Pre-heated software installation

• US 9,378,007 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2010
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Matthew, Jack R., Saldinger, Randy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): DASCOMB, JACOB D
• Application Number:
  US12/958,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20120144382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running

Abstract

Some embodiments of a method and an apparatus for pre-heated software installation have been presented. In one embodiment, packages of updates to software are downloaded from a remote source to a computing system in a background operation of a computing environment in the computing system. Then installation of the packages of the updates is initiated automatically in the background operation in an isolated manner without committing to the software updates.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performing a portion of installation of a set of updates to software on a computing system automatically by a background operation without interfering with processes currently running on the computing system, wherein performing the portion of the installation of the set of updates includes building multiple system caches for multiple subsets of the set of updates in a temporary area on a computer-readable storage device in the computing system, each system cache having a hierarchy mirroring the hierarchy of a system cache in use on the computing system;

sending a notification of availability of the set of updates after performing the portion of the installation of the set of updates;

enabling selection of a subset of the set of updates to install onto the computing system, the subset of the set of updates associated with at least one of the multiple system caches built for the multiple subsets of updates;

delaying completing the installation of the set of updates on the computing system until receiving approval of the set of updates; and

completing installation of at least a portion of the set of updates after receiving the approval of the set of updates.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a selection of a subset of the set of updates to install onto the computing system instead of installing an entire set of updates;

in response to selection of the subset of the set of updates to install, undoing the installation performed so far; and

re-installing only the subset of the set of updates selected on the computing system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to rejection of an entire set of updates, undoing the installation performed so far.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the portion of the installation of the set of updates comprises:

building a system cache for all updates in the set of updates in a temporary area on the computer-readable storage device, the building including decrypting one or more files.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein completing the installation of at least the portion of the set of updates includes:

swapping in the system cache built to replace a current system cache in the computing system in response to receiving approval of all updates in the set of updates.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein completing the installation of at least the portion of the set of updates includes swapping the system cache built with the selected subset of updates with a current system cache in the computing system in response to approval of the subset of updates.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:

performing a portion of installation of a set of updates to software on a computing system automatically by a background operation without interfering with processes currently running on the computing system, wherein performing the portion of the installation of the set of updates includes building multiple system caches for multiple subsets of the set of updates in a temporary area on a computer-readable storage device in the computing system, each system cache having a hierarchy mirroring the hierarchy of a system cache in use on the computing system;

sending a notification of availability of the set of updates after performing the portion of the installation of the set of updates;

enabling selection of a subset of the set of updates to install onto the computing system, the subset of the set of updates associated with at least one of the multiple system caches built for the multiple subsets of updates;

delaying completing the installation of the set of updates on the computing system until receiving approval of the set of updates; and

completing installation of at least a portion of the set of updates after receiving the approval of the set of updates.

8. The medium of claim 7, further comprising:

enabling a selection of a subset of the set of updates to install onto the computing system instead of installing an entire set of updates;

in response to selection of the subset of the set of updates to install, undoing the installation performed so far; and

re-installing only the subset of the set of updates selected on the computing system.

9. The medium of claim 7, further comprising:

in response to rejection of an entire set of updates, undoing the installation performed so far.

10. The medium of claim 7, wherein performing the portion of the installation of the set of updates comprises:

building a system cache for all updates in the set of updates in a temporary area on the computer-readable storage device, the building including decrypting one or more files.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein completing the installation of at least the portion of the set of updates includes:

swapping in the system cache built to replace a current system cache in the computing system in response to receiving approval of all updates in the set of updates.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein completing the installation of at least the portion of the set of updates includes swapping the system cache built with the selected subset of updates with a current system cache in the computing system in response to approval of the subset of updates.

13. The medium of claim 7, further comprising downloading one or more packages of the set of updates to the software on the computing system from a remote source in a background operation of a computing environment of the computing system.

14. The medium of claim 13, further comprising decompressing the one or more packages of the set of updates and building the multiple system caches using the packages decompressed.

15. The medium of claim 14, further comprising receiving a rejection of one or more updates in the set of updates and retaining one or more packages associated with one or more rejected updates.

16. A computing system comprising:

a computer-readable storage device to store software instructions and data;

a network interface coupled to the computer-readable storage device to download updates to the software;

one or more processing devices coupled to the network interface, the one or more processing devices to;

perform a portion of installation of a set of updates to the software on the computing system automatically by a background operation without interfering with processes currently executing on the computing system, wherein to perform the portion of the installation of the set of updates includes to build multiple system caches for multiple subsets of the set of updates in a temporary area on the computer-readable storage device, each system cache having a hierarchy mirroring the hierarchy of a system cache in use on the computing system;

send a notification of availability of the set of updates after the portion of the installation of the set of updates is performed;

enable selection of a subset of the set of updates to install onto the computing system, the subset of the set of updates associated with at least one of the multiple system caches built for the multiple subsets of updates;

hold off completion of the installation of the set of updates on the computing system until receipt of approval of the set of updates; and

complete installation of at least a portion of the set of updates after approval of the set of updates is received.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing devices are further to enable a selection of a subset of the set of updates to install onto the computing system instead of installing an entire set of updates, undo the installation performed so far in response to selection of the subset of the set of updates to install, and re-install only the subset of the set of updates selected on the computing system.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing devices are further to undo the installation performed so far in response to a rejection of an entire set of updates.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein to perform the portion of the installation of the set of updates, the one or more processing devices are further to build a system cache for all updates in the set of updates in a temporary area on the computer-readable storage device and decrypt one or more files during the build.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein to complete the installation of at least the portion of the set of updates, the one or more processing devices are further to swap in the system cache built to replace a current system cache in the computing system in response to approval of all updates in the set of updates.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein to complete the installation of at least the portion of the set of updates, the one or more processing devices are further to swap the system cache built with the selected subset of updates with a current system cache of the computing system in response to approval of the subset of updates.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processing devices are further to download one or more packages of the set of updates to the software on the computing system from a remote source in a background operation of a computing environment of the computing system.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processing devices are further to decompress the one or more packages of the set of updates and build the multiple system caches using the packages decompressed.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more processing devices are further to receive a rejection of one or more updates in the set of updates and retain one or more packages associated with one or more rejected updates.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

means for performing a portion of installation of a set of updates to software on a computing system automatically by a background operation without interfering with processes currently running on the computing system, wherein performing the portion of the installation of the set of updates includes building multiple system caches for multiple subsets of the set of updates in a temporary area on a computer-readable storage device in the computing system, each system cache having a hierarchy mirroring the hierarchy of a system cache in use on the computing system;

means for sending a notification of availability of the set of updates after performing the portion of the installation of the set of updates;

means for enabling selection of a subset of the set of updates to install onto the computing system, the subset of the set of updates associated with at least one of the multiple system caches built for the multiple subsets of updates;

means for delaying completing the installation of the set of updates on the computing system until receiving approval of the set of updates; and

means for completing installation of at least a portion of the set of updates after receiving the approval of the set of updates.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for enabling a selection of a subset of the set of updates to install onto the computing system instead of installing an entire set of updates;

means for undoing the installation performed so far in response to selection of the subset of the set of updates to install; and

mean for re-installing only the subset of the set of updates selected on the computing system.