Mobile device with a self-updating update agent in a wireless network

• US 7,971,199 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Shao-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao; Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, HANH THI MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/120,556
• Time in Patent Office: 2,247 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories

Abstract

A mobile device with a self-backup mechanism may conduct an implicit backup of update agent code during an update of firmware in the electronic device, using a package of update information. Another embodiment may perform an explicit backup of update agent code before the update of other firmware is performed. In an electronic device employing NAND flash non-volatile memory for firmware storage, a boot code may copy all firmware, including update agent code, from the non-volatile memory to RAM for execution. A determination may be made whether a backup copy of update agent code exists, and the existing update agent code may be updated by a copy of the update agent code stored in an area in RAM. An updated update agent code may be capable of employing update status data used by old update agent code, as well as update status data used by an updated update agent code.

Claims

1. A method of updating at least one of:

firmware and software in an electronic device having update agent code, the method comprising;

authenticating to obtain an update package, wherein the update package includes at least executable instructions for converting a version of code to an updated version of the code;

executing the update agent code to create a backup copy of the update agent code only if the update package indicates that the update package affects the update agent code itself;

executing the update agent code to update the at least one of;

firmware and software in the electronic device employing the obtained update package, wherein executing the update agent code to update the at least one of;

firmware and software in the electronic device comprises running the backup copy of the update agent code to update the at least one of;

firmware and software, if the backup copy of the update agent code exists and is valid; and

running a source copy of the update agent code to update the at least one of;

firmware and software, if the backup copy does not exist or is not valid.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein executing the update agent code to create a backup copy of the update agent code comprises:

detecting whether the backup copy of the update agent code exists; and

copying the source copy of the update agent code into a backup location to create the backup copy of the update agent code, if the backup copy of the update agent code does not exist.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein executing the update agent code to update the at least one of:

firmware and software in the electronic device using the update information comprises;

deleting the backup copy of the update agent code at the end of the updating.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein running the backup copy of the update agent code comprises:

transferring the backup copy of the update agent code into an update agent section of random access memory (RAM); and

invoking the update agent code in the update agent section in random access memory (RAM).

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein running the source copy of the update agent code comprises:

transferring the source copy of the update agent code into an update agent section of random access memory (RAM); and

invoking the update agent code in the update agent section in random access memory (RAM).

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein update information comprises an update package.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein update information comprises a set of executable instructions for converting a first version of code to a second version of code.

8. An electronic device comprising:

a non-volatile memory containing a firmware;

update agent code resident in the non-volatile memory;

wherein the update agent code executes, only if an update package including at least executable instructions for converting to an updated version indicates that executing the update package changes the update agent code, to create a backup copy of the update agent code during an update of the firmware;

boot code that is executed immediately after a reboot of the electronic device;

random access memory (RAM) into which the update agent code is loaded for execution; and

wherein the boot code determines which one of;

the update agent code resident in the non-volatile memory and the backup copy of the update agent code is to be loaded into the random access memory (RAM), loads the determined one of;

the update agent code resident in the non-volatile memory and the backup copy of the update agent code into the random access memory (RAM), and causes execution of the loaded update agent code.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising:

update information used by the update agent code to update the firmware; and

wherein the update agent code implicitly creates the backup copy of the update agent code using the update information, during the update of the firmware.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the update information used by the update agent code to update the firmware comprises executable instructions to implicitly create the backup copy of the update agent code in a backup section of the non-volatile memory.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 wherein creation of the backup copy of the update agent code during the update of firmware occurs proximate the beginning of the update.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising:

update information used by the update agent code to update the firmware; and

wherein the update agent code explicitly creates the backup copy of the update agent code when the update of firmware is invoked, before conducting the update of the firmware using the update package.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the boot code determines which one of:

the update agent code resident in the non-volatile memory and the backup copy of the update agent code is to be loaded into the random access memory (RAM) based on at least one of;

a predefined data sequence and a checksum associated with each update agent code.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the boot code communicates a parameter to the update agent code loaded to the random access memory (RAM), the parameter indicating that backup of the update agent code prior to updating of firmware by the update agent is to be performed.

15. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the executed update agent code causes removal of the backup copy of the update agent code proximate the end of updating of firmware.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the executed update agent code terminates updating of firmware without removing the backup copy of the update agent code, if at least one of:

the update information is corrupt and the updating of firmware is not successful.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein:

the non-volatile memory comprises NAND-based non-volatile memory;

the boot code loads firmware, including update agent code, from nonvolatile memory into random access memory (RAM) for execution;

the boot code determines which one of;

update agent code in random access memory (RAM) and the backup copy of update agent code in non-volatile memory is to be used, and loads the determined one into an update agent execution section in random access memory (RAM); and

the boot code causing execution of code loaded into the update agent execution section in random access memory (RAM).

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein:

the non-volatile memory comprises NOR-based non-volatile memory;

the boot code determines which one of;

update agent code in non-volatile memory and the backup copy of update agent code in non-volatile memoiy is to be used, and loads the determined one into RAM for execution; and

the boot code causing execution of update agent code loaded in the random access memory (RAM).

19. An updatable electronic device comprising:

non-volatile memory containing resident update agent code and a firmware;

wherein the resident update agent code is executable by a processor to cause updating of the firmware in the non-volatile memory;

wherein the resident update agent code is executable by a processor to cause updating of the resident update agent code;

wherein execution of the resident update agent code creates a backup copy of the resident update agent code in the non-volatile memory, before updating the firmware and the resident update agent code, and only if an obtained update package indicates that the obtained update package affects the resident agent code itself; and

wherein execution of the resident update agent code to update the firmware in the non-volatile memory comprises

running the backup copy of the resident update agent code to update the firmware, if the backup copy of the resident update agent code exists and is valid; and

running the resident update agent code to update the firmware, if the backup copy does not exist.

20. The updatable electronic device of claim 19 wherein the resident update agent code in non-volatile memory is located in a portion of non-volatile memory, the portion comprising validation information for identifying the resident update agent code.

21. The updatable electronic device of claim 20 wherein the validation information comprises a predefined sequence of data, a checksum, and a version string.

22. The updateable electronic device of claim 21, further comprising:

first update status data comprising state information of an update activity;

wherein the resident update agent code updates the resident update agent code to produce new update agent code that employs second update status data; and

wherein the new update agent code is capable of employing the first update status data as well as the second update status data.