WO2013002629A1 - A method of initiating firmware upgrades - Google Patents
A method of initiating firmware upgrades Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2013002629A1 WO2013002629A1 PCT/MY2012/000126 MY2012000126W WO2013002629A1 WO 2013002629 A1 WO2013002629 A1 WO 2013002629A1 MY 2012000126 W MY2012000126 W MY 2012000126W WO 2013002629 A1 WO2013002629 A1 WO 2013002629A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- firmware
- wireless device
- active
- upgrade
- wireless
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
- G06F8/60—Software deployment
- G06F8/65—Updates
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
- G06F8/60—Software deployment
- G06F8/65—Updates
- G06F8/654—Updates using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
- G06F8/60—Software deployment
- G06F8/65—Updates
- G06F8/656—Updates while running
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network.
- BWA broadband wireless access
- LIE-and WiMAX LIE-and WiMAX
- devices that will be enabled with wireless broadband.
- Such devices include laptops, MP3 players and cameras among others.
- a broadband server provider would therefore require some means to provision such devices Over-the-air (OTA).
- Provisioning information could include certificates, user data, network properties, firmware upgrades, etc.
- OTA provisioning solution would save cost for a broadband service provider and clients would not have to take their devices to the service centres any more.
- firmware upgrade becomes one of the most important features for such devices.
- the device For devices that do not implement double images, during the process of firmware upgrade over-the-air, the device is run in non operational mode. This is to ensure that the firmware upgrade can be performed successfully. This would mean that all active user sessions would be terminated. This might cause a huge impact to the users if they are performing critical operation such as online banking, reservations, etc. Additionally, wireless access point devices do not have direct user interaction; hence firmware upgrade cannot be controlled by the users.
- a method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network includes the steps of receiving firmware upgrade request from the wireless network, upgrading firmware if there are no active user sessions, setting the upgrade flag in a non volatile memory is there are active user sessions, upgrading firmware when the wireless device has no active users or the wireless device is powered-on and upgrade flag is set.
- Figure 1 shows a block diagram of overall architecture of a wireless network including the operator server, WAP and WAP clients;
- FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of hardware architecture of a WAP device in the preferred embodiment of the invention
- Figure 3 shows a block diagram of flash memory composition of the WAP device in the preferred embodiment of the invention
- Figure 4 shows a flowchart of the preferred embodiment of a method of initiating a firmware upgrade.
- the present invention relates to a method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network.
- this specification will describe the present invention according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, it is to be understood that limiting the description to the preferred embodiment of the invention is merely to facilitate discussion of the present invention and it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications and equivalents without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
- the preferred embodiment of a method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network includes the steps of receiving firmware upgrade request from the wireless network, upgrading firmware if there are no active user sessions, setting the upgrade flag in a non volatile memory is there are active user sessions, upgrading firmware when the wireless device has no active users or the wireless device is powered-on and upgrade flag is set.
- the preferred embodiment of the invention enables initiation of firmware upgrades to be done on wireless access point devices in a wireless network by an operator server without disrupting active user sessions as well as without user intervention.
- An overall architecture of the wireless network including the operator server, wireless application protocol (WAP) and WAP clients are shown in Figure 1.
- the operator network provides connectivity to the web (internet) via a wireless protocol such as, but not restricted to Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Long Term Evolution (LTE).
- Figure 2 shows hardware architecture of a wireless device such as a WAP device wherein a central processing unit (CPU) controls overall functioning of the wireless device.
- a wireless chip implements wireless protocol which enables connectivity to the operator's wireless network.
- the wireless chip also provides current state of the wireless protocol. The two states relevant for this invention are:
- a) Active The WAP device is connected to the network and can transmit user data
- Idle The WAP device is connected to the network but cannot transmit user data.
- a flash is a non-volatile memory where firmware is permanently stored.
- An upgrade flag which is used in this invention is also stored in the flash memory.
- a new flag named as Tupgrade is added as part of this invention. Tupgrade represents maximum time required to process firmware upgrade message.
- RAM is a volatile memory where the firmware is store temporarily during the upgrade process.
- a system clock is user to get timestamp of the device.
- FIG. 3 shows a flash memory composition of the WAP device.
- the method requires an additional component, Tupgrade, to existing data section of the WAP device.
