Patent Publication Number: US-7913247-B2

Title: Software updates based on RSS feeds

Description:
1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1.1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of electronic network computing and in particular to a method and respective system for providing updates of software products via the network, for example the Internet. 
     1.2. Description and Disadvantages of Prior Art 
     Many software vendors offer a website accessible via the Internet, on which different software updates or respective different products are offered to be downloaded by an interested user. In regard of the software vendors interests a download procedure expected to be performed by the interested user may be assumed to follow a consistent, logic. As this logic is the same for each of the offered products, or at least similar, the way to offer the software updates of the software products may be regarded as consistent. In view of a single user having installed only one product or several products of the same vendor this may be considered also as consistent and tolerable. 
     The software product administration of a larger enterprise, however, which manages the software updates of quite a lot of user applications is, however, quite complicated to do because until now different software vendors apply different procedures to offer their updates. One vendor for example defines a single download area for a single product, where the download files are presented in any reasonable order and arrangement, the other software vendor offers different web pages for different products, where the user is expected to go, and again another software vendor, see for example Adobe®, and the Adobe Reader®, portable document file viewer application, makes the application to look automatically at the vendor&#39;s website in order to check if a new software update is present, or not. Another software vendor may be assumed to ship any software update by post mail whereas a further vendor, e.g. Microsoft® establishes a dedicated download manager (Windows® update) which systematically checks the single components resident on a user&#39;s computer and provides respective software updates for each component basically transparent to the user. 
     In this case the user must trust that his system is still running after installation of the update, as this will be done automatically. 
     So, if an enterprise&#39;s software administration stuff must provide updates for tens or may be hundreds of different software applications, this is a quite complicated task which disadvantageously includes much manual work together with some experiences and extended IT-knowledge. 
     1.3. Objectives of the Invention 
     The objective of the present invention is to provide a more simple software updates download method which can additionally be run automatically without major manual interference, once some initial work has been done. 
     2. SUMMARY AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION 
     This objective of the invention is achieved by the features stated in enclosed independent claims. Further advantageous arrangements and embodiments of the invention are set forth in the respective subclaims. Reference should now be made to the appended claims. 
     The present invention is distributed in at least two locations, namely the download server hosting the download files and providing the software updates, and a user application interface at the downloading side, for example an enterprise&#39;s software administration staff member. At both locations individual parts of the inventional method are operated in a cooperative way. Both parts contribute to the general idea of the present invention to use a prior art “RSS feed mechanism” for monitoring the general availability of a software update of a given software product on a networked download server, including the download procedure itself. 
     “RSS” is an abbreviation for RDF Site Summary or Rich Site Summary, an XML format for syndicating Web content. A Web site that is intended to allow other sites to publish some of its content creates an RSS document and registers the document with an RSS publisher. A user who can read RSS-distributed content with a RSS Reader program can use the content on a different site. As content is fed repeatedly to the user, this mechanism is understood as “RSS feed” mechanism. Syndicated content, i.e., mostly licensed content shared between different Websites, includes in prior art data such as news feeds, events listings, news stories, headlines, project updates, excerpts from discussion forums, etc. In the present invention the content is software updates, and the software vendor preferably takes the role of the content creator and the content publisher concurrently. 
     The download target system may be preferably an intermediate computer system which is used for test purposes before a software update is distributed after a successful test to any number of users. Alternatively, the target system can also be the end user&#39;s own system. The network used for downloading is preferably the Internet. 
     On an enterprise level, where an intermediate system is used, some RSS-reader program is installed which may process RSS feeds. Basically, such RSS feed reader exists already. The novelty of the present invention is based on the fact that such tool which is commonly used until now exclusively for providing news or consumer files, like MP3 files, MP4 files, etc. is used now for the download management of software update files, for example ZIP files which include any given plurality of software update components. 
     At the web server the software vendor offering any given software update generates a “RSS” file, which includes at least the name or a link to an update file. This RSS file is offered in the download area under any specific URL to be selected by the software vendor. Concurrently, preferably the same file system and the same path of the RSS file of the actual software update files which are mentioned in the RSS file are stored. 
     The downloading user is provided with the above-mentioned prior art RSS reader tool and adds a number of feeds, at least one, in its subscription list, wherein the feed contains the before-mentioned URL, preferably ending with the name of the RSS file. Then, for downloading the software update the downloading user needs simply to follow the way he is already accustomed to, when he