Device and method for updating code

• US 7,970,821 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Buhler, Peter, Eirich, Thomas, Baentsch, Michael, Hoering, Frank, Weigold, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin; Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIDDIQI, MOHAMMAD A
• Application Number:
  US12/145,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 713/176, 713/193, 713/181, 713/156, 713/179, 713/175, 713/194, 713/1, 713/2, 713/177, 713/180, 717/179, 717/182, 717/170, 717/118, 717/106, 717/172, 717/122, 717/168, 717/100, 717/174, 726/22, 726/23, 726/24
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/12 Protecting executable software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/033 Test or assess software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

The invention is directed to a method for a software provider to enable a software-acquiring entity to arrive from an existent first signed piece of code at a second signed piece of code. Both pieces of code were generated at the software provider by use of a first software archive generator under use of generation instructions. The software provider provides to the software-acquiring entity a difference code that comprises the steps necessary to arrive from the first signed piece of code at the second signed piece of code. The difference code is combinable at the software-acquiring entity with the first signed piece of code by a second software archive generator to generate the second signed piece of code. The second software archive generator is therefor to be fed with those generation instructions that were used by the first software archive generator for the generation of both pieces of code.

Claims

1. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps of a software provider enabling a software-acquiring entity to arrive from an existent first signed piece of code, which is executable on a machine, at a second signed piece of code or at a third signed piece of code, which is executable on the machine, said second and third signed pieces of code having been generated by use of a first software archive generator under use of generation instructions, comprising the step of:

providing to said software-acquiring entity a difference code, said difference code comprising the steps necessary to arrive from said first signed piece of code at said second signed piece of code or at a third signed piece of code said steps further including instructions to amend said first signed piece of code so that a signature belonging to said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code is the same signature for a corresponding second signed piece of code or third signed piece of code existing at the software provider, said difference code is usable at said software-acquiring entity; and

amending using said difference code said first signed piece of code by a second software archive generator to generate said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code, whereby said second software archive generator is fed with those generation instructions that were used by said first software archive generator for the generation of both said second signed and third signed pieces of code,

wherein for arriving from the first signed piece of code to the third signed piece of code where several difference codes are required, these difference codes are merged to a single difference code to be provided to the software-acquiring entity.

2. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a software-acquiring entity to arrive from an existent first signed piece of code, which is executable on a machine, at a second signed piece of code or at a third signed piece of code, which is executable on the machine, the second or third signed piece of code having been generated at a software provider by use of a first software archive generator under use of generation instructions, comprising the steps of:

sending a code amendment request to said software provider for the delivery of a difference code which comprises the steps necessary to generate from said first signed piece of code, said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code, said steps further including instructions to amend said first signed piece of code so that a signature belonging to said second signed piece or said third signed piece of code is the same signature for a corresponding second signed piece of code or third signed piece of code existing at the software provider;

receiving said difference code;

amending using said difference code said first signed piece of code by use of a second software archive generator, thereby generating said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code, whereby said second software archive generator is fed with those generation instructions that were used by said first software archive generator for the generation of said second signed or third signed piece of code,

wherein the first and second piece of code are identified by the software-acquiring entity by giving a corresponding identifier in the code amendment request

wherein for arriving from the first signed piece of code to the third signed piece of code where several difference codes are required, these difference codes are merged to a single difference code to be provided to the software-acquiring entity.

3. Code amendment enabler embodied in non-transitory hardware and executable on a computer for enabling a software-acquiring entity to arrive from an existent first signed piece of code at a second signed piece of code or at a third signed piece of code, said second signed or third signed piece of code having been generated by use of a first software archive generator under use of generation instructions, comprising:

a difference code generator for generating a difference code that comprises the steps necessary to arrive from said first signed piece of code at said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code, said steps further including instructions to amend said first signed piece of code so that a signature belonging to said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code is the same signature for a corresponding second signed piece of code or third signed piece of code existing at the software provider, which difference code is usable at said software-acquiring entity to be combined with said first signed piece of code by a second software archive generator to generate said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code, whereby said second software archive generator is fed with the generation instructions,

an output unit for providing to said software-acquiring entity said difference code,

wherein for arriving from the first signed piece of code to the third signed piece of code where several difference codes are required, these difference codes are merged to a single difference code to be provided to the software-acquiring entity.

4. Code amendment enabler embodied in hardware and executable on a computer according to claim 3, further comprising an input unit for receiving from said software-acquiring entity a code amendment request for the delivery of said difference code.

5. Code amendment enabler embodied in hardware and executable on a computer according to claim 3, further comprising a first software archive generator for generating said pieces of code under use of generation instructions.

6. Code amendment computer system for arriving from an existent first signed piece of code at a second signed piece of code or at a third signed piece of code, said second and third signed pieces of code having been generated at a software provider by use of a first software archive generator under use of generation instructions, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for

a second software archive generator for combining a received difference code with said first signed piece of code, thereby generating said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code, said received difference code including instructions to amend said first signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code so that a signature belonging to said second signed piece of code or said third signed piece of code is the same signature for a corresponding second signed piece of code or third signed piece of code existing at the software provider, whereby said second software archive generator is to be fed with those generation instructions that were used by said first software archive generator for the generation of said second or third signed piece of code, wherein for arriving from the first signed piece of code to the third signed piece of code where several difference codes are required, these difference codes are merged to a single difference code to be provided to the software-acquiring entity.

7. Code amendment computer system according to claim 6, further comprising an input/output unit for sending a code amendment request to said software provider and for receiving said difference code.