Method and apparatus for processing commands in an aircraft network

• US 8,185,609 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Fuchs, Ludwin, Kimberly, Greg A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Oanh
• Application Number:
  US12/276,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/218, 709/219, 709/242, 709/248, 717/173, 717/172, 717/177, 717/178
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and program code for processing commands in a network. A process creates a set of commands for an aircraft. The commands are in queues in a library in the network. Responsive to an event, the stored set of commands is sent to a proxy server application executing on the network data processing system. A connection is established between the proxy server application and an onboard electronic distribution system on an aircraft data processing system on the aircraft. The commands are requested by the onboard electronic distribution system. The distributed commands are received from the proxy server application by the onboard electronic distribution system. The received commands are processed by the onboard electronic distribution system and a set of aircraft software parts is forwarded to a set of target data processing systems on the aircraft using the processed set of commands if the commands are uplink commands.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for processing commands in a network data processing system, the computer implemented method comprising:

creating a set of commands for an aircraft in a plurality of aircrafts;

storing the set of commands in a set of queues in a library in the network data processing system to form a stored set of commands;

responsive to an event, sending the stored set of commands to a proxy server application executing on the network data processing system to form a distributed set of commands, wherein the stored set of commands is sent to a proxy server in crates;

if the stored set of commands includes a set of uplink commands, placing a set of crated aircraft software parts into local inventory of the proxy server;

establishing a connection between the proxy server application and an onboard electronic distribution system executing on an aircraft data processing system on the aircraft;

requesting the distributed set of commands from the proxy server application by the onboard electronic distribution system;

receiving the distributed set of commands from the proxy server application by the onboard electronic distribution system to form a received set of commands;

processing the received set of commands by the onboard electronic distribution system to form a processed set of commands; and

forwarding the set of crated aircraft software parts to a set of target data processing systems on the aircraft using the processed set of commands if the processed set of commands is the set of uplink commands.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the processing step comprises:

identifying a command type for a command in the set of commands to form an identified command;

requesting a corresponding aircraft software part in the set of aircraft software parts if the command is an uplink command for the corresponding aircraft software part to form a requested aircraft software part; and

receiving the requested aircraft software part.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the processing step further comprises:

requesting downlink data from the onboard electronic system if the identified command is a downlink command.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:

retrieving, by the onboard electronics distribution system, the data from a selected data processing system on the aircraft to form retrieved data;

placing, by the onboard electronic distribution system, the retrieved data in a crate to form the downlink data;

sending the downlink data from the onboard electronic distribution system to the proxy server over the connection to form received downlink data; and

sending the received downlink data to the library.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the processing step comprises:

identifying a data processing system to form a target data processing system if the identified command is a delete command; and

sending the identified command to the target data processing system to delete a resource on the target data processing system.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the distributed set of commands is sent in a set of crates, wherein each crate in the set of crates is signed with a digital signature.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the processing step includes:

validating the digital signature for the each crate in the set of crates.

8. A computer implemented method for processing commands, the computer implemented method comprising:

identifying a set of commands in a library in a network data processing system to form an identified set of commands;

sending the identified set of commands to a proxy server application executing on the network data processing system to form a distributed set of commands, wherein the identified set of commands is sent to a proxy server in crates;

if the identified set of commands includes a set of uplink commands, placing a set of crated aircraft software parts into local inventory of the proxy server;

establishing a connection between the proxy server application and an onboard electronic distribution system executing on an aircraft data processing system on an aircraft;

sending the distributed set of commands from the proxy server application to the onboard electronic distribution system to form a received set of commands over the connection;

processing the received set of commands by the onboard electronic distribution system to form a processed set of commands; and

forwarding the set of crated aircraft software parts located on the aircraft data processing system to a set of target data processing systems on the aircraft using the processed set of commands if the processed set of commands is the set of uplink commands.

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

sending the set of aircraft software parts to the aircraft data processing system to form the stored set of aircraft software parts.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the processing step comprises:

identifying a command type for a command in the set of commands to form an identified command; and

executing the identified command.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the identified command is a delete command and wherein the executing step comprises:

deleting a corresponding aircraft software part from the set of target data processing systems.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the identified command is a downlink command and wherein the executing step comprises:

downlinking data from a selected target data processing system in the set of target data processing systems to the library through the proxy server application.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the step of sending the distributed set of commands from the proxy server application to the onboard electronic distribution system to form the received set of commands over the connection comprises:

sending the distributed set of commands from the proxy server application to the onboard electronic distribution system through a software management tool executing on a portable data processing system to form a received set of commands over the connection.

14. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable media;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for creating a set of commands for an aircraft in a plurality of aircrafts;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for storing the set of commands in a set of queues in a library in a network data processing system to form a stored set of commands;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, responsive to an event, for sending the stored set of commands to a proxy server application executing on the network data processing system to form a distributed set of commands, wherein the stored set of commands is sent to a proxy server in crates;

program code for placing a set of crated aircraft software parts into local inventory of the proxy server if the distributed of commands includes a set of uplink commands;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for establishing a connection between the proxy server application and an onboard electronic distribution system executing on an aircraft data processing system on the aircraft;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for requesting the distributed set of commands from the proxy server application by the onboard electronic distribution system;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for receiving the distributed set of commands from the proxy server application by the onboard electronic distribution system to form a received set of commands;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for processing the received set of commands by the onboard electronic distribution system to form a processed set of commands; and

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for forwarding the set of crated aircraft software parts to a set of target data processing systems on the aircraft using the processed set of commands if the processed set of commands is the set of uplink commands.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein program code, stored on the computer readable media, for processing the received set of commands by the onboard electronic distribution system to form the processed set of commands comprises:

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for identifying a command type for a command in the set of commands to form an identified command;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for requesting a corresponding aircraft software part in the set of aircraft software parts if the command is an uplink command for the corresponding aircraft software part to form a requested aircraft software part; and

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for receiving the requested aircraft software part.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein program code, stored on the computer readable media, for processing the received set of commands by the onboard electronic distribution system to form the processed set of commands further comprises:

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for requesting downlink data from the onboard electronic system if the identified command is a downlink command.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for retrieving, by the onboard electronics distribution system, the data from a selected data processing system on the aircraft to form retrieved data;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for placing, by the onboard electronic distribution system, the retrieved data in a crate to form the downlink data;

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for sending the downlink data from the onboard electronic distribution system to the proxy server over the connection to form received downlink data; and

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for sending the received downlink data to the library.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein program code, stored on the computer readable media, for processing the received set of commands by the onboard electronic distribution system to form the processed set of commands comprises:

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for identifying a data processing system to form a target data processing system if the identified command is a delete command; and

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for sending the identified command to the target data processing system to deleted a resource on the target data processing system.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the distributed set of commands is sent in a set of crates, wherein each crate in the set of crates is signed with a digital signature.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein program code, stored on the computer readable media, for processing the received set of commands by the onboard electronic distribution system to form the processed set of commands includes:

program code, stored on the computer readable media, for validating the digital signature for the each crate in the set of crates.