Crate tool

• US 8,165,930 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Harnish, Marshall W., Hendrickson, Terrill Willard, Xue, Ping, Parker, James Michael, Schifter, Leonard H., Engdahl, Stanley W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ade, Garcia
• Application Number:
  US12/275,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for processing aircraft software parts. A crate containing an aircraft software part is received from a source. Signatures are validated for the crate and the aircraft software part. If the signatures are valid, the crate is unpacked. The contents of the incoming crate are displayed. The aircraft software part is unpacked. Responsive to a request to upload the stored part to a library in the aircraft software part management apparatus, a determination is made as to whether the stored part meets a policy. If the stored part meets the policy, the part is signed. The signed part is placed in a crate and is signed to form a signed crate wherein signatures for the signed aircraft software part and the signed crate are different from the set of signatures in the incoming crate. The signed crate is sent to the library.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for processing aircraft software parts, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, in at least one processor in an aircraft, an incoming crate containing an aircraft software part from a source outside of an aircraft software part management apparatus;

validating, using the at least one processor, a set of signatures for the incoming crate and the aircraft software part;

responsive to the set of signatures being valid, unpacking the incoming crate using the at least one processor;

unpacking, using the at least one processor, the crate to obtain the aircraft software part;

responsive to a request to upload the aircraft software part to a library in the aircraft software part management apparatus, determining, using the at least one processor, whether the aircraft software part meets a policy;

responsive to the aircraft software part meeting the policy, signing, using the at least one processor, the aircraft software part to form a signed aircraft software part;

placing, using the at least one processor, the signed aircraft software part in a crate,

signing, using the at least one processor, the crate containing the signed aircraft software part to form a signed crate wherein signatures for the signed aircraft software part and the signed crate are different from the set of signatures in the incoming crate; and

sending and storing, using the at least one processor, the signed crate to the library in the aircraft software part management apparatus, wherein the library is stored on at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium in communication with the at least one processor.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying metadata for the aircraft software part and other configuration items.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft software part is a first signed aircraft software part and the signed aircraft software part is signed using a different signature from the first signed aircraft software part.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the signatures for the signed aircraft software part or the crate are from a manufacturer, an airline, or a supplier.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein sending and storing further comprises:

storing the aircraft software part in a directory in a file system.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, on a display in communication with the at least one processor, a user interface configured to receive user input to perform operations on a plurality of stored aircraft software parts.

7. A computer implemented method for processing configuration items, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, in at least one processor in an aircraft, a crate containing a configuration item comprising loadable software aircraft parts to form a received crate;

determining, using the at least one processor, whether a set of signatures for the crate and the configuration item are valid; and

responsive to a determination that the set of signatures are valid, saving, using the at least one processor, the configuration item to a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining whether the configuration item is valid.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the step of determining whether the configuration item is valid comprises:

comparing the configuration item to a policy.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein policy comprises an aircraft software part standard.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

responsive to a user input to upload a valid configuration item, signing the valid configuration item;

placing the valid configuration item in the crate;

signing the crate; and

sending the crate to a library in an aircraft software part management apparatus.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

organizing a plurality of configuration items including the configuration item in a file system in response to a user input.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

displaying a user interface capable of receiving user input to manipulate a set of configuration items.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

displaying a user interface capable of supporting and indicating the dynamic release/distribution status of a set of configuration items.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the set of signatures comprises a first signature for the configuration item and a second signature for the crate.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the crate contains a primary configuration item and a set of additional configuration items.

17. A data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device includes program code;

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the program code to receive an incoming crate containing an aircraft software part from a source outside of an aircraft software part management apparatus;

validate a set of signatures for the incoming crate and the aircraft software part;

unpack the incoming crate in response to the set of signatures being valid;

store the aircraft software part;

determine whether the aircraft software part meets a policy in response to a request to upload the aircraft software part to a library in the aircraft software part management apparatus;

sign the aircraft software part to form a signed aircraft software part in response to the aircraft software part meeting the policy;

place the signed aircraft software part in a crate;

signing the crate containing the signed aircraft software part to form a signed crate wherein signatures for the signed aircraft software part and the signed crate are different from the set of signatures in the incoming crate; and

send the signed crate to the library in the aircraft software part management apparatus.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the processor unit further executes the program code to identify metadata for the aircraft software part.

19. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the policy is an industry standard for aircraft software parts.

20. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the signatures for the signed aircraft software part and the signed crate are from an airline, a supplier, or a manufacturer.

21. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein in executing the program code to store the aircraft software part, the processor unit executes the program code to store the aircraft software part in a directory in a file system.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program code for processing aircraft software parts, the program code comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for receiving an incoming crate containing an aircraft software part from a source outside of an aircraft software part management apparatus;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for validating a set of signatures for the incoming crate and the aircraft software part;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, responsive to the set of signatures being valid, for unpacking the incoming crate;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for unpacking the crate to obtain the aircraft software part;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, responsive to a request to upload the aircraft software part to a library in the aircraft software part management apparatus, for determining whether the aircraft software part meets a policy;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, responsive to the aircraft software part meeting the policy, for signing the aircraft software part to form a signed aircraft software part;

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for placing the signed aircraft software part in a crate,

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for signing the crate containing the signed aircraft software part to form a signed crate wherein signatures for the signed aircraft software part and the signed crate are different from the set of signatures in the incoming crate; and

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for sending the signed crate to the library in the aircraft software part management apparatus.