Distribution of software updates in wireless multihop networks

• US 8,910,141 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Bahls, Thomas Arthur, Rangarju, Shravan
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, RONGFA PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US13/666,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20140123123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 717/170
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Propagation of software updates in a wireless mesh network is handled according to an “informed push” model. Nodes are given the software update that they need, but this is done in response to a sequence of propagating reports on the need for the upgrade (i.e., that node devices have old versions). Each node device executes a reporting cycle in which a report is sent to its neighbors that indicates the types and versions of software items that reside on the device; and for non-resident software items, the lowest versions of which the node device received knowledge from its neighbors. If a node device determines that its reporting neighbor has an old version of a software item and the node device contains a newer version of that software type residing locally, then it sends its neighbor the upgrade. Otherwise, the node “gossips” about the old version to its own neighbors.

Claims

1. In a multihop network that includes a plurality of nodes, including nodes of different types that execute correspondingly different types of software, each node being within communication range of its immediate one or more neighboring nodes, a method for distributing software upgrades within the network, the method comprising:

storing, on a first node, software of a first type and software of a second type, wherein the software of the first type is native to the first node and the software of the second type is not native to the first node;

receiving by the first node, from a neighboring second node, version information representing software types and corresponding versions, the version information including information corresponding to the second type of software;

comparing, by the first node, received version information corresponding to the second type of software against version information corresponding to a locally-stored copy of the second type of software that is stored on the first node; and

sending, by the first node, an upgrade for the second type of software to the neighboring second node in response to a result of the comparing being indicative of the received version information corresponding to the second type of software representing an older version of the second type of software than the version information of the locally-stored copy of the second type of software.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the first node, a local data structure representing version information representing software types and corresponding versions, including version information for software types that do not reside on the first node.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the first node, a gossip report representing version information representing software types and corresponding versions known to the first node; and

in a reporting cycle, sending the gossip report, by the first node, to at least one neighboring device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the gossip report includes:

including in the gossip report actual version information of software types that reside on the first node; and

including in the gossip report earliest version information of software types that do not reside on the first node, the earliest version information being based on received gossip reports from neighboring nodes.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the gossip report includes sending the gossip report exclusively towards a root node in the network.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the gossip report includes refraining from sending the version information to the same neighboring device from which that knowledge was received in the first place.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the software of the second type is a full image of operating software for a node.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the software of the second type is a software upgrade representing an upgraded portion of operating software for a node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second type of software is non-native to the neighboring second node.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the received version information includes version information corresponding to a third type of software, the third type of software not being stored on the first node;

and further comprising;

storing, by the first node, a local data structure representing version information corresponding to at least the second type of software and the third type of software;

comparing, by the first node, the version information corresponding to the third type of software against the version information corresponding to the third type of software stored in the local data structure; and

in response to a result of the comparing being indicative of the received version information corresponding to the third type of software representing an older version of the third type of software than the version information corresponding to the third type of software stored in the local data structure, forming a gossip report to be sent to neighboring devices, the gossip report containing an indicator of the older version of the third type of software.

11. In a multihop network that includes a plurality of nodes, each node being within communication range of its immediate one or more neighboring nodes, a method for distributing software upgrades within the network, the method comprising:

propagating, by nodes in the network, knowledge about early versions of software, wherein each of the nodes incorporates knowledge gained from its neighboring nodes into its own knowledge; and

propagating, by nodes in the network, software updates of later versions of the software such that each of the software upgrades is transmitted to only those neighboring nodes that have reported knowledge about an earlier version of that software.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein in propagating the knowledge about early versions of software, nodes refrain from reporting knowledge about early versions of software to the same neighboring nodes from which that knowledge was received in the first place.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein in propagating the knowledge about early versions of software, a nodes includes an identifier of one or more neighboring nodes from which that knowledge was received, and wherein a first one of those neighboring nodes, in response thereto, refrains from propagating the software upgrade corresponding to that early version knowledge to the reporting node that received its early version knowledge from the first neighboring node.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the multihop network includes branches of nodes, and wherein certain nodes require a particular software upgrade and certain other nodes do not require that particular upgrade;

and

wherein in propagating the software updates of later versions, the particular software upgrade is propagated along a first branch of nodes containing at least one node requiring the particular software upgrade until the at least one node receives that software upgrade, and the particular software upgrade is not propagated to a second branch of nodes that does not contain any nodes that require the particular upgrade.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing, by at least some of the plurality of nodes, software of more than one type, wherein each of the plurality of nodes stores at least a native type of software, and wherein the at least some of the plurality of nodes additionally store one or more non-native types of software; and

wherein the propagating of the knowledge and of the software updates includes propagating, by various nodes, software types that include non-native software types.

16. A node device for use with a multihop network that includes nodes of different types that execute correspondingly different types of software, each node being within communication range of its immediate one or more neighboring nodes, the node device comprising:

communication circuitry, and a controller interfaced with the communication circuitry, the controller including a processor and a non-transitory data storage arrangement containing instructions executable on the processor, that, when executed, cause the controller to implement a software upgrade module that includes;

a software version info module configured to obtain and store knowledge of various software types and versions thereof;

a version info reporting module configured to send reports to neighboring nodes indicating the node device'"'"'s knowledge of various software types and versions thereof;

a software upgrade storage module configured to store a plurality of distinct types of software;

a software dissemination module configured to send software upgrades of selected ones of the plurality of distinct types of software stored by the software upgrade storage module; and

a decision module configured to evaluate software version info obtained from the neighboring nodes against prior knowledge of the software types and their versions, and to determine responsive actions based on the evaluation, wherein in response to a determination that an older version of a first type of software resides on another node device than a version of which the node device has knowledge, the decision module initiates action by the version info reporting module to report an existence of the older version.

17. The node device of 16, wherein the decision module is further configured to initiate action by the software dissemination module to send a resident copy of a second type of software to a neighboring node in response to reception of a report from that neighboring node indicating an older version of the second type of software.

18. The node device of 16, wherein the plurality of distinct types of software includes a native type of software executable on the node device, and a non-native type of software that is not executable on the node device.

19. The node device of 16, wherein the version info reporting module is configured to send the reports such that:

for resident software that resides on the node device, the reports include current versions of each item of the resident software; and

for non-resident software that does not reside on the node deice, the reports include an earliest known version of each known type of software.

20. The node device of 16, wherein the version info reporting module is further configured to send reports exclusively toward a root node of the network.

21. The node device of 16, wherein the software dissemination module configured to send the software upgrades exclusively to a subset of other nodes within a predefined subnet color.

22. The node device of 16, wherein the software upgrades include complete images of system software for nodes.

23. The node device of 16, wherein the software upgrades include upgraded portions of system software for nodes.

24. In a multihop network that includes a plurality of nodes, including nodes of different types that execute correspondingly different types of software, each node being within communication range of its immediate one or more neighboring nodes, a method for distributing software upgrades within the network, the method comprising:

means for storing, on a first node, software of a first type and software of a second type, wherein the software of the first type is native to the first node and the software of the second type is not native to the first node;

means for receiving, by the first node, version information representing software types and corresponding versions, from a neighboring second node, the version information including information corresponding to the second type of software;

means for comparing, by the first node, received version information corresponding to the second type of software against version information corresponding to a locally-stored copy of the second type of software that is stored on the first node; and

means for sending, by the first node, an upgrade for the second type of software to the neighboring second node in response to a result of the comparing being indicative of the received version information corresponding to the second type of software representing an older version of the second type of software than the version information of the locally-stored copy of the second type of software.