- Tupgrade represents the maximum time required to process firmware upgrade message.
- Figure 4 shows a flowchart describing the method to initiate firmware upgrade.
- the method includes various scenarios that arise when firmware upgrade request is received from operator server depending on the current state of the device as described below.
- the method further includes the steps of checking whether firmware upgrade is pending. This will be done by checking the Upgrade flag in non volatile memory. If the flag is set, this indicates that firmware upgrade was requested by the operator server, hence the device will proceed with firmware upgrade.
- the method further includes the steps of checking whether there are any active user sessions. This can be done by comparing the timestamp when the device became Active and current time stamp. If the difference between these timestamps is greater than the maximum time the wireless device takes for processing firmware upgrade request message, the device indicates that this is a case when there are active users. Firmware upgrade is delayed and Upgrade flag is set to indicate that firmware upgrade is pending. Once the device enters idle state, the device checks if Upgrade flag is set in which case the wireless device initiates firmware upgrade.
- the incoming message causes the wireless device to first exit Idle state and become Active. Once the device is Active, the wireless device receives the incoming message. To ascertain that there are no active users, the difference between the current timestamp and the timestamp when the device became Active are compared. If this difference is less than the maximum time it takes to process firmware upgrade message, this indicates that there are no active users and the device will proceed with firmware upgrade.
- the problem of interrupting user sessions has now been addressed by the method of WAP device requiring firmware upgrade being able to decide when to perform the upgrade. The device should go ahead with firmware upgrade if there are no active user sessions else delay the upgrade and initiate it at a later point in time when there are no active users.
- This invention is adapted for enabling initiation of firmware upgrades to be done on wireless access point devices in a wireless network by an operator server without disrupting active user sessions as well as without user intervention.
- the disclosed invention is suitable, but not restricted to, for use in wireless networks.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Software Systems (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
- Stored Programmes (AREA)
Abstract
A method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network is provided, the method includes the steps of receiving firmware upgrade request from the wireless network, upgrading firmware if there are no active user sessions, setting the upgrade flag in a non volatile memory is there are active user sessions, upgrading firmware when the wireless device has no active users or the wireless device is powered-on and upgrade flag is set.
Description
A METHOD OF INITIATING FIRMWARE UPGRADES
FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The world is fast moving toward developing and deploying mobile networks which facilitate broadband access. Such networks are referred to as broadband wireless access (BWA). Two leading technologies in this area today are LIE-and WiMAX. With the growth in such technologies, there are many devices that will be enabled with wireless broadband. Such devices include laptops, MP3 players and cameras among others.
A broadband server provider would therefore require some means to provision such devices Over-the-air (OTA). Provisioning information could include certificates, user data, network properties, firmware upgrades, etc. Such an OTA provisioning solution would save cost for a broadband service provider and clients would not have to take their devices to the service centres any more.
Since software is continuously improving and bugs are being fixed, firmware upgrade becomes one of the most important features for such devices. For devices that do not implement double images, during the process of firmware upgrade over-the-air, the device is run in non operational mode. This is to ensure that the firmware upgrade can be performed successfully. This would mean that all active user sessions would be terminated. This might cause a huge impact to the users if they are performing critical operation such as online banking, reservations, etc. Additionally, wireless access point
devices do not have direct user interaction; hence firmware upgrade cannot be controlled by the users.
Firmware upgrade triggered on a wireless access point (WAP) device by a remote operator server in a wireless network will immediately cause the device to become non- operational and hence disrupt all ongoing user sessions. Hence the challenge is to initiate firmware upgrade on a WAP device in a wireless network without disrupting any ongoing user session. Therefore, there is a need for a solution that allows firmware upgrade to be done without interrupting a user's session.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Accordingly, there is provided a method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network, the method includes the steps of receiving firmware upgrade request from the wireless network, upgrading firmware if there are no active user sessions, setting the upgrade flag in a non volatile memory is there are active user sessions, upgrading firmware when the wireless device has no active users or the wireless device is powered-on and upgrade flag is set. The present invention consists of several novel features and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying description and drawings, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein:
Figure 1 shows a block diagram of overall architecture of a wireless network including the operator server, WAP and WAP clients;
Figure 2 shows a block diagram of hardware architecture of a WAP device in the preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 shows a block diagram of flash memory composition of the WAP device in the preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 4 shows a flowchart of the preferred embodiment of a method of initiating a firmware upgrade.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention relates to a method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network. Hereinafter, this specification will describe the present invention according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, it is to be understood that limiting the description to the preferred embodiment of the invention is merely to facilitate discussion of the present invention and it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications and equivalents without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
The following detailed description of the preferred embodiment will now be described in accordance with the attached drawings, either individually or in combination. The preferred embodiment of a method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network is shown. The method includes the steps of receiving firmware upgrade request from the wireless network, upgrading firmware if there are no active user sessions, setting the upgrade flag in a non volatile memory is there are active user sessions, upgrading firmware when the wireless device has no active users or the wireless device is powered-on and upgrade flag is set.
