Aircraft software part library

• US 8,490,074 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Young, Dawnray H., Beck, Walter R., Reid, Travis Stephen, Walker, Olga C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Junchun
• Application Number:
  US12/276,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 717/167
• US Class Current: 717/167
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for managing aircraft software parts. An aircraft software part is received at a library. The received part is stored in the library with other aircraft software parts. A user interface is provided to manipulate the aircraft software parts. Responsive to receiving a user input from the user interface to uplink a selected aircraft software part to a target aircraft data processing system, a command is created to send the selected part to an aircraft in which the target aircraft data processing system is located. The uplink command is stored in a queue in the storage in the library. The uplink command is distributed to a proxy server application in response to a request for commands. Responsive to receiving a request from the proxy server application processing the stored uplink command, the selected part is sent to the proxy server application.

Claims

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

receiving an aircraft software part at a library to form a received aircraft software part;

storing the received aircraft software part in a storage in the library with a plurality of aircraft software parts;

responsive to receiving a user input from a user interface system to uplink a selected aircraft software part from the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library to a target aircraft data processing system, creating a command to send the selected aircraft software part to an aircraft in which the target aircraft data processing system is located to form an uplink command, wherein the user interface system is configured to manipulate the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library;

storing the uplink command in a queue in the storage in the library to form a stored uplink command;

distributing the stored uplink command to a proxy server application in response to a request for commands from the proxy server application, wherein distributing further comprises;

responsive to a presence of a connection to the proxy server application, idntifying the uplink command for the proxy server application;

creating a command data structure for the uplink command;

sending the command data structure to the proxy server application, wherein the proxy server application begins processing the commands using the command data structure; and

responsive to another request for the uplink command received after sending the command data structure, sending the uplink command to the proxy server application; and

responsive to receiving a request for the selected aircraft software part from the proxy server application processing the stored uplink command, sending the selected aircraft software part to the proxy server application.

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

distributing the stored uplink command to a software management tool in response to a request for the commands from the software management tool.

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

storing the aircraft software part in a crate in a storage device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the aircraft software part is digitally signed and the crate is digitally signed.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft software part is stored in a files system in the storage and wherein the queue is located in a database in the storage.

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

deleting a set of aircraft parts from the plurality of aircraft software parts in response to another user input.

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

receiving status information on uplinks of the aircraft software parts to form received status information; and

storing the received status information.

8. A computer comprising:

a bus;

a communications adapter connected to the bus;

a user interface system configured to manipulate a plurality of aircraft software parts in a library, the user interface system in communication with the bus;

a memory connected to the bus, wherein computer usable program code is stored on the bus; and

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to receive an aircraft software part at the library to form a received aircraft software part;

store the received aircraft software part in a storage in the library with the plurality of aircraft software parts;

create a command to send selected aircraft software part to an aircraft in which a target aircraft data processing system is located to form an uplink command in response to receiving a user input from the user interface system to uplink a selected aircraft software part from the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library to the target aircraft data processing system;

store the uplink command in a queue in the storage in the library to form a stored uplink command;

distribute the stored uplink command to a proxy server application in response to a request for commands from the proxy server application; and

send the selected aircraft software part to the proxy server application in response to receiving a request for the selected aircraft software part from the proxy server application processing the stored uplink command, wherein in executing the computer usable program code to distribute the stored uplink command to the proxy server application in response to the request for commands from a proxy server application, the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to identify the uplink command for the proxy server application in response to a presence of a connection to the proxy server application;

create a command data structure for the uplink command;

send the command data structure to the proxy server application, wherein the proxy server application begins processing the commands using the command data structure; and

send the uplink command to the proxy server application in response to another request for the uplink command received after sending the command data structure.

9. The computer of claim 8, wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code to distribute the stored uplink command to a software management tool in response to a request for the commands from the software management tool.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program code executable by a processor, comprising:

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to receive an aircraft software part at a library to form a received aircraft software part;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to store the received aircraft software part in a storage in the library with a plurality of aircraft software parts;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to, responsive to receiving a user input from a user interface system to uplink a selected aircraft software part from the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library to a target aircraft data processing system, create a command to send the selected aircraft software part to an aircraft in which the target aircraft data processing system is located to form an uplink command, wherein the user interface system is configured to manipulate the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to store the uplink command in a queue in the storage in the library to form a stored uplink command;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to distribute the stored uplink command to a proxy server application in response to a request for commands from the proxy server application, which further includes;

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to, responsive to a presence of a connection to the proxy server application, identify the uplink command for the proxy server application;

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to create a command data structure for the uplink command;

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to send the command data structure to the proxy server application, wherein the program code is configured to cause the proxy server application to begin processing the commands using the command data structure; and

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to, responsive to another request for the uplink command received after sending the command data structure, send the uplink command to the proxy server application; and

computer program code, non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to, responsive to receiving a request for the selected aircraft software part from the proxy server application processing the stored uplink command, send the selected aircraft software part to the proxy server application.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising:

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for distributing the stored uplink command to a software management tool in response to a request for the commands from the software management tool.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising:

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to store the aircraft software part in a crate in the storage device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the aircraft software part is digitally signed and the crate is digitally signed.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the aircraft software part is stored in a files system in the storage and wherein the queue is located in a database in the storage.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising:

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to delete a set of aircraft parts from the plurality of aircraft software parts in response to another user input.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising:

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to receive status information on uplinks of the aircraft software parts to form received status information; and

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to store the received status information.