Patent ID: 7716660
Filing Date: 2010-05-11
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for updating a first computing device in a network comprising the first computing device and a host, the first computing device having a cache for storing at least one update, the method comprising: (A) receiving at the first computing device, from the host, a list of update options for obtaining an available update, the list comprising information identifying a partial update, a full update, and an expected hash value of a component updatable by way of the partial update; (B) determining at the first computing device, in response to (A), an update option from the list of available update options, wherein (B) comprises: (C) receiving at the first computing device, from the host, a list of computing devices in the network, wherein the list of computing devices identifies, for each piece of the plurality of pieces, at least one computing device that makes that piece available for download; (D) downloading to the first computing device, each of the plurality of pieces from the at least one computing device on the list of computing devices, wherein at least two of the plurality of pieces are downloaded from different computing devices; and— (E) updating the software of the first computing device utilizing the downloaded plurality of pieces, wherein (E) includes: wherein each downloaded piece is confirmed based on a hash of the piece prior to the assembling of the downloaded pieces into the patch.