The preferred embodiment of the invention enables initiation of firmware upgrades to be done on wireless access point devices in a wireless network by an operator server without disrupting active user sessions as well as without user intervention. An overall architecture of the wireless network including the operator server, wireless application protocol (WAP) and WAP clients are shown in Figure 1.
The operator network provides connectivity to the web (internet) via a wireless protocol such as, but not restricted to Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). Figure 2 shows hardware architecture of a wireless device such as a WAP device wherein a central processing unit (CPU) controls overall functioning of the wireless device. A wireless chip implements wireless protocol which enables connectivity to the operator's wireless network. The wireless chip also provides current state of the wireless protocol. The two states relevant for this invention are:
a) Active: The WAP device is connected to the network and can transmit user data, b) Idle: The WAP device is connected to the network but cannot transmit user data. A flash is a non-volatile memory where firmware is permanently stored. An upgrade flag which is used in this invention is also stored in the flash memory. A new flag named as Tupgrade is added as part of this invention. Tupgrade represents maximum time required to process firmware upgrade message. RAM is a volatile memory where the firmware is store temporarily during the upgrade process. A system clock is user to get timestamp of the device.
Figure 3 shows a flash memory composition of the WAP device. The method requires an additional component, Tupgrade, to existing data section of the WAP device. Tupgrade represents the maximum time required to process firmware upgrade message.
Figure 4 shows a flowchart describing the method to initiate firmware upgrade. The method includes various scenarios that arise when firmware upgrade request is received from operator server depending on the current state of the device as described below.
When the wireless device is powered-on, the method further includes the steps of checking whether firmware upgrade is pending. This will be done by checking the Upgrade flag in non volatile memory. If the flag is set, this indicates that firmware upgrade was requested by the operator server, hence the device will proceed with firmware upgrade.
When the wireless device is Active and firmware upgrade request is received, the method further includes the steps of checking whether there are any active user sessions. This can be done by comparing the timestamp when the device became Active and current time stamp. If the difference between these timestamps is greater than the maximum time the wireless device takes for processing firmware upgrade request message, the device indicates that this is a case when there are active users. Firmware upgrade is delayed and Upgrade flag is set to indicate that firmware upgrade is pending. Once the device enters idle state, the device checks if Upgrade flag is set in which case the wireless device initiates firmware upgrade.
When the device is in idle state and the operator server sends firmware upgrade request, the incoming message causes the wireless device to first exit Idle state and become Active. Once the device is Active, the wireless device receives the incoming message. To ascertain that there are no active users, the difference between the current timestamp and the timestamp when the device became Active are compared. If this difference is less than the maximum time it takes to process firmware upgrade message, this indicates that there are no active users and the device will proceed with firmware upgrade. The problem of interrupting user sessions has now been addressed by the method of WAP device requiring firmware upgrade being able to decide when to perform the upgrade. The device should go ahead with firmware upgrade if there are no active user
sessions else delay the upgrade and initiate it at a later point in time when there are no active users.
This invention is adapted for enabling initiation of firmware upgrades to be done on wireless access point devices in a wireless network by an operator server without disrupting active user sessions as well as without user intervention. The disclosed invention is suitable, but not restricted to, for use in wireless networks.
