Software updating methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10437580-B2
Application number	US-201815906305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2018
Priority date	Sep 11, 2017
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

Installation of an operating system update on a data processing system can begin by receiving one or more packages containing an operating system (OS) update that includes a first portion of the OS update and a second portion of the OS update. The first portion, once installed, provides a bootable OS which allows other applications to execute on the OS even without the second portion being installed. After the first portion has been installed, the installation process (e.g., an installer) commits the data processing system to boot off the first portion. After committing to boot off the first portion, the data processing system cannot boot off the prior OS. After the committing, the data processing system attempts installation of the second portion, and this attempt occurs automatically in response to successful installation of the first portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing executable instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:
receiving a set of one or more packages comprising an operating system update which includes a first portion of the operating system (OS) update and a second portion of the OS update;
installing the first portion which provides a bootable operating system without the second portion being installed;
committing to boot off the first portion after installing the first portion;
attempting installation, after committing to boot off the first portion, of the second portion, wherein installation of the second portion is attempted in response to successful installation of the first portion and wherein after successful installation of the second portion, the first portion and the second portion are retained as a bootable OS for the data processing system.

2. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the committing to boot off the first portion requires the data processing system to boot off the first portion rather than a prior operating system and wherein the first portion provides only some of the functionality of the operating system update and the second portion provides a remainder of the functionality of the operating system update and wherein a manifest of the OS update includes both the first portion and the second portion and wherein the attempting installation is attempted automatically without user input in response to successful installation of the first portion.

3. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:
confirming proper installation of the first portion prior to committing to boot off the first portion; and wherein if installation of the second portion fails, the first portion operates with a second portion of a prior operating system.

4. The medium as in claim 1 wherein installing the first portion comprises installing new boot software while retaining a prior boot software to allow reversion to the prior boot software prior to a point of no return to booting off the prior boot software.

5. The medium as in claim 4 wherein installing the first portion further comprises installing new operating system software through a copy-on-write snapshot while a prior operating system software remains available for use in booting up the data processing system prior to the point of no return.

6. The medium as in claim 4 wherein the committing to boot off the first portion commits by switching a boot up parameter to indicate to boot off the new boot software rather than the prior boot software.

7. The medium as in claim 4 wherein installing the first portion further comprises installing a disk operating system (DOS) for a non-volatile memory, wherein the DOS is backward-compatible with a prior operating system software.

8. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the operating system update is installed on an embedded system that provides secure boot up for a data processing system that contains the embedded system, and wherein the embedded system includes a secure processing system and the data processing system includes a set of one or more application processors coupled to the secure processing system.

9. The medium as in claim 8 wherein the embedded system stores and verifies a boot program to boot up the data processing system, and wherein failure to install the second portion causes the data processing system to redo the update of the second portion.

10. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the second portion includes updated firmware for a set of one or more sensors, including a radio for wireless payment.

11. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the committing to boot off the first portion changes a cryptographic parameter related to a code signature so that a prior operating system will have an invalid code signature and not be allowed to boot by a secure processing system.

12. A method comprising:
receiving a set of one or more packages comprising an operating system update which includes a first portion of the operating system (OS) update and a second portion of the OS update;
installing the first portion which provides a bootable operating system without the second portion being installed;
committing to boot off the first portion after installing the first portion;
attempting installation, after committing to boot off the first portion, of the second portion, wherein installation of the second portion is attempted in response to successful installation of the first portion and wherein after successful installation of the second portion, the first portion and the second portion are retained as a bootable OS for the data processing system.

13. The method as in claim 12 wherein the committing to boot off the first portion requires the data processing system to boot off the first portion rather than a prior operating system and wherein the first portion provides only some of the functionality of the operating system update and the second portion provides a remainder of the functionality of the operating system update and wherein a manifest of the OS update includes both the first portion and the second portion and wherein the attempting installation is attempted automatically without user input in response to successful installation of the first portion.

14. The method as in claim 12 wherein the method further comprises:
confirming proper installation of the first portion prior to committing to boot off the first portion; and wherein if installation of the second portion fails, the first portion operates with a second portion of a prior operating system.

15. The method as in claim 12 wherein installing the first portion comprises installing new boot software while retaining a prior boot software to allow reversion to the prior boot software prior to a point of no return to booting off the prior boot software.

16. The method as in claim 15 wherein installing the first portion further comprises installing new operating system software through a copy-on-write snapshot while a prior operating system software remains available for use in booting up the data processing system prior to the point of no return.

17. The method as in claim 15 wherein the committing to boot off the first portion commits by switching a boot up parameter to indicate to boot off the new boot software rather than the prior boot software.

18. The method as in claim 15 wherein installing the first portion further comprises installing a disk operating system (DOS) for a non-volatile memory, wherein the DOS is backward-compatible with a prior operating system software.

19. The method as in claim 12 wherein the operating system update is installed on an embedded system that provides secure boot up for a data processing system that contains the embedded system, and wherein the embedded system includes a secure processing system and the data processing system includes a set of one or more application processors coupled to the secure processing system.

20. The method as in claim 19 wherein the embedded system stores and verifies a boot program to boot up the data processing system, and wherein failure to install the second portion causes the data processing system to redo the update of the second portion.

21. The method as in claim 12 wherein the second portion includes updated firmware for a set of one or more sensors, including a radio for wireless payment.

22. The method as in claim 12 wherein

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Thomas Edward E
• Brown Eric S

Classifications

• G06F21/575

  Secure boot · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F8/61

  Installation · CPC title

• G06F2221/033

  Test or assess software · CPC title

• G06F21/572

  Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS] · CPC title