IP Library Granted Patent US 8,423,991
Granted Patent B2
US 8,423,991 · App. 12/869,766 · Granted Apr 16, 2013

Embedded network device and firmware upgrading method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,423,991
App. No.
12/869,766
Granted
Apr 16, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

An embedded network device includes a memory, a NOR flash, a first part and a second part of old firmware. The NOR flash includes a first image sector which stores the first part of the old firmware, a second image sector which stores the second part of the old firmware, and a third image sector for backup the old firmware. The embedded network device obtains a first part and a second part of new firmware and store the new firmware in the memory, reads the first part of the old firmware from the first image sector and writes to the third image sector, reads the first part of the new firmware form the memory and writes to the first image sector, reads the second part of the new firmware from the memory and writes to the third image sector.

Claims (36)

1. An embedded network device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a NOR flash, comprising a first image sector and a second image sector respectively storing a first part and a second part of old firmware of the embedded network device, and a third image sector, the NOR flash storing computerized code that when executed by the processor causes the processor to execute a method comprising:

obtaining a first part and a second part of new firmware of the embedded network device and storing the new firmware in the memory, reading the first part of the old firmware from the first image sector and writing the first part of the old firmware to the third image sector, reading the first part of the new firmware from the memory and writing the first part of the new firmware to the first image sector, reading the second part of the new firmware from the memory and writing the second part of the new firmware to the third image sector, and pointing a starting point of the first part of the new firmware to the third image sector;

booting the embedded network device according to the first part of the new firmware and the starting point.

2. The embedded network device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: setting upgrading information of the embedded network device which comprises a status field, a partition field, and a sector field;

setting the status of the upgrading information as ‘upgrading’ and setting the partition field of the upgrading information as ‘first part of old firmware’ in response to completing the writing of the first part of the old firmware, setting the partition field of the upgrading information as ‘second part of new firmware’ in response to completing the writing of the first part of the new firmware.

3. The embedded network device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises setting the status field of the upgrading information as ‘finished’ and sets the sector field of the upgrading information as ‘the second image sector’ in response to completing the writing of the second part of the new firmware.

4. The embedded network device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises obtaining the upgrading information, and booting according to the firmware in the first image sector and the second image sector upon the condition that the status field of the upgrading information is ‘finished’ and the sector field of the upgrading information is ‘the third image sector’, or booting according to the firmware in the first image sector and the third image sector upon the condition that the status field of the upgrading information is ‘finished’ and the sector field of the upgrading information is ‘the second image sector’.

5. The embedded network device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein determining in response to the partition field of the upgrading information being ‘first part of old firmware’ in response to the status field of the upgrading information being ‘upgrading’, and booting according to the firmware in the first image sector and the second image sector, and upgrading the firmware once again upon the condition that the partition field of the upgrading information is not ‘first part of old firmware’.

6. The embedded network device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises reading the first part of the old firmware from the third image sector and writing the first part of the old firmware to the first image sector, setting the status field of the upgrading information as ‘finished’, and booting according to the firmware in the first image sector and the second image sector and upgrading the firmware once again upon the condition that the partition field of the upgrading information is ‘first part of old firmware’.

7. A firmware upgrading method of an embedded network device, the embedded network device comprising a memory, a NOR flash, a first part and a second part of old firmware of the embedded network device, the NOR flash comprising a first image sector which stores the first part of the old firmware, a second image sector which stores the second part of the old firmware, and a third image sector, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a processor of the embedded network device, a first part and a second part of new firmware of the embedded network device and storing the new firmware in the memory;

reading, by the processor, the first part of the old firmware from the first image sector and writing the first part of the old firmware to the third image sector;

reading, by the processor, the first part of the new firmware from the memory and writing the first part of the new firmware to the first image sector;

reading, by the processor, the second part of the new firmware from the memory and writing the second part of the new firmware to the third image sector; and

pointing, by the processor, a starting point of the first part of the new firmware to the third image sector;

booting, by the processor, the embedded network device according to the first part of the new firmware and the starting point.

8. The firmware upgrading method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising setting, by the processor, upgrading information of the embedded network device which comprises a status field, a partition field, and a sector field wherein setting the upgrading information comprises:

setting the status field of the upgrading information as ‘upgrading’ and setting the partition field of the upgrading information as ‘first part of old firmware’ in response to the writing of the first part of the old firmware being completed;

setting the partition field of the upgrading information as ‘second part of new firmware’ in response to the writing of the first part of the new firmware being completed.

9. The firmware upgrading method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein setting the upgrading information further comprises: setting the status field of the upgrading information as ‘finished’ and setting the sector field of the upgrading information as ‘the second image sector’ in response to the writing of the second part of the new firmware being completed.

10. The firmware upgrading method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:

obtaining the upgrading information;

determining whether the status field of the upgrading information is ‘finished’;

determining whether the upgrading information is ‘the third image sector’ in response to the status field of the upgrading information is ‘finished’;

booting according to the firmware in the first image sector and the second image sector in response to the sector field of the upgrading information being ‘the third image sector’; or

booting according to the firmware in the first image sector and the third image sector in response to the sector field of the upgrading information being ‘the second image sector’.

11. The firmware upgrading method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising:

determining whether the partition field of the upgrading information is ‘first part of old firmware’ whether the status field of the upgrading information is ‘upgrading’; and

booting according to the firmware in the first image sector and the second image sector and upgrading the firmware once again in response to the partition field of the upgrading information being not ‘first part of old firmware’.

12. The firmware upgrading method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:

reading the first part of the old firmware from the third image sector and writing the first part of the old firmware to the first image sector in response to the partition field of the upgrading information being ‘first part of old firmware’;

setting the status field of the upgrading information as ‘finished’; and

booting according to the firmware in the first image sector and the second image sector and upgrading the firmware once again.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 27, 2018
From: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
To: CLOUD NETWORK TECHNOLOGY SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 045171/0306 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 27, 2010
From: KUNCORO, IRAWAN; TEJA, SOFIAN; LIN, SHU-HUNG
To: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 024896/0235 →