Ingestion interface for transferring update package containers into a distribution network

• US 7,984,485 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kapadekar, Vivek, Rao, Bindu R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): TABOR, AMARE F
• Application Number:
  US11/047,212
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: 726/3, 713/170, 717/174
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention may be seen in a method and system for the ingestion of update package containers (or other types of containers, in general) into a distribution network. In an embodiment of the present invention, update package containers (UPC) from several different sources may be transferred into a distribution network such as a carrier network via a standardized SOAP interface. A logical repository may be assumed to exist in the distribution network. A standardized interface to such a logical repository may facilitate the integration of ingestion methods from several software originators into such a distribution network.

Claims

1. A method that facilitates a secure ingestion of updating information into a network, the method comprising:

registering at the network a source of updating information outside the network in response to a registration request from the source to the network;

providing the source of updating information with authentication information in response to the registering;

receiving a request at the network from the source of updating information, utilizing the provided authentication information, to transfer a container of updating information into the network, wherein the container of updating information is configured to update at least one of firmware and software in electronic devices associated with the network; and

downloading the container of updating information into the network from the source of updating information.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the container of updating information comprises a set of updating information associated with the electronic devices associated with the network.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the updating information comprises executable commands that convert the at least one of firmware and software in the electronic devices associated with the network from a first version to a second version.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the authentication information is used for establishing at least one of a secured sockets layer (SSL) and a transport layer security (TLS) link.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the authentication information comprises a digital certificate.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

processing the downloaded container of updating information; and

determining a condition of the downloaded container of updating information.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the condition comprises at least one error associated with the downloaded container of updating information, or an error-free condition of the downloaded container of updating information.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein if the condition comprises an error-free condition, the method further comprises preparing the updating information for delivery to the electronic devices.

9. The method according to claim 6 further comprising one of:

delivering the determined condition to the source of updating information; and

notifying the source of updating information of the existence of the determined condition and allowing the source of updating information to retrieve the determined condition.

23. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

downloading the container from the source to the network only if the source is authenticated to the network.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein the container is downloaded from the source into a repository in the network, the method further comprising:

delivering at least some of the updating information from the repository device to a plurality of the electronic devices.

25. The method according to claim 6, comprising:

the network providing the determined condition to the source in response to a retrieval request received by the network from the source.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the source comprises a plurality of sources, and wherein the request to transfer the container is issued to the network by a first one of the sources and the retrieval request is issued to the network by a second one of the sources.

10. A system that facilitates a secure ingestion of updating information into a network, the system comprising:

an ingestion interface in the network that registers a source of updating information in response to a registration request from the source, and provides the source of updating information with authentication information in response to the registering; and

a repository device in the network that receives a request from the source of updating information, utilizing the provided authentication information, to transfer a container of updating information configured to update at least one of firmware and software in electronic devices associated with the network, and downloads the container of updating information from the source of updating information through the ingestion interface to the repository device.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the container of updating information comprises a set of updating information associated with the electronic devices associated with the network.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the updating information comprises executable commands that convert the at least one of firmware and software in the electronic devices associated with the network from a first version to a second version.

13. The system according to claim 10 wherein the certificate of authentication is used for establishing at least one of a secured sockets layer (SSL) and a transport layer security (TLS) link.

14. The system according to claim 10 wherein the authentication information comprises a digital certificate.

15. The system according to claim 10 wherein the repository device further:

processes the downloaded container of updating information; and

determines a condition of the downloaded container of updating information.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein the condition comprises at least one error associated with the downloaded container of updating information, or an error-free condition of the downloaded container of updating information.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein if the condition comprises an error-free condition, the repository device further prepares the updating information for delivery to the electronic devices.

18. The system according to claim 15 wherein the repository device one of:

delivers the determined condition to the source of updating information; and

notifies the source of updating information of the existence of the determined condition and allows the source of updating information to retrieve the determined condition.

19. The system according to claim 10 wherein the source of updating information comprises at least one of an originator the at least one of firmware and software in the electronic devices associated with the network and a manufacturer of the electronic devices associated with the network.

27. The system according to claim 10, wherein the container is downloaded from the source to the network only if the source is authenticated to the network.

28. The system according to claim 10, wherein at least some of the updating information from the repository device is delivered to a plurality of the electronic devices by a device management server in the network, the server coupled to the repository device.

29. The system according to claim 10, wherein the network provides the determined condition to the source in response to a retrieval request received by the network from the source.

30. The system according to claim 29, wherein the source comprises a plurality of sources, and wherein the request to transfer the container is issued to the network by a first one of the sources and the retrieval request is issued to the network by a second one of the sources.

20. An ingestion interface comprising:

a computer-processor;

wherein the computer-processor is configured to;

register a source of updating information in response to a registration request from the source to the ingestion interface;

provide the source of updating information with authentication information in response to the registering, wherein the source of updating information employs the authentication information when requesting a transfer of a container of updating information into a carrier network, wherein electronic devices are associated with the carrier network;

facilitate secure downloading of the container of updating information into the carrier network from the source of updating information; and

wherein the container of updating information is configured to update at least one of firmware and software in the associated electronic devices via the carrier network.

21. The ingestion interface according to claim 20 wherein the updating information comprises executable commands that convert the at least one of firmware and software in the associated electronic devices from a first version to a second version.

22. The ingestion interface according to claim 20 wherein the source of updating information comprises at least one of an originator of the at least one of firmware and software and a manufacturer of the associated electronic devices associated with the carrier network.