Program distributing apparatus and program distributing system

• US 20080028046A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ushiki, Tatsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• 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 program distributing apparatus is connected to a program distributing server and a plurality of terminals via a network, and distributes a program to be embedded into the terminals and the apparatus to the terminals. The apparatus includes a fetching unit that fetches the program from the program distributing server on behalf of the terminals, and a distributing unit that distributes fetched program to the terminals.

Claims

1. A program distributing apparatus that is connected to a program distributing server and a plurality of terminals via a network, and distributes a program to be embedded into the terminals and the apparatus to the terminals, the apparatus comprising:

a fetching unit that fetches the program from the program distributing server on behalf of the terminals; and

a distributing unit that distributes fetched program to the terminals.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the fetching unit fetches an updated program from the program distributing server.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when it is impossible to distribute the program, the distributing unit notifies address information of a terminal that becomes a new distribution source of the program to the terminals.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the distributing unit sets an upper limit of number of terminals to which the program is distributed, and

when a request for distributing the program is received from a terminal after number of terminals to which the program is distributed has exceeded the upper limit, the distributing unit notifies address information of a terminal that becomes a new distribution source of the program to the terminals.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when a request for distributing the program is received from a terminal after completing a distribution of the program to the terminals, the distributing unit notifies address information of a terminal to which the distribution of the program is completed, as a new distribution source of the program, to the terminal that made the request for distributing the program.

6. A program distributing system in which a program distributing server and a plurality of terminals are connected via a network, the system comprising:

a recording unit that records therein program-fetching terminal information that is information on a terminal that fetches a program to be embedded into the terminals on behalf of the terminals from among the terminals; and

a notifying unit that notifies, when the program distributing server receives a request for distributing the program, address information of a terminal that becomes a distribution source of the program, based on recorded program-fetching terminal information.

7. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program codes embodied in the medium that when executed cause a computer to execute:

fetching a program to be embedded into a plurality of terminals and a program distributing apparatus that includes the program codes, on behalf of the terminals; and

distributing fetched program to the terminals.

8. The computer program product according to claim 7, wherein

when it is impossible to distribute the program, the distributing includes notifying address information of a terminal that becomes a new distribution source of the program to the terminals.

9. The computer program product according to claim 7, wherein

the distributing includes setting an upper limit of number of terminals to which the program is distributed, and

when a request for distributing the program is received from a terminal after number of terminals to which the program is distributed has exceeded the upper limit, the distributing includes notifying address information of a terminal that becomes a new distribution source of the program to the terminals.

10. The computer program product according to claim 7, wherein

when a request for distributing the program is received from a terminal after completing a distribution of the program to the terminals, the distributing includes notifying address information of a terminal to which the distribution of the program is completed, as a new distribution source of the program, to the terminal that made the request for distributing the program.