AIRCRAFT SOFTWARE PART LIBRARY

• US 20130212569A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Young, Dawnray H., Beck, Walter R., Reid, Travis Stephen, Walker, Olga C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,038,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for managing aircraft software parts. An aircraft software part is received at a library. The received part is stored in the library with other aircraft software parts. A user interface is provided to manipulate the aircraft software parts. Responsive to receiving a user input from the user interface to uplink a selected aircraft software part to a target aircraft data processing system, a command is created to send the selected part to an aircraft in which the target aircraft data processing system is located. The uplink command is stored in a queue in the storage in the library. The uplink command is distributed to a proxy server application in response to a request for commands. Responsive to receiving a request from the proxy server application processing the stored uplink command, the selected part is sent to the proxy server application.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing aircraft software parts, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving an aircraft software part at a library to form a received aircraft software part;

storing the received aircraft software part in a storage in the library with a plurality of aircraft software parts;

responsive to receiving a user input from a user interface system to uplink a selected aircraft software part from the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library to a target aircraft data processing system, creating a command to send the selected aircraft software part to an aircraft in which the target aircraft data processing system is located to form an uplink command, wherein the user interface system is configured to manipulate the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library;

storing the uplink command in a queue in the storage in the library to form a stored uplink command;

distributing the stored uplink command to a proxy server application in response to a request for commands from the proxy server application; and

responsive to receiving a request for the selected aircraft software part from the proxy server application processing the stored uplink command, sending the selected aircraft software part to the proxy server application.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

distributing the stored uplink command to a software management tool in response to a request for the commands from the software management tool.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the aircraft software part in a crate in a storage device.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the aircraft software part is digitally signed and the crate is digitally signed.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft software part is stored in a files system in the storage and wherein the queue is located in a database in the storage.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

deleting a set of aircraft parts from the plurality of aircraft software parts in response to another user input.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving status information on uplinks of the aircraft software parts to form received status information; and

storing the received status information.

2. (canceled)

9. An apparatus comprising:

a file system located on a storage device, wherein the file system stores a plurality of aircraft software parts;

a database located on the storage device, wherein the database stores a plurality of commands used to manage the plurality of aircraft software parts;

a management component configured to generate the plurality of commands; and

a user interface system configured to receive user input to operate the management component.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the management component comprises a parts vault and a command dispatcher.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the storage device is a set of hard disk drives.

12. A computer comprising:

a bus;

a communications adapter connected to the bus;

a user interface system configured to manipulate a plurality of aircraft software parts in a library, the user interface system in communication with the bus;

a memory connected to the bus, wherein computer usable program code is stored on the bus; and

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to receive an aircraft software part at the library to form a received aircraft software part;

store the received aircraft software part in a storage in the library with the plurality of aircraft software parts;

create a command to send the selected aircraft software part to an aircraft in which the target aircraft data processing system is located to form an uplink command in response to receiving a user input from the user interface system to uplink a selected aircraft software part from the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library to a target aircraft data processing system;

store the uplink command in a queue in the storage in the library to form a stored uplink command;

distribute the stored uplink command to a proxy server application in response to a request for commands from the proxy server application; and

send the selected aircraft software part to the proxy server application in response to receiving a request for the selected aircraft software part from the proxy server application processing the stored uplink command.

14. The computer of claim 12, wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code to distribute the stored uplink command to a software management tool in response to a request for the commands from the software management tool.

13. (canceled)

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program code executable by a processor, comprising:

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to receive an aircraft software part at a library to form a received aircraft software part;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to store the received aircraft software part in a storage in the library with a plurality of aircraft software parts;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to, responsive to receiving a user input from a user interface system to uplink a selected aircraft software part from the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library to a target aircraft data processing system, create a command to send the selected aircraft software part to an aircraft in which the target aircraft data processing system is located to form an uplink command, wherein the user interface system is configured to manipulate the plurality of aircraft software parts in the library;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to store the uplink command in a queue in the storage in the library to form a stored uplink command;

program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to distribute the stored uplink command to a proxy server application in response to a request for commands from the proxy server application; and

computer program code, non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to, responsive to receiving a request for the selected aircraft software part from the proxy server application processing the stored uplink command, send the selected aircraft software part to the proxy server application.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 further comprising:

computer program code, stored on the computer recordable storage media, for distributing the stored uplink command to a software management tool in response to a request for the commands from the software management tool.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 further comprising:

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to store the aircraft software part in a crate in the storage device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the aircraft software part is digitally signed and the crate is digitally signed.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the aircraft software part is stored in a files system in the storage and wherein the queue is located in a database in the storage.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 further comprising:

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to delete a set of aircraft parts from the plurality of aircraft software parts in response to another user input.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 further comprising:

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to receive status information on uplinks of the aircraft software parts to form received status information; and

computer program code, stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium and configured to store the received status information.

16. (canceled)