Method for adapting firmware of a wireless communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10620942-B2
Application number	US-201515507817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2015
Priority date	Sep 2, 2014
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

In a method for adapting a firmware configured to control a wireless communication device, a first firmware is stored in a first storage area, and at least one delta encoding package is stored in at least one second storage area. A rule manager is configured to provide identification information indicating at least one delta encoding package. Bootstrap software is configured to, upon startup, retrieve the first firmware from the first storage area, retrieve from the rule manager identification information indicating at least one delta encoding package retrieve the indicated at least one delta encoding package from the second storage area, combine said first firmware and the at least one delta encoding package to a second firmware by way of a differential upgrade, and start the second firmware.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for adapting a firmware configured to control a wireless communication device, the wireless communication device comprising at least one storage unit, a bootstrap software and a rule manager, wherein a first firmware is stored in a first storage area, the first storage area being part of the at least one storage unit, at least one delta encoding package is stored in at least one second storage area, the second storage area being part of the at least one storage unit, and the rule manager is configured to provide identification information indicating the at least one delta encoding package, the method comprising the steps, for the bootstrap software:
upon startup retrieving the first firmware from the first storage area,
retrieving from the rule manager identification information indicating the at least one delta encoding package, comprising the steps for the rule manager of:
determining a value of at least one operating parameter, wherein the operating parameter is indicative of a wireless network designated to be used by the wireless communication device,
based on the determined value of the at least one operating parameter, determining at least one delta encoding package,
providing to the bootstrap software identification information indicating the determined at least one delta encoding package,
handing over control to the bootstrap software,
retrieving the indicated at least one delta encoding package from the second storage area,
combining said first firmware and said at least one delta encoding package to a second firmware by way of a differential upgrade, and
starting said second firmware, wherein the rule manager is configured to execute the steps of:
checking for a change of an operating parameter,
in case a change is detected:
determining at least one delta encoding package based on changed operating parameter,
providing to the bootstrap software identification information indicating the determined at least one delta encoding package, and
handing over control to the bootstrap software.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: a step of combining the first firmware with at least two delta encoding packages comprises an incremental update of the first firmware by updating the first firmware by the at least two delta encoding packages in order defined by the identification information retrieved from the rule manager.

3. The method according to claim 1 , the wireless communication device comprising a volatile memory, wherein the method comprises, after the step of combining,
storing the second firmware in the first storage area, and the step of starting the second firmware comprises:
loading second firmware from the first storage area in volatile memory, and
executing said loaded second firmware.

4. The method according to claim 3 ,
wherein at least two delta encoding packages are stored in the at least one second storage area, the two delta encoding packages comprising at least: a downgrade package and an upgrade package,
wherein the step of combining comprises the following steps:
executing a differential downgrade of the first firmware by differential downgrade instructions being part of the downgrade package,
storing result of the differential downgrade in the first or the second storage area,
executing differential upgrade of the result of differential downgrade by differential upgrade instructions being part of the upgrade package, and
storing result of the differential upgrade as the second firmware in the first storage area.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first storage area is a non-rewriteable memory.

6. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one out of the group of first firmware and at least one delta encoding package being stored in the respective storage area in compressed form, hereinafter stored item, the retrieving step comprising:
reading respective stored item
uncompressing read stored item.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the rule manager is executed upon an initial start of the wireless communication device.

8. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the rule manager is configured to, after checking detecting a change of the at least one operating parameter, execute the steps of:
downloading the at least one delta encoding package from a remote server,
storing downloaded at least one delta encoding package in the second storing area, and
providing to the bootstrap software the identification information indicating the downloaded at least one delta encoding package.

9. A wireless communication device comprising at least one storage unit and a bootstrap software, a rule manager, and a first firmware stored in a first storage area, the first storage area being part of the at least one storage unit,
at least one delta encoding package stored in at least one second storage area, the second storage area being part of the at least one storage unit,
the rule manager being configured to provide identification information indicating at least one delta encoding package, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to:
upon startup retrieve the first firmware from the first storage area,
retrieve from the rule manager identification information indicating at least one delta encoding package,

wherein the rule manager is configured to:
determine a value of at least one operating parameter, wherein the operating parameter is indicative of a wireless network designated to be used by the wireless communication device,
determine, based on the determined value of the at least one operating parameter, at least one delta encoding package,
provide to the bootstrap software an identification information indicating the determined at least one delta encoding package, and
hand over control to the bootstrap software,
retrieve the indicated at least on delta encoding package from the second storage area,
combine said first firmware and said at least one delta encoding package to a second firmware by way of a differential upgrade, and
start said second firmware, wherein the wireless communication device comprising a rule manager, configured to:
check for a change of an operating parameter, and
in case a change is detected:
determine at least one delta encoding package based on changed operating parameter,
provide to the bootstrap software an identification information indicating the determined at least one delta encoding package, and
hand over control to the bootstrap software.

10. The wireless communication device according to claim 9 , further comprising a volatile memory, the wireless communication device is further configured to:
after combining to said second firmware, store the second firmware in the first storage area, and
and starting said second firmware comprises loading second firmware from first storage area in the volatile memory and executing said loaded second firmware.

11. The wireless communication device according to claim 10 ,
further comprising at least two delta encoding packages stored in the at least one second storage area, the two delta encoding packages comprising at least a downgrade package and an upgrade package,
wherein the wireless communication device is configured to: for combining to said second firmware:
execute a differential downgrade of the first firmware by differential downgrade instructions being part of the downgrade package,
store the result of differential downgrade in a first or second storage area,
execute differential upgrade of the result of differential downgrade by differential upgrade instructions being part of the upgrade package, and
store the result o

Assignees

• Gemalto M2M Gmbh
• Thales Dis Ais Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Westerkowsky Frank

Classifications

• G06F8/654

  using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories · CPC title

• G06F8/65

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

• G06F8/658 Primary

  Incremental updates; Differential updates · CPC title

• H04W4/70

  Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] · CPC title