Peer-to-peer method of deploying and managing executable code and associated plug-ins

• US 8,713,557 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Americas Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited), Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Americas Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited), Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Keys, Gregory C., Kitada, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamo, Elias
• Application Number:
  US12/491,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20100333080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/025 Updating only a limited number of routers, e.g. fish-eye update
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A system for peer-to peer distributed client updates. The system includes a server to which a list of target network accessible devices as devices that are to receive an update file is uploaded. The server then generates a list of the targeted network accessible devices, which includes a plurality of superior nodes and a plurality of subordinate nodes, which are each subordinate to a respective one of the superior nodes. The server then sends an update file to each of said superior nodes, which sends the update file to each of the nodes subordinate to the respective superior nodes. Each of the target network accessible devices then directly transmits a reporting result indicating a result of a software update at each of the superior and subordinate nodes.

Claims

1. A method for peer-to peer distributed client updates comprising:

uploading, to a server, a list of target network accessible devices as devices that are to receive an update file;

generating, at a processor of said server, a first sublist of the target network accessible devices;

sending, from a network interface of said server, the update file and the first sublist of the target network accessible devices to a superior node of the target network accessible devices included in the list of target network accessible devices;

pushing, from a network interface of the superior node, the update file and a second sublist of the target network accessible devices that is different from the first sublist of target network accessible devices and is generated at the superior node to each of the target network accessible devices included in the first sublist; and

transmitting, from each of said target network accessible devices, a reporting result indicating a result of a software update.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering, at said server, the report results received from each of said target network accessible devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the report results indicate at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing a software update based on the update file.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying said at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing a software update; and

transmitting the update file directly from the server to said at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing the software update.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, at the server, real-time results of a peer-to-peer update process by displaying a list of target network accessible devices that have reported performing a successful software update.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, at the server, real-time results of a peer-to-peer update process by displaying a time lapsed since a peer-to-peer update process was initialized.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the list of target network accessible devices and parameters related to a distribution of the update file transmitted to the target network accessible devices as a distribution template.

8. A server configured to distribute software updates to a plurality of network connected devices, comprising:

a user interface configured to receive an input selecting a list of target network accessible devices as devices that are to receive an update file;

a processor, at the server, configured to generate a first sublist of the target network accessible devices;

a network interface configured to transmit the update file and the first sublist of the target network accessible devices to a superior node of said target network accessible devices included in the list of target network accessible devices, which then generates a second sublist of the target network accessible devices that is different from the first sublist of target network accessible devices and pushes the update file and the second sublist of network accessible devices to each of the target network accessible devices identified in said first sublist as subordinates; and

the network interface configured to receive, from each target network accessible device, a reporting result indicating a result of a software update.

9. The server of claim 8, further comprising:

a module configured to register the report results received from each of said target network accessible devices.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the report results indicate at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing a software update based on the update file.

11. The server of claim 10, further comprising:

a module configured to identify said at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing a software update; and

the network interface configured to transmit the update file directly to said at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing the software update.

12. The server of claim 8, wherein the user interface is configured to display real-time results of a peer-to-peer update process by displaying a list of target network accessible devices that have reported performing a successful software update.

13. The server of claim 8, wherein the user interface is configured to display real-time results of a peer-to-peer update process by displaying a time lapsed since a peer-to-peer update process was initialized.

14. The server of claim 8, further comprising:

a memory configured to store the list of target network accessible devices and parameters related to a distribution of the update file transmitted to the target network accessible devices as a distribution template.

15. A server configured to distribute software updates to a plurality of network connected devices, comprising:

means for receiving an input selecting a list of target network accessible devices as devices that are to receive an update file;

means for generating a first sublist of the target network accessible devices;

means for transmitting the update file and the first sublist of the target network accessible devices to a superior node of said target network accessible devices included in the first sublist, which then generates a second sublist of the target network accessible devices that is different from the first sublist of target network accessible devices and pushes the update file and the second sublist of network accessible devices to each of the target network accessible devices identified in said first sublist as subordinates; and

means for receiving, from each target network accessible device, a reporting result indicating a result of a software update.

16. The server of claim 15, further comprising:

means for registering the report results received from each of said target network accessible devices.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the report results indicate at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing a software update based on the update file.

18. The server of claim 17, further comprising:

means for identifying said at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing a software update; and

means for transmitting the update file directly to said at least one of said target network accessible devices that was unsuccessful in performing the software update.

19. The server of claim 15, further comprising:

means for storing the list of target network accessible devices and parameters related to a distribution of the update file transmitted to the target network accessible devices as a distribution template.