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

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for upgrading firmware of an embedded system via a network connection. Further, the present invention relates to an embedded system provided with means for upgrading firmware received over a network, comprising; a volatile memory, a persistent memory, and a protocol stack for communication over a network.
• the technology of data communication develops fast and the computer networks are expanding and consist of an increasing number of clients and servers. Users and owners of networks require that servers and the embedded systems thereof are up to date m accordance with the rapidly changing data communication technology. Further, an increasing part of the development of embedded systems is today performed as develop- ment of firmware. Because of the rapid development of data communication technologies and requirements of new functionality from users the firmware of an embedded system has to be upgraded frequently.
• the upgrading of firmware is today commonly managed by connecting a computer direct to the embedded system. Further it is known to perform upgrading of firmware over the network which the server is connected to.
• a significant problem m upgrading the firmware of known embedded systems is that the individual performing the upgrade has to have detailed knowledge of the computer network and the embedded system and have to perform a number of rather complicated steps. Most individuals are not confident m performing said steps and are not confident in using all numerals and characteristics required to be input when performing the firmware upgrade.
• US 5 812 857 discloses a method for upgrading a download code set, where an embedded system uses the same network drivers as when m normal operation. Further it describes a download where different portions of the code set are downloaded during different steps of the downloading operation. Some portions of the code set are downloaded to a flash memory via a volatile memory while some portions are downloaded directly to the flash memory. There is also described that a temporary down- loader, downloaded during an initial step and replaced by yet another downloader during a later step, is used during the operation of download. The described system and method is designed for minimising the time of executing code out of volatile memory to the persistent memory and is rather complicated.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method for upgrading firmware m an embedded system and a new and improved embedded system, in respect of upgrading firmware.
• Another object of the invention is to provide a firmware upgrading method that is easy to use and that saves time.
• Yet another object of the invention is to provide a firmware upgrading method m which the probability of an erroneous upgrade is minimised.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embedded system and a client computer during an upgrade of firmware of the embedded system.
• Fig. 3 is a detailed view of a portion of the embedded system shown m Fig. 2
• Fig. 4 is a diagram showing events according to the method of the invention.
• a client computer 10 and servers 100 are connected to a network 30.
• the servers 100 each provide a device 50 with means for communication with the client computer 10 over the network 30.
• the client computer 10 described herein could be any client computer of a plurality of client computers connected to the network 30.
• the servers 100 each comprise an embedded system 110 performing the processing of the servers 100.
• a firmware upgrade is started at the client computer 10 and is directed to one embedded system 110.
• a server 100, comprising the embedded system 110, enables devices 50 to be reached or shared via the network.
• the server 100 could be built in to a device 50, arrangement b, or could be external to a device 50, arrangement a .
• a device 50 can be any device that could be interesting to connect to a network.
• it could be an industrial robot, a control unit or a gauge for a process or a peripheral device, such as a printer, a modem, a scanner, a fax machine, a photocopier or a multifunction peripheral.
• the embedded system 110 of the preferred embodiment comprises a file system 120, a volatile memory 150, a persistent memory 160, a central processing unit 170 (CPU) , at least one protocol stack 180 and a programmer 190.
• a virtual file system 122 (VFS) is implemented and in the virtual file system a directory for upgrading 126, hereinafter called "FLASH", is provided.
• FLASH directory 126 is a subdirectory to a directory 124 called “SYSTEM” , which also comprises other resources .
• the volatile memory 150 is a memory that loses the information stored therein when the power to it is switched off and it is used to store temporary data.
• the persistent memory 160 is a reprogrammable memory where stored data is preserved even when the power to it is switched off. In the preferred embodiment the persistent memory 160 is a flash memory but could be any reprogrammable memory preserving data after the power has been switched of.
• the CPU 170 is processing the functions, protocols, etc of the embedded system.
• the protocol stack 180 contains the protocols for communica- tion over the network.
• the programmer 190 herein after called flash programmer 190, is a means for writing code into the persistent memory 160.
• the client computer 10 comprises an operating system having a file system 18 allowing mapping of resources 20 shared over the network 30.
• the server 100 related to the device 50 is mapped within the file system of the client computer.
