System and method for updating information via a network

• US 7,844,963 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2006
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: RealNetworks, Inc.
• Inventors: Pitzel, Brad, Bobrovskiy, Stanizlav
• Primary Examiner(s): DAS, CHAMELI
• Application Number:
  US11/419,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• Field of Search: 717/175, 717/176, 717/169, 717171-173, 717177-178, 709/203, 709/220, 709/201
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable

Abstract

The present invention includes a system and a method for updating components in a client computer. The invention includes a method for upgrading software for various users, each of the users having diverse hardware and software configurations. The invention includes a method for automatically determining the hardware and software configuration of the client computer without user intervention. To begin the upgrade, the client computer reads a configuration file that identifies the components for downloading. Upon receipt of the configuration file, the client computer determines the hardware and software configuration of the client computer. The client computer automatically communicates with a component server via a network and requests one or more components for downloading to the client computer based upon the configuration file and the hardware and software conditions of the client computer.

Claims

1. A computer system for updating a software component on a client computing device, the system including:

a client computing device operably coupled with a network, the client computing device configured to;

request from a configuration computer an upgrade of the software component and to identify one or more client conditions including operating system components that are executing on the client computing device;

receive from the configuration computer a configuration file corresponding to the requested upgrade;

determine that at least part of the configuration file is not to be parsed by the client computing device and forward the configuration file to a component server; and

obtain and install a plurality of components associated with the requested upgrade, the obtaining and installing being based upon an upgrade message received from the component server;

a configuration computer configured to;

receive the upgrade request; and

responsively provide to the client computing device via the network the configuration file corresponding to the requested upgrade; and

a component server coupled with the network and configured to;

receive the configuration file and the one or more client conditions from the client computing device and responsively determine the plurality of components associated with the requested upgrade, the determining being based upon the configuration file and the one or more client conditions; and

provide to the client computing device an upgrade message identifying the determined plurality of components.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the client conditions include a user identification number that is associated with a user of the client computing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the client conditions include a preferred language.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration computer is separate and distinct from the client computer device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the identified components comprise first components to be updated and at least one second component necessary for post-upgrade execution of the first component to be updated.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the at least one second component is determined to not be present on the client computing device before the update.

7. A system for identifying components for installation, the system comprising:

a configuration server having a processor, a computer readable storage medium, and a data communication subsystem, the configuration server configured to;

maintain on the computer-readable storage medium a configuration file identifying one or more components for installation on a client computer; and

transmit the configuration file via the data communication subsystem to a client computer;

wherein at least part of the configuration file is not to be parsed by the client computer and comprises;

a plurality of component identifiers, each of the component identifiers identifying at least one of said one or more components; and

an expiration time identifying a time by which the components must be installed on the client computer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the configuration server is connected to the client computer via a network.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the configuration file is a Java an archive file.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of component identifiers comprise at least one first component identifier and at least one second component identifier for a component necessary for post-upgrade execution of a component identified by the at least one first component identifier.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the second component identifier is for a component determined to be missing from the client computing device.

12. A data distribution network comprising:

a client computer having a processor communicatively coupled to a first computer readable storage device having stored thereon a client profile indicating a system resource condition of the client computer and instructions that cause the processor to execute an upgrade manager; and

a server computer communicatively coupled to the client computer via a network, the server computer associated with one or more installable software components, the server computer having a processor communicatively coupled to a second computer readable storage device having stored thereon instructions that cause the processor to;

receive a request for an upgrade of one or more of the software components from the client computer;

store and provide to the client computer a configuration file identifying at least one upgradable software component, the configuration file being at least partially not parsed by the client computer; and

execute an upgrade handler;

wherein the upgrade manager is configured to transmit information about the system resource condition of the client computer to the server computer via the network, the information about the system resource condition identifying software components of an operating system executing on the client computer; and

wherein the upgrade handler is configured to identify at least one upgradable software component requested by the client computer as a software component to be upgraded based upon the request and the system resource condition of the client computer including the identified software components of the operating system executing in the client computer.

13. The network of claim 12, wherein the upgrade manager parses the content of the configuration file and transmits the parsed content to the upgrade handler.

14. A system for installing one or more streaming-media-associated files on a client computing device, the system including:

a configuration computer communicatively coupled to a client computing device via the network to provide the client computing device with access to a configuration file identifying at least one operating system component executing on the client computing device as having an upgraded version available for download by the client computing device upon request, the configuration file being at least partially not parsed by the client computing device, the client computing device identifying one or more client conditions including operating system components that are executing on the client computing device; and

a component server for receiving a request from the client computing device requesting an upgraded version of the at least one operating system component as well as a representation of the one or more client conditions and the configuration file from the client computing device, and in response the component server identifying the location of one or more streaming media components other than the requested at least one of the operating system components, the streaming media components determined based upon the operating system components identified by the configuration file and based upon the client conditions, the component server further indicating the identified streaming media components to the client computing device to be obtained and installed by the client computing device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the configuration file identifies one or more streaming media components.

16. A method executing on a component server for locating a downloadable software component for installation on a client device:

receiving, by the component server from the client device via a network, a configuration file and a client profile, said configuration file being at least partially not parsed by the client device, said configuration file identifying a downloadable software component for installation on the client device, said client profile describing a plurality of client conditions of the client device;

determining that said configuration file includes an expiration time; and

verifying that said configuration file was supplied by a trusted configuration server and that said expiration time has not passed;

identifying, by the component server, a plurality of versions of said downloadable software component that are available for download from a download server via said network;

determining, by the component server, which of said plurality of versions of said downloadable software component is appropriate according to said plurality of client conditions of the client device;

identifying, by the component server, a location of said appropriate version of said downloadable software component on said download server;

sending, by the component server via said network, said location of said appropriate version of said downloadable software component to the client device.

17. The method of claim 16, said configuration file having been generated for the client device by a configuration server.

18. The method of claim 16, said configuration file having been generated for a second client device by a configuration server.

19. A computer system for updating one or more components on a client computing device, the system including:

a client computing device operably coupled with a network, the client computing device configured to identify the one or more components to be updated and one or more client conditions including operating system components that are executing on the client computing device;

a configuration computer, the configuration computer configured to provide to the client computing device via the network a configuration file identifying at least one of the operating system components, wherein at least part of the configuration file is not to be parsed by the client computing device; and

a component server coupled with the network and configured to receive the configuration file from the client computing device and to responsively identify one or more components to be installed on the client computing device, the identifying being based upon components to be updated and identified by the configuration file, and the identified components comprising the components to be updated and identified in the configuration file and further comprising at least one second component necessary for post-upgrade execution of the first component to be updated.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the at least one second component is determined not to be present on the client computing device before the update.

21. A system for identifying components for installation, the system comprising:

a configuration server having a processor, a computer readable storage medium, and a data communication subsystem, the configuration server configured to maintain on the computer-readable storage medium a configuration file identifying one or more components for installation on a client computer; and

transmit the configuration file via the data communication subsystem to a client computer upon a user request for the configuration file;

wherein at least part of the configuration file is not to be parsed by the client computer and comprises;

a plurality of component identifiers, each of the component identifiers identifying at least one of said one or more components, and comprising at least one first component identifier and at least one second component identifier for a component necessary for post-upgrade execution of a component identified by the at least one first component identifier; and

an expiration time identifying a time by which the components must be installed on the client computer.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second component identifier is for a component determined to be missing from the client computing device.