Downloading a code image to remote devices

• US 9,077,682 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Garcia, Maurice
• Primary Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US14/022,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-203, 709/212, 709/217, 709/219, 709/220, 709/232, 709/246
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A server downloads a code image to remote devices so that the remote devices are performing properly in accordance with an updated version of the code image. The server may include an application server that targets devices and informs the targeted devices about a multicasting session. The targeted devices subsequently join the multicast session supported by a multicasting server and extract the code image from the multicast session. After the multicast session has been completed, the downloading center polls the targeted devices to determine which devices have successfully downloaded the code image. The server may repeat the download to devices that did not successfully download the code image by subsequently scheduling a subsequent multicasting session or by individually sending the code image to the devices. Portions of the code image may be sent in multicasting messages based on a depth level and interval.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending, by a computing device, in a first multicast session, a first portion of a file to a plurality of devices;

responsive to a determination that an insufficient quantity of the plurality of devices have received the first portion of the file, sending, in a second multicast session, the first portion of the file to the plurality of devices; and

sending, in a third multicast session, a second portion of the file to the plurality of devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the file comprises a code image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the first portion of the file in the second multicast session comprises setting up the second multicast session.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, with a threshold value, a number of the plurality of devices that have received the first portion of the file; and

determining whether the insufficient quantity of the plurality of devices have received the first portion of the file based on the threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, with a threshold value, a percentage of the plurality of devices that have received the first portion of the file; and

determining whether the insufficient quantity of the plurality of devices have received the first portion of the file based on the percentage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination comprises receiving at least one message from at least one of the plurality of devices, the at least one messages indicating whether a corresponding one of the plurality of devices received the first portion of the file during the first multicast session.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising polling the plurality of devices, wherein the determination is performed based on responses to the polling.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the first multicast session to determine at least one transmission metric.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising polling, by the computing device, at least some of the plurality of devices to verify receipt of the first portion of the file.

10. A method, comprising:

sending, during a multicast session by a system comprising at least one computing device, a file to a plurality of devices comprising a first device;

polling, by the system, at least some of the plurality of devices to verify receipt of the file; and

responsive to a determination from the polling that at least a predetermined quantity of the plurality of devices received the file during the multicast session and that the first device did not receive the file, selectively sending the file to the first device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to determining that at least the predetermined quantity of the plurality of devices received the file, scheduling a subsequent multicast session and sending the file to at least one of the plurality of devices during the subsequent multicast session.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein polling at least some of the plurality of devices comprises comparing a quantity of the plurality of devices that received the file with the predetermined quantity, and wherein the selectively sending is selectively performed depending upon an outcome of the comparing.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the selectively sending comprises sending the file to the first device during a unicast session with the first device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined quantity is a predetermined percentage.

15. A method, comprising:

sending, by at least one computing device, a portion of a file to a plurality of devices during a multicast session;

monitoring the multicast session to determine at least one transmission metric;

determining a predetermined quantity of the plurality of devices based on the transmission metric; and

responsive to a determination that less than the predetermined quantity of the plurality of devices downloaded the portion of the file, scheduling a subsequent multicast session and sending the portion of the file to at least one of the plurality of devices during the subsequent multicast session.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one transmission metric comprises an error rate of a received communication signal associated with the multicast session.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the monitoring the multicast session to determine the at least one transmission metric further comprises monitoring a transmission condition of the multicast session.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the portion of the file comprises a code image.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the determination that less than the predetermined quantity of the plurality of devices downloaded the portion of the file comprises comparing a number of the plurality of devices that downloaded the portion of the file with the predetermined quantity.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the sending the portion of the file to the plurality of devices comprises:

determining a depth level and an interval value;

sending the portion of the file based on the depth level; and

repeating sending, to the plurality of devices, the portion of the file a number of times that is based on the interval value.