronic device, the system comprising:

a server including a processor and memory, the memory having stored thereon a first binary memory image comprising a first plurality of code objects wherein each of the plurality of code objects corresponds with a unique memory portion of a plurality of memory portions of the electronic device;

object ordering software executable on the processor, the object ordering software capable of determining an object order in which the first plurality of code objects occur in the first binary memory image according to their base address and configured to concentrate object ordering changes to a least number of sectors of the memory for minimizing a time it takes to update the information by configuring the object order with new objects being added to the end of the order, wherein the determining of object order is done based on memory layout and rules defined in a script file or scatter file;

generator software capable of generating difference information using the first binary image, wherein the difference information is generated by using the object order of the first plurality of code objects as a base to compare with an order in the updated plurality of code objects to determine objects not present and thereby considered to be difference information; and

wherein the generator employs the object order and the difference information in generating the updating information.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first plurality of code objects comprise at least one of:

a shared library, a component of the shared library, a device driver, a function, a subroutine, a compiled C module, a block of code, and a file.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second binary memory image comprising a second plurality of code objects;

the object ordering software processing the second binary image and the object order to determine a changed object order;

the object ordering software-reordering the second plurality of code objects based on the changed object order, and generating a reorganized second binary memory image; and

the generator processing the first binary image and the reorganized second binary image in generating the difference information.

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising:

linking software that is used to create the reorganized second binary image based on the changed object order and the second plurality of code objects; and

the generator processing the first binary image and the reorganized second binary image to generate the difference information.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the linking software links code objects that are determined to have moved between the first binary memory image and the second binary memory image, in order to generate the reorganized second binary image.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the linking software links the second plurality of code objects based on the object order, to generate the reorganized second binary image.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the linking software links the second plurality of code objects based on the changed object order, to generate the reorganized second binary image.

8. The system according to claim 3, wherein:

the object ordering software stores a copy of the object order as a stored object order that can be subsequently retrieved;

the object ordering software processes the second binary image and the stored object order to determine the changed object order;

the object ordering software employs linking software to link the second plurality of code objects and create a reorganized second binary image based on the changed object order; and

the generator processes the first binary image and the reorganized second binary image in generating the difference information.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second binary memory image comprising a second plurality of code objects;

wherein the object ordering software is capable of storing and retrieving the object order;

wherein the object ordering software processes the second binary image to determine the second plurality of code objects;

wherein the object ordering software links the second plurality of objects based on the object order, using a linking tool, to create a reorganized second binary memory image; and

wherein the generator processes the first binary image and the reorganized second binary image in generating the difference information.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the object ordering software also comprises the linking software.

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein the object ordering software facilitates maintaining consistent object order between consecutive binary memory image builds.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is one of:

a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant, a pager, and a personal computer.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein updating information comprises an update package.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein updating information comprises a set of executable instructions for converting, in the electronic device, a first code version to a second code version.

15. A method of generating updating information for updating at least one of:

firmware and software in an electronic device, the method comprising;

linking code objects for a first binary image according to their base address using a first set of linker information, the linking producing first object mapping information;

linking code objects for a second binary image using a second set of linker information, the linking producing second object mapping information;

analyzing the first object mapping information and the second object mapping information to determine object order for code objects in the second binary image wherein each of the code objects corresponds with a unique memory portion of the electronic device, wherein the determining of object order is done based on memory layout and rules defined in a script file or scatter file;

concentrating object ordering changes to a least number of sectors of the memory for minimizing a time it takes to update the information;

generating updated linker information for linking code objects in the second binary image wherein the linker information is generated by using the object order of the first plurality of code objects as a base to compare with an order in the updated plurality of code objects to determine objects not present and thereby considered to be difference information;

linking the code objects in the second binary image using the second linker information, to produce a final binary image;

and maintaining locality of references within individual sectors of the memory by adding new objects at an end of the final binary image.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating updating information using the first binary image and the final binary image.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the updating information comprises an update package.

18. The method according to claim 16 wherein the updating information comprises a set of executable instructions for converting a first version of code to a second version of code, in the electronic device.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the electronic device comprises one of a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant, a pager, and a personal computer.