JP2008225933A - Patch synchronization system and its method and terminal used for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a patch synchronization system for supporting the patch application of each terminal used by an end user at low costs, and for achieving the latest patch application in each terminal without using any patch management server. <P>SOLUTION: In a plurality of terminals 10, 20 and 30 in which various pieces of software are installed, a patch application program executes patch application by an arbitrary terminal, and transmits the applied patch to the other terminals, and executes patch application to the other terminals. Therefore, it is not necessary for any terminal other than the terminal to which the patch has been applied at first to perform the retrieval procedure or applying operation of patch information. Thus, it is possible to reduce the operations of many end users, and it is not necessary to operate any special machine as a patch management server. Also, it is not necessary to perform server installation for patch application or the cost spending of a server manager. Even when any terminal breaks down, it is possible to continue the patch application without interrupting the patch application processing of the other terminals. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a patch synchronization system and method, and a terminal used therefor, and more particularly to a patch synchronization method for synchronizing patches between user terminals via a network.

  There are the following two methods for the end user to apply patches of various software operating on a user terminal such as a personal computer (PC). The first method is a method in which each end user obtains and applies various software patches. For example, whether or not there is a patch for the software is downloaded and applied by the end user who uses each terminal by searching for the patch information or by obtaining information from the manufacturer who created the software by e-mail etc. I do.

The second method is a method of constructing a patch management server for managing patches, and distributing and applying patches to terminals managed by the patch management server. Here, with reference to Patent Document 1, a patch application support device and a program are configured by a management server that is a patch application support device and PC management software, and a technique corresponding to the second method is disclosed. Has been.
JP 2004-265153 A

  In the method in which each end user obtains a patch as in the first method, since the application operation is entrusted to the end user who uses each terminal, the human resources for the end user to search for patch information There is a possibility that the cost is increased, and there is a possibility that a difference in patch application timing may occur between terminals or a patch may be omitted.

  In the method of constructing the patch management server and distributing and applying the patch to the terminal to be managed by the patch management server as in the second method, when the patch management server goes down for some reason, There is a risk that patches cannot be applied to terminals used by all end users. In addition, the introduction cost for operating the patch management server and the human cost of the administrator for supporting the operation side of the patch management server are required.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a patch synchronization system and method for supporting the patch application of each terminal used by an end user at low cost and enabling the latest patch application in each terminal without using a patch management server. And providing a terminal and a program used therefor.

  A patch synchronization system according to the present invention is a patch synchronization system between terminals in an environment in which a plurality of terminals exist on a network, and each of the terminals performs application of a certain patch to another terminal. And means for transmitting the patch.

  A patch synchronization method according to the present invention is a patch synchronization method between terminals in an environment in which a plurality of terminals exist on a network, and each of the terminals performs application of a certain patch to another terminal. The method includes the step of transmitting the patch to the device.

  A terminal according to the present invention is a terminal in a patch synchronization system between terminals in an environment where a plurality of terminals exist on the network, and after applying a certain patch, transmits the patch to another terminal. Means.

  The program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the operation of a terminal in a patch synchronization system between terminals in an environment where a plurality of terminals exist on the network. Including a process of transmitting the patch to the terminal.

  The first effect of the present invention is that it is possible to reduce the cost for patch application performed at each terminal. The reason is that after an end user obtains a patch, the patch application program applies the patch, and further automatically sends the patch to another terminal and applies the patch. This is because a series of operations from the information acquisition operation to application can be omitted. In addition, since it is not necessary to install a specific terminal as a patch management server for supporting patch application, the installation cost and operation cost of the patch management server become unnecessary.

  The second effect of the present invention is that a patch can be reliably applied. The reason is that after the patch application is performed at a certain end terminal, the end user performs transmission and application to other terminals on the network without being aware of the patch information and the patch.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the patch synchronization system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes terminals (central processing unit, processor, data processing unit, etc.) 10, 20, and 30 that operate by program control. It is assumed that an arbitrary number of terminals exist, and a network environment capable of communicating between the terminals is constructed.

