Method for downloading programs

• US 5,778,234 A
• Filed: 07/24/1997
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rembrandt Technologies, LP (Rembrandt IP Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Paradyne Corporation (Dasan Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hecht, Gideon, Holmquist, Kurt Ervin, Snoll, Donald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Application Number:
  US08/899,834
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 395/712, 395/651, 395/652
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A modified version of the operating communication program of a stored program controlled apparatus is downloaded by first downloading a segment of the new package of programs which contains the essential portion of the new programs. Control of the apparatus is then transferred to the new program segment. Thereafter, utilizing the downloaded essential portion of the new package of programs, the remainder of the new package of programs is downloaded.

Claims

1. A method for installing a new set of communication programs P_new into a stored program controlled apparatus that includes a communication port and a memory by transmitting said set of programs P_new to said apparatus via said port, with the aid of a set of communications programs P_old already resident in said memory, where said set of programs P_old contains a subset of programs EP_old that occupy less than half of the memory and said set of programs P_new also contains a subset of programs EP_new that, when installed, occupy less than half of the memory, comprising the steps of:

installing the EP_new programs in a first area of said memory that contains programs other than the EP_old programs, thereby overwriting at least a portion of one program in said P_old set of programs;

altering operation of said apparatus to execute the EP_new programs instead of the EP_old programs; and

installing the remaining programs of said P_new set of programs in a second area of said memory, said second area constituting memory locations not occupied by the EP_new programs.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising

a step of moving, interposed between said step of altering operation of the apparatus and said step of installing the remaining programs, that installs said EP_new programs into memory locations starting at a location that corresponds to a starting location of the EP_old programs, and

a second step of altering operation of said apparatus to execute the EP_new programs in the installed locations by said step of moving,

wherein said installing the remaining programs of said P_new set of programs stores the programs in memory locations not occupied with the EP_new programs installed by said step of moving.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

erasing said first area of said memory, said erasing step to be performed prior to said step of installing the EP_new programs into said first area of said memory; and

erasing said second area of said memory, said erasing step to be performed after said step of altering operation of the apparatus and prior to said step of installing the remaining programs of said P_new set of programs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of altering operation of said apparatus to execute said EP_new programs is accomplished by installing an offset address to pass control of said apparatus to said EP_new programs.

5. A method for installing a new set of communication programs P_new into a stored program controlled apparatus that includes a communication port and a memory by transmitting said set of programs P_new to said apparatus via said port, with the aid of a set of communications programs P_old already resident in said memory, where said set of programs P_old contains a subset of programs EP_old that occupy less than half of the memory and said set of programs P_new also contains a subset of programs EP_new that, when installed, occupy less than half of the memory, comprising the steps of:

installing the EP_new programs in a first area of said memory that contains programs other than the EP_old programs, thereby overwriting at least a portion of one program in said P_old set of programs;

altering operation of said apparatus to execute the EP_new programs instead of the EP_old programs;

moving the EP_new programs from said first area of memory to a second area of said memory; and

installing the remaining programs of said P_new set of programs in said first area of memory.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

erasing said first area of said memory, said erasing step to be performed prior to said step of installing the EP_new programs into said first area of said memory.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said moving step further comprises the steps of:

copying the EP_new programs from said first area of memory to said second area of memory; and

erasing said first area of memory.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of altering operation of said apparatus to execute said EP_new programs is accomplished by installing an offset address to pass control of said apparatus to said EP_new programs.