Claims
1. A method of initiating firmware upgrades on a wireless device connected to a wireless network, the method includes the steps of: i. receiving firmware upgrade request from the wireless network;
ii. upgrading firmware if there are no active user sessions;
iii. setting the upgrade flag in a non volatile memory is there are active user sessions;
iv. upgrading firmware when the wireless device has no active users or the wireless device is powered-on and upgrade flag is set.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further includes checking for active user sessions before proceeding and delaying upgrade until device enters an idle stage, during the active state of the wireless device.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further includes causing the wireless device to enter active state upon receiving firmware upgrade request, checking for active users and proceeding to upgrade firmware if there are no active users, during the idle state of the wireless device.
4. The method as claimed in claim 2 and claim 3, wherein the checking of active users is ascertained by verifying difference between time stamps of current time and when wireless device becomes active.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method includes firmware upgrade request from an operator server via over-the-air regardless of operator network and device management protocol used.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| MYPI2011700098A MY164401A (en) | 2011-06-29 | 2011-06-29 | A method of initiating firmware upgrades |
| MYPI2011700098 | 2011-06-29 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2013002629A1 true WO2013002629A1 (en) | 2013-01-03 |
| WO2013002629A9 WO2013002629A9 (en) | 2013-03-21 |
Family
ID=46584286
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/MY2012/000126 Ceased WO2013002629A1 (en) | 2011-06-29 | 2012-06-18 | A method of initiating firmware upgrades |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| MY (1) | MY164401A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2013002629A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US9256416B1 (en) * | 2013-03-28 | 2016-02-09 | Juniper Networks, Inc. | Methods and apparatus for automatic session validation for distributed access points |
| US9497836B2 (en) | 2013-06-04 | 2016-11-15 | Koninklijke Philips N.V. | Lighting system for illuminating an environment and a method of starting an installation of a program on a programmable controller |
| CN113613045A (en) * | 2021-07-05 | 2021-11-05 | Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 | Bluetooth peripheral upgrading method and device, terminal equipment and storage medium |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US10169030B1 (en) | 2017-09-13 | 2019-01-01 | International Business Machines Corporation | Refreshing a software component without interruption |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2370894A (en) * | 2000-10-24 | 2002-07-10 | Hewlett Packard Co | Updating firmware during operation |
| US6606298B1 (en) * | 1999-06-30 | 2003-08-12 | Cisco Technology, Inc. | Module firmware recovery |
| EP1765013A1 (en) * | 2005-09-14 | 2007-03-21 | LG Electronics Inc. | Broadcasting receiver and method for upgrading firmware |
| US20090254897A1 (en) * | 2008-04-07 | 2009-10-08 | Modu Ltd. | Updating firmware on mobile electronice devices |
| US20090320012A1 (en) * | 2008-06-04 | 2009-12-24 | Mediatek Inc. | Secure booting for updating firmware over the air |
-
2011
- 2011-06-29 MY MYPI2011700098A patent/MY164401A/en unknown
-
2012
- 2012-06-18 WO PCT/MY2012/000126 patent/WO2013002629A1/en not_active Ceased
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6606298B1 (en) * | 1999-06-30 | 2003-08-12 | Cisco Technology, Inc. | Module firmware recovery |
| GB2370894A (en) * | 2000-10-24 | 2002-07-10 | Hewlett Packard Co | Updating firmware during operation |
| EP1765013A1 (en) * | 2005-09-14 | 2007-03-21 | LG Electronics Inc. | Broadcasting receiver and method for upgrading firmware |
| US20090254897A1 (en) * | 2008-04-07 | 2009-10-08 | Modu Ltd. | Updating firmware on mobile electronice devices |
| US20090320012A1 (en) * | 2008-06-04 | 2009-12-24 | Mediatek Inc. | Secure booting for updating firmware over the air |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US9256416B1 (en) * | 2013-03-28 | 2016-02-09 | Juniper Networks, Inc. | Methods and apparatus for automatic session validation for distributed access points |
| US9497836B2 (en) | 2013-06-04 | 2016-11-15 | Koninklijke Philips N.V. | Lighting system for illuminating an environment and a method of starting an installation of a program on a programmable controller |
| CN113613045A (en) * | 2021-07-05 | 2021-11-05 | Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 | Bluetooth peripheral upgrading method and device, terminal equipment and storage medium |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2013002629A9 (en) | 2013-03-21 |
| MY164401A (en) | 2017-12-15 |
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