  Each of the terminals 10, 20, and 30 has patch application programs 11, 21, and 31 each having the same function. Each of the patch application programs 11, 21, 31 processes a patch registration unit 12, 22, 32 for registering patch information by an end user, and determination of the necessity of applying each patch 18, 28, 38 and patch application. Similarly to the patch application units 13, 23, and 33, the patch information is transmitted to the terminal on the network, and the patch information transfer units 14, 24, and 34 that process the received patch information are transmitted. Patch transfer units 15, 25, and 35 having a process to perform and a process to receive are respectively configured as a processing part of each patch application program.

  Among these, the patch information transfer unit and the patch transfer unit are provided as resident processes because communication processing with a terminal on the network is performed asynchronously. The obtained patch information is stored in the patch information databases 17, 27, and 37, for example, as shown in FIG. Each patch is stored in each of the patch storage areas 16, 26, and 36.

  Next, an operation example of the patch application program 11 will be described. First, the end user searches for patch information of software used in the terminal 10 to obtain information, and downloads the patch to an arbitrary folder of the terminal 10. The end user passes the path name and file name of the downloaded arbitrary folder to the patch registration unit 12 of the patch application program 11 by inputting from the keyboard (not shown) of the terminal.

  The process from when the end user passes the full path file name of the patch to the patch registration unit 12 and when the patch application process of the terminal is performed is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, the patch registration unit 12 refers to the resource information of the delivered patch, and determines the software product name (2-1 in FIG. 2), version (2-2 in FIG. 2), and manufacturer (2-3 in FIG. 2). ) Obtain the execution module time stamp (2-4 in FIG. 2) (step 3-1 in FIG. 3).

  The patch registration unit 12 uses the file name passed from the end user to move the patch from the folder where the patch exists to the patch storage area 16, and the patch software product name, version, manufacturer, execution module time The storage location of the stamp and the patch moved to the patch storage area 16 is updated to the patch information database 17 (step 3-2 in FIG. 3).

  Next, the patch application unit 13 activates the patch moved to the patch storage area 16 and applies the patch (step 3-3 in FIG. 3). If the patch application is successful, the patch application unit 13 records in the patch information database 17 that the patch application result (2-5 in FIG. 2) has been applied (step 3-4 in FIG. 3). After recording, the patch information transfer unit 14 notifies the patch information transfer unit such as the terminal 20 or 30 on the network 100 of the software product name, version, manufacturer, and time stamp of the execution module as patch information. Do. This simultaneous notification method can be performed by broadcast or multicast communication (step 3-5 in FIG. 3).

  When the patch application fails, the patch application unit 13 confirms with the end user whether or not to reapply the patch, and then executes the patch reapplication (step 3-6 in FIG. 3). When the end user selects not to perform reapplication, reapplication is not performed, and simultaneous notification to other terminals is not performed. As shown in FIG. 9 to be described later, an unapplied patch is subjected to patch application processing at the next terminal startup or network connection, and is retried until the patch application is successful. With the processing so far, the patch application processing requested by the end user using the terminal 10 is completed.

  When the patch information notified from the terminal 10 is received by the patch information transfer units 14 and 24 of the terminals 20 and 30, processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is performed. The operation will be described with reference to FIG. The patch information transfer unit 24 of the terminal 20 operates as a resident process in order to wait for patch information to be transmitted from another terminal. When the patch information transfer unit 24 receives the patch information (step 4-1 in FIG. 4), the received information is compared with the product name, version, manufacturer, and time stamp of the execution module of the patch information in the patch information database 27, and the patch Confirm the necessity of application.

  As a result of the comparison, if the version of the received patch information or the time stamp is new, it is recognized that patch application is necessary (step 4-2 in FIG. 4). When it is determined that application to the own terminal is unnecessary, the patch information transfer unit 24 stores the product name, version, manufacturer, and execution module time stamp of the corresponding software in the patch information database 27 of the own terminal. Send to. By transmitting patch information, when the terminal 10 applies an old patch, the terminal 20 can prompt the terminal 10 to apply the latest patch. Since the terminal 10 that has received the transmitted patch information can process the process of FIG. 4 processed by the terminal 20, the same operation is performed (step 4-3 of FIG. 4).

