Aggregation of update sets

• US 9,110,755 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Raje, Hrishikesh S., Phaedrus, Mark Henriksen, Gouge, Christopher S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): KABIR, MOHAMMAD H
• Application Number:
  US13/571,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

Techniques for aggregation of update sets are described. In at least some implementations, techniques enable relationships between the updates to be created, managed, and applied in a variety of ways. For example, updates can be grouped in a set for installation on a computing device as an integrated set. Grouping updates in a set can be based on membership rules that specify whether a particular update may be grouped in a set, and conditions under which the particular update may be grouped in a set. Updates that are included in a set may be associated with interaction rules that specify how updates in the set interact as part of an installation process. In at least some implementations, membership rules and interaction rules for updates can be dynamically created, configured, and/or dynamically reconfigured.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

gathering updates for a computing device;

ascertaining, based on one or more set membership rules for the updates and one or more state conditions of the computing device, that at least some of the updates may be aggregated into a set of updates for installation as a set on the computing device and that at least one of the updates may not be aggregated into a set of updates; and

making the at least one of the updates that may not be aggregated available as an individual update to the computing device.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein said gathering is responsive to a query from the computing device to an update service for updates for updateable functionalities of the computing device, the query including one or more attributes of the computing device.

3. A method as described in claim 2, wherein the updateable functionalities comprise one or more of an operating system, an application, or a device driver.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein one or more of the set membership rules include an indication of whether one or more of the updates are permitted to be aggregated into the set of updates.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein one or more of the set membership rules specify particular state conditions of the computing device under which one or more of the updates may be aggregated into the set of updates.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the state conditions comprise one or more dynamic state conditions of the computing device, and the one or more dynamic state conditions comprise at least one of a software state or a hardware state for the computing device.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein one or more of the set membership rules specify at least one of:

if the computing device includes a particular state condition, one or more of the updates may be aggregated into the set of updates;

or

if the computing device does not include a particular state condition, one or more of the updates may not be aggregated into the set of updates.

8. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

aggregating the at least some of the updates into the set of updates based on the one or more state conditions satisfying one or more of the set membership rules; and

enabling installation of the set of updates based on one or more interaction rules for the set of updates.

9. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating the at least one of the updates that may not be aggregated for individual installation on the computing device.

10. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

aggregating the at least some of the updates into the set of updates based on the one or more state conditions satisfying one or more of the set membership rules;

receiving an indication of a change to one or more of the set membership rules; and

causing at least one of;

an update to be removed from or an update to be added to the set of updates based on the indication of the change and prior to installation of the set of updates.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving updates for a computing device from a remote resource;

aggregating, based on one or more set membership rules for the updates and one or more attributes of the computing device, at least some of the updates into a set of updates for installation as a set on the computing device; and

enabling installation of the set of updates based on one or more interaction rules that define one or more installation relationships between two updates of the set of updates, the installation relationships specifying at least one of an order in which one or more updates of the set of updates is to be installed or an install condition of at least one of the updates of the set of updates that is dependent on the installation of at least one other update of the set of updates.

12. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more set membership rules specify that based on the one or more attributes of the computing device, the at least some updates may be aggregated into the set of updates.

13. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein one or more of the set membership rules specify that at least one of the updates may not be aggregated into the set of updates, and wherein the operations further comprise initiating installation of the at least one update as an individual update.

14. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an indication of a change to one or more of the set membership rules after the at least some updates are aggregated into the set of updates; and

causing at least one of;

an update to be removed from the set of updates, or an update to be added to the set of updates, based on the indication of the change.

15. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an indication of a change in one or more of the attributes of the computing device after the at least some updates are aggregated into the set of updates; and

causing at least one of;

an update to be removed from the set of updates, or an update to be added to the set of updates, based on the indication of the change.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

aggregating at a computing device, based on one or more set membership rules and one or more attributes of the computing device, at least some of a plurality of updates into a set of updates for installation as a set on the computing device;

receiving at the computing device an indication of a change for the set of updates;

based on the indication, modifying the set of updates at the computing device by at least one of;

adding an update to the set of updates;

removing an update from the set of updates;

or

changing at least one set interaction rule for the set of updates; and

initiating installation of the set of updates based on one or more interaction rules that define one or more installation relationships between two updates of the set of updates, the installation relationships specifying at least one of an order in which one or more updates of the set of updates is to be installed or an install condition of at least one of the updates of the set of updates that is dependent on the installation of at least one other update of the set of updates.

17. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 16, wherein the indication of the change includes a change to one or more set membership rules for the set of updates.

18. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 16, wherein the indication of the change includes a change to one or more attributes of the computing device, the attributes including at least one of a software state or a hardware state of the computing device.

19. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 16, wherein the install condition comprises the successful installation of at least one other update of the set of updates.

20. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 19, wherein if the install condition is not met, the entire set of updates fails installation.