Upgrading a secure network interface

• US 6,230,194 B1
• Filed: 07/14/1997
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FreeGate Corp (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frailong, Jean-Marc, Tardo, Joseph John, Price, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US08/897,214
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/222, 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system for upgrading the software contents of a network interface device connecting a client computer system to an external network. The network interface device is configured for the client system by automated procedures and protocols initiated from a remote server. Software programs within the network interface device provide transparent communication between the client computer system and services available on the external network. Similar software programs and a configuration database within the network interface device provide transparent communication between the client computer system and the remote server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first notification at a remote management server that an upgrade package will be available at a file transfer site, said upgrade package to upgrade gateway interface software;

automatically determining which of a plurality of gateway interfaces are eligible for the upgrade package in response to receiving the first notification, each of said plurality of gateway interfaces being configurable to couple any one of a first plurality of networks with any one of a second plurality of networks; and

sending a second notification to eligible gateway interfaces, said second notification comprising a location of the upgrade package at the file transfer site.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second notification further comprises at least one of a time frame during which the upgrade package will be made available at the file transfer site, a time at which the upgrade package is to be installed, and a decryption key to decrypt the upgrade package.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the upgrade package includes a pre-install script, an install script, and a post-install script.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a third notification from a first gateway interface indicating an upgrade package failure; and

storing a record of the upgrade package failure for the first gateway interface.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a third notification from a first gateway interface indicating a successful upgrade package installation; and

storing a record of the successful upgrade package installation for the first gateway interface.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining eligible gateway interfaces is based on an upgrade status of each of the plurality of gateway interfaces.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the eligible gateway interfaces comprise a headquarters branch of a virtual private network (VPN), the method further comprising:

receiving a third notification from the headquarters branch indicating an upgrade failure for the VPN, said upgrade failure being due to a successful upgrade package installation by less than all nodes of the VPN.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the eligible gateway interfaces comprise a headquarters branch of a virtual private network (VPN), the method further comprising:

receiving a third notification from the headquarters branch indicating a successful upgrade installation for the VPN, said successful upgrade installation being due to a successful upgrade installation by all nodes of the VPN.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a first notification at a gateway interface comprising a location of an upgrade package at a file transfer site, said first notification being received from a remote management server in response to an automatic determination made by the remote management server that the gateway interface is eligible for the upgrade package in response to an upgrade package notification received at the remote management server, said upgrade package to upgrade gateway interface software for the gateway interface, said gateway interface being configurable to couple any one of a first plurality of networks with any one of a second plurality of networks;

retrieving the upgrade package from the file transfer site; and

executing the upgrade package.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first notification further comprises a time frame during which the upgrade package will be available from the file transfer site, a time at which the upgrade package is to be installed, and a decryption key to decrypt the upgrade package.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein retrieving the upgrade package comprises:

waiting until a time frame during which the upgrade package will be available;

downloading data from the file transfer site; and

decrypting the data to recover the upgrade package based on a decryption key.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein executing the upgrade package comprises:

waiting until a time at which the upgrade package is to be installed; and

installing the upgrade package.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the upgrade package comprises a pre-install script, an install script, and a post-install script.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein executing the upgrade package comprises:

executing the pre-install script to determine if an upgrade of the upgrade package is physically possible;

reverting to an original state if the upgrade is not possible;

executing the install script to apply the upgrade to the gateway interface if the upgrade is possible;

rebooting the gateway interface after executing the install script;

reverting to the original state if the rebooting fails; and

executing the post-install script if the rebooting is successful.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

notifying the remote management server of the state of the gateway interface following the executing.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining if the gateway interface is one of a plurality of nodes in a virtual private network (VPN);

rejecting the first notification if the gateway interface is one of the plurality of nodes and not a headquarters node in the VPN; and

sending a second notification from the headquarters node to the plurality of nodes based on the first notification if the gateway interface is the headquarters node.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving responses at the headquarters node from the plurality of nodes in the VPN indicating whether or not the upgrade package successfully installed;

reverting to an original state if less than all of the plurality of nodes of the VPN successfully installed the upgrade package;

sending a third notification to all of the plurality of nodes of the VPN to revert to the original state if less than all of the plurality of nodes of the VPN successfully installed the upgrade package;

sending a fourth notification to the remote management server that the upgrade failed for the VPN if less than all of the plurality of nodes of the VPN successfully installed the upgrade package; and

sending a fifth notification to the remote management server that the upgrade was successful for the VPN if all of the plurality of nodes of the VPN successfully installed the upgrade package.

18. A machine readable storage medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions, execution of said machine executable instructions to implement a method comprising:

receiving a first notification at a remote management server that an upgrade package will be available at a file transfer site, said upgrade package to upgrade gateway interface software;

automatically determining which of a plurality of gateway interfaces are eligible for the upgrade package in response to receiving the first notification, each of said plurality of gateway interfaces being configurable to couple any one of a first plurality of networks with any one of a second plurality of networks; and

sending a second notification to eligible gateway interfaces, said second notification comprising a location of the upgrade package at the file transfer site.

19. A machine readable storage medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions, execution of said machine executable instructions to implement a method comprising:

receiving a first notification at a gateway interface comprising a location of an upgrade package at a file transfer site, said first notification being received from a remote management server in response to an automatic determination made by the remote management server that the gateway interface is eligible for the upgrade package in response to an upgrade package notification received at the remote management server, said upgrade package to upgrade gateway interface software for the gateway interface, said gateway interface being configurable to couple any one of a first plurality of networks with any one of a second plurality of networks;

retrieving the upgrade package from the file transfer site; and

executing the upgrade package.