  In step 4-2, when it is recognized that the patch application is necessary, the patch transfer unit 25 requests the patch transfer unit 15 of the terminal 10 that is the transmission source of the patch information to transmit the patch (step 4-4 in FIG. 4). ). The patch transmission request is performed using unicast communication. The terminal 10 requested to send the patch operates as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The patch transfer unit 25 also operates as a resident process to wait for patch information to be transmitted from another terminal.

  Upon receiving the patch transmission request (step 5-1 in FIG. 5), the patch transfer unit 15 checks from which number of terminals the patch transmission request processing is currently accepted (step 5-2 in FIG. 5). In the patch transmission process, whether or not patch transmission is possible is determined by whether or not the number of terminals that can be processed simultaneously is n or more depending on the upper limit n of the number of terminals that can be processed simultaneously. Then, the patch transmission process is started, and upon completion, a completion notice is given (step 5-3 in FIG. 5).

  If n patches or more are already being transmitted, the patch transmission request is rejected (step 5-4 in FIG. 5). As a result of starting or rejecting the patch transmission, the process returns to the patch transfer unit 25 of the terminal 20 in FIG. 4 (step 4-5 in FIG. 4). When the patch transmission request is accepted and the reception of the patch is completed, the obtained patch is stored in the patch storage area 26 (step 4-6 in FIG. 4).

  The patch transfer unit 25 of the terminal 20 to which the patch transmission request has been rejected retries the patch transmission request for the number of retries at regular time intervals (step 4-7 in FIG. 4). When the number of retries is rejected, it gives up sending a patch from the terminal 10 and the patch product name, version, manufacturer, and execution module in the patch information database 27 are acquired so that the patch can be acquired from another terminal. The time stamp is notified all at once to the patch information transfer unit of each terminal, and the patch information transfer unit of another terminal is expected to perform the process 4-3 (step 4-8 in FIG. 4).

  After receiving the patch and saving it in the patch storage area 26, the patch information database 27 records the product name, version, manufacturer, time stamp of the execution module, and patch storage location (step 4-9 in FIG. 4). ). After obtaining the patch, the patch application unit 23 executes the patch application and confirms the application execution result (step 4-10 in FIG. 4). When the patch application is successful, the patch application unit 23 records in the patch information database 27 that the patch application result (2-5 in FIG. 2) has been applied (step 4-11 in FIG. 4).

  In step 4-10 of FIG. 4, when the application of the patch fails, the patch re-application is executed after confirming with the end user whether or not to re-apply the patch. If canceled, the application is not performed and the process returns to waiting for patch information (step 4-12 in FIG. 4). The above-described patch information transmission / reception and patch transmission / reception processing between the terminals are performed according to the procedures shown in FIGS.

  Referring to FIG. 6, when the patch information transfer unit of the terminal 10 makes a batch notification of the patch information to each terminal on the network (step 3-5 in FIG. 3), the patch information transfer unit of the terminals 20 and 30 receives the patch information. Then, the patch transfer unit of either terminal issues a patch transmission request (step 4-4 in FIG. 4) to the patch transfer unit 25 of the terminal 10. At this time, the transmission request of the terminal 20 requested to be transmitted first is immediately accepted. However, if the request of the terminal 30 exceeds the upper limit of the number of patches transmitted simultaneously, the transmission of the patch issued from the terminal 30 to the terminal 10 is performed. The request is rejected (step 5-4 in FIG. 5).

  If rejected, a retry is performed after a certain time, and when the transmission / reception processing of the terminal 10 and the terminal 20 is completed (step 5-3 in FIG. 5), a patch transmission request issued after completion (step 4 in FIG. 4). -4), the patch transmission request is accepted by the terminal 10, and the patch is transmitted (step 5-3 in FIG. 5).