• the server 100 is generally mapped m the file system 18 for other purposes than firmware upgrading. If, for example, the device 50 served by the server is a file storage device, the storage area is generally accessible from the client computer by the use of ordinary file handling commands of the operating system of the client computer 10. Thus, there is established a pointer from the file system 18 of the client computer 10 to a root directory of the file system 120 of the embedded system 110 of the server 100. Thereby, the subdirectories of the file system 120 of the embedded system 110 also are available within the file system 18 of the client computer 10. If the server 110 is not already mapped in the file system 18 of the client computer 10 for normal operation of the device 50, then the server 100 has to be mapped at the client computer 10 before performing the upgrading operation according to the invention.
• FIG. 3 showing the FLASH directory 126 within the virtual file system 122 of the embedded system 110.
• a control means realised by a data channel 128, associated with the FLASH directory 126.
• this data channel 128 is referred to as flash data channel 128.
• the flash data channel 128 is reset every time the FLASH directory 126 is accessed
• the flash channel is allocated a portion of the volatile memory 150 for storing data.
• the flash data channel 128 handles all data sent to the FLASH directory 126 and is specially designed to handle firmware upgrade files and to perform various control operations on the data received.
• the flash data channel 128 comprises means for checking the characteristics of the file, namely first checking means 131, second checking means 132 and third checking means 133, and means 130 for storing data of a file m the volatile memory 150. Said checking and storing means are realised by program code related to the flash data channel 128 .
• the first checking means 131 checks if the file is a firmware upgrade file by checking for a "magic number", described below.
• the second checking means 132 checks if the file stored m the volatile memory 150 is intended for the product related to the embedded system 110.
• the third checking means 133 checks the checksum of the file to decide if there are any errors m the file.
• flash data channel 128 provides a flash programmer 190 with the approved firmware upgrade files to have the firmware upgrade file written to the persistent memory 160.
• m the description of the method.
• the client computer 10 thereafter sends an instruction to the embedded system telling it to open a flash file, step 402, within the virtual file system 122 of the embedded system.
• step 404 data of the firmware upgrade file 24 is received and stored, step 406, m the volatile memory 150.
• the flash data channel controls the data during reception, step 408, checking for an identifier m the form of "a magic number" corresponding to an identifier confirming that the data received belongs to a firmware upgrade file.
• the check in step 408, for a magic number identifying the data as a firmware upgrade file, checks a predefined position m the data file for the "magic number" .
• the magic number is positioned at the beginning of the firmware upgrade file. If the magic number corresponding to a firmware upgrade file does not occur at the predefined position m step 408, then the data of the file does not belong to a firmware upgrade file. As a result thereof an error message is sent, step 422, to the client and the file transmission is terminated.
• step 418 the flash data cnannel controls the checksum, step 418, of the received file. If the checksum is not correct then the received file is corrupt. As a result thereof an error message is sent, step 422, to the client computer and the upgrading operation of the embedded system is terminated.
• step 420 the flash data channel is checking, step 420, for a product identifier within the file telling what product the firmware upgrade file is intended for. If the identifier does not corre- spond to the server product then an error message is sent, step 422, to the client computer and the upgrading operation of the embedded system is terminated.
• the flash programmer 190 is ordered to erase at least a portion of the memory and then write, step 424, the firmware upgrade file in the volatile memory 150 to the flash memory 160.
• the flash file is closed, which is indicated at the client computer in a similar way as when an ordinary file transfer has been completed.

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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)
• Stored Programmes (AREA)
• Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)
• Information Retrieval, Db Structures And Fs Structures Therefor (AREA)
• User Interface Of Digital Computer (AREA)

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Cited By (9)

Citations (4)

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• 1999
  • 1999-07-08 SE SE9902644A patent/SE514840C2/sv unknown
• 2000
  • 2000-07-06 JP JP2001510087A patent/JP4777561B2/ja not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-07-06 WO PCT/SE2000/001450 patent/WO2001004749A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2000-07-06 AU AU60440/00A patent/AU6044000A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-07-06 EP EP00946726.7A patent/EP1257915B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2008
  • 2008-07-07 JP JP2008176501A patent/JP4829932B2/ja not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2011
  • 2011-04-11 JP JP2011087489A patent/JP5395108B2/ja not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (4)

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