Method of updating boot image for fast booting and image forming apparatus for performing the same

• US 9,354,895 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choo, Joung-hoon, Lim, Kang-hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Application Number:
  US14/056,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake

Abstract

An image forming apparatus for updating a boot image for fast booting includes an interface unit to receive a new version of firmware to update a previous version of firmware installed in the image forming apparatus, a non-volatile memory to store a first boot image that is a previous version for the fast booting, and a processor updating a boot image by controlling the stored first boot image to be replaced with a second boot image that is a new version when the received new version of firmware includes the second boot image.

Claims

1. A method of updating a boot image for fast booting of an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a new version of firmware to update a previous version of firmware installed in the image forming apparatus;

determining whether the received new version of firmware includes a new version of a second boot image for the fast booting to update a previous version of a first boot image for the fast booting stored in a non-volatile memory; and

if the received new version of firmware includes the second boot image, updating the boot image by controlling the stored first boot image to be replaced with the second boot image,

wherein each of the first boot image and the second boot image for the fast booting corresponds to an image file including data of a system state in a process of booting a system of the image forming apparatus,

wherein, in a boot image generation mode in the image forming apparatus, the new version of the second boot image is generated by initializing an executed application including selectively initializing data and threads of the executed application which cannot be changed by any user before generation of the new version of the second boot image, and

wherein, in a normal booting mode in the image forming apparatus, initializing the executed application and completing the normal booting mode without generating the new version of the second boot image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second boot image includes information indicating a system state in a process of booting a system of the image forming apparatus to be updated by the new version of firmware.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating of a boot image comprises:

erasing the first boot image stored in the non-volatile memory; and

copying the second boot image to the non-volatile memory.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking whether each of the second boot image and at least one firmware image included in the received new version of firmware has an error or is compatible with the image forming apparatus,

wherein, in the updating of a boot image, the firmware or the boot image is updated by using an image that is found to have no error or be compatible with the image forming apparatus.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising extracting the second boot image from the received new version of firmware,

wherein, in the updating of a boot image, the boot image is updated by replacing the first boot image with the extracted second boot image.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the fast booting with the replaced second boot image; and

if the fast booting fails by as many times as a critical number of times as a result of performing the fast booting, switching the boot image generation mode to the normal booting mode and performing normal booting.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

if the fast booting fails by as many times as the critical number of times, erasing the replaced second boot image; and

regenerating a boot image for the fast booting.

8. At least one non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing computer readable instructions that control at least one processor for executing the method of claim 1.

10. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second boot image includes information indicating a system state in a process of booting a system of the image forming apparatus to be updated by the new version of firmware.

11. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor determines whether the received new version of firmware includes the second boot image and performs the update according to a result of the determination.

12. The image forming apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when it is determined that the received new version of firmware includes the second boot image, the processor erases the stored first boot image and copies the second boot image to the non-volatile memory.

13. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor checks whether each of the second boot image and at least one firmware image included in the received new version of firmware has an error, and performs the update by using an image that is found to have no error.

14. The image forming apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor checks the error by using checksum of each of images included in the received new version of firmware.

15. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor checks a compatibility of each of at least one firmware image and the second boot image that are included in the received new version of firmware, and performs the update by using an image that is found to have no error in compatibility with the image forming apparatus.

17. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the fast booting fails by as many times as a critical number of times as a result of performing the fast booting with the replaced second boot image, the processor switches boot image generation mode to the normal booting mode and performs normal booting.

18. The image forming apparatus of claim 17, wherein, when the fast booting fails by as many times as the critical number of times, the processor erases the replaced second boot image and regenerates a boot image for the fast booting.

19. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a user interface providing the user with information about processes of performing the update.

9. An image forming apparatus for updating a boot image for fast booting, the image forming apparatus comprising:

an interface to receive a new version of firmware to update a previous version of firmware installed in the image forming apparatus;

a non-volatile memory to store a previous version of a first boot image for the fast booting; and

a processor to update the boot image by controlling the stored first boot image to be replaced with a new version of a second boot image for the fast booting when the received new version of firmware includes the second boot image,

wherein each of the first boot image and the second boot image for the fast booting corresponds to an image file including data of a system state in a process of booting a system of the image forming apparatus,

wherein, in a boot image generation mode in the image forming apparatus, the new version of the second boot image is generated by initializing an executed application including selectively initializing data and threads of the executed application which cannot be changed by any user before generation of the new version of the second boot image, and

wherein, in a normal booting mode in the image forming apparatus, initializing the executed application and completing the normal booting mode without generating the new version of the second boot image.

16. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor extracts the second boot image from the received new version of firmware and performs the update by using the extracted second boot image.