  Referring to FIG. 7, when the patch information transfer unit of the terminal 10 makes a batch notification of the patch information to each terminal on the network (step 3-5 in FIG. 3), the patch information transfer unit of the terminals 20 and 30 The patch transfer unit of either terminal issues a patch transmission request (step 4-4 in FIG. 4) to the patch transfer unit 25 of the terminal 10. If the terminal 10 goes down after the patch transmission from the terminal 10 to the terminal 20 is completed (step 5-3 in FIG. 5), the patch transmission request from the terminal 30 (step 4-4 in FIG. 4) is accepted forever. I can't.

  When the limit of the number of retries in the patch transmission request process (step 4-4 in FIG. 4) is exceeded, a patch transmission request simultaneous notification (step 4-8 in FIG. 4) is performed, and the patch is transmitted to terminals other than the terminal 10 Request. The terminal 20 that has received this notification and has acquired the patch responds to the request, and the patch information is transmitted from the terminal 20 (step 4-3 in FIG. 4), and patch transmission processing is performed.

  Processing when a terminal is down at the time of patch application or when it is disconnected from the network is processed as shown in the procedure of FIG. When the terminal 30 is activated or connected to the network, the software product name, version, manufacturer, and execution module time stamp are transmitted as the patch transmission request processing shown in FIG. 9 (step 9- in FIG. 9). 1). Repeat for the types of software patches set up in the terminal itself (step 9-2 in FIG. 9).

  The patch information reaches the terminals 10 and 20, and the received terminals 10 and 20 recognize that the patch information of the terminal 30 is old in the patch information reception process of FIG. 4, and return the latest patch information to the terminal 30. (Step 4-3 in FIG. 4). Based on the received patch information, the terminal 30 recognizes that it is necessary to apply a patch in the process of FIG. 4 and checks the patch information received from the terminal 10 or 20 (step 4- in FIG. 4). 2) A patch acquisition request is made from the terminal that has received the patch information first (step 4-4 in FIG. 4), and patch application is executed.

  In addition, when the terminal is activated or connected to the network, patch application is performed again as a countermeasure when the patch application process in FIG. 4 cancels (step 4-12 in FIG. 4). With reference to the patch application result (2-5 in FIG. 2) in the patch information database, the presence or absence of an unapplied patch is confirmed (step 9-3 in FIG. 9). If there is an unapplied patch, patch application is executed and the application execution result is confirmed (step 9-4 in FIG. 9). If the patch application is successful, the patch information processing unit records in the patch information database that the patch application result (2-5 in FIG. 2) has been applied (step 9-5 in FIG. 9), and the patch It is confirmed whether there is another unapplied patch from the information database, and if not, the process ends, and if there is, the patch application process is repeatedly executed (step 9-6 in FIG. 9).

  If the patch application fails, the end user confirms whether or not to reapply the patch, and then reapply the patch. If canceled, the application is not performed, and a process for confirming whether there is an unapplied patch from the patch information database is performed (step 9-7 in FIG. 9). As a result, it is possible to reliably apply the patch in any case.

  As described above, in the plurality of terminals 10, 20, and 30 in which various types of software in FIG. 1 are installed, after the patch application program executes patch application at an arbitrary terminal, the applied patch is transmitted to other terminals. Since the patch application is also applied to other terminals, the patch information search procedure and application operation are not required on terminals other than the terminal to which the patch is first applied, reducing the work of many end users. This eliminates the need to operate a specific machine as a patch management server, and eliminates the need for server installation and server administrator costs for patch application. Further, even if any terminal goes down, patch application can be continued without interrupting patch application processing of other terminals.

  It is obvious that each operation in the above-described embodiment can be configured such that the operation procedure is stored in advance in a recording medium such as a ROM as a program and is read and executed by a computer (CPU).

It is a functional block diagram of the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the patch information database in the Example of this invention. In the Example of this invention, it is a flowchart which shows the patch application process of the terminal which received patch information by the search request of the end user. In the Example of this invention, it is a flowchart which shows the patch application process of the terminal which received patch information by simultaneous notification from the other terminal. In the Example of this invention, it is a flowchart which shows the process of the terminal at the time of receiving the patch transmission request from another terminal. In the Example of this invention, it is an example of the operation | movement sequence diagram at the time of simultaneous notification of patch information. In the Example of this invention, it is another example of the operation | movement sequence diagram at the time of simultaneous notification of patch information. In the Example of this invention, it is an operation | movement sequence diagram which shows the example of a process when the terminal is down or disconnected from the network at the time of patch application. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10, 20, 30 Terminal 11, 21, 31 Patch application program 12, 22, 32 Patch registration unit 13, 23, 33 Patch application unit 14, 24, 34 Patch information transfer unit 15, 25, 35 Patch transfer unit 16, 26 , 36 Patch storage area 17, 27.37 Software patch information database 18, 28, 38 patches
100 network

Claims (16)

A patch synchronization system between terminals in an environment where a plurality of terminals exist on a network,
Each of the terminals includes means for transmitting the patch to another terminal after executing application of a certain patch.   Each of the terminals further includes means for determining the necessity of applying the patch when the patch is received from another terminal and executing the patch application when necessary. The patch synchronization system according to claim 1.   Each of the terminals, when receiving the patch from another terminal, determines the necessity of applying the patch and transmits information on the patch of the terminal to the other terminal when it is unnecessary. The patch synchronization system according to claim 1, further comprising means for:   Each of the terminals, when activated or connected to the network, means for transmitting the patch information of the own terminal to other terminals, and needs to apply the patch determined in the other terminals based on the patch information of the own terminal The patch synchronization system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means for receiving information indicative of sex and acquiring the patch from the other terminal. A patch synchronization method between terminals in an environment where a plurality of terminals exist on a network,
Each of the terminals includes a step of transmitting the patch to another terminal after executing application of a certain patch.   Each of the terminals further includes a step of determining the necessity of applying the patch when receiving the patch from another terminal, and a step of executing the application of the patch when determining that it is necessary. 6. The patch synchronization method according to claim 5, wherein:   Each of the terminals, when receiving the patch from another terminal, determines the necessity of applying the patch, and when it determines that the terminal is unnecessary, information on the patch that the terminal has 6. The patch synchronization method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of transmitting to the terminal.   Each of the terminals, when activated or connected to a network, transmits its own patch information to other terminals, and needs to apply a patch determined in the other terminals based on the own terminal patch information. The patch synchronization method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, further comprising: receiving information indicating sex and acquiring the patch from the other terminal. A terminal in a patch synchronization system between terminals in an environment where a plurality of terminals exist on the network,
A terminal comprising: means for transmitting the patch to another terminal after applying a certain patch.   10. The terminal according to claim 9, further comprising means for determining the necessity of applying the patch when the patch is received from another terminal and executing the application of the patch when necessary. .   When receiving the patch from another terminal, it further includes means for determining the necessity of applying the patch and transmitting information related to the patch of the terminal to the other terminal when it is unnecessary. The terminal according to claim 9.   When starting or connecting to the network, it receives means to send its own patch information to other terminals and information indicating the necessity of applying patches determined by other terminals based on this terminal's patch information The terminal according to claim 9, further comprising means for acquiring the patch from the other terminal. A program for causing a computer to execute the operation of a terminal in a patch synchronization system between terminals in an environment where a plurality of terminals exist on the network,
A program characterized by including a process of transmitting the patch to another terminal after applying a certain patch.   14. The program according to claim 13, further comprising a process of determining the necessity of applying the patch when the patch is received from another terminal and executing the application of the patch when necessary. .   When receiving the patch from another terminal, if the necessity of applying the patch is judged and is unnecessary, it further includes a process of transmitting information related to the patch that the terminal has to the other terminal The program according to claim 13.   When starting up or connected to a network, it receives information indicating the need to apply patches determined by other terminals based on this terminal's patch information and the process of sending its own patch information to other terminals. The program according to claim 13, further comprising a process of acquiring the patch from the other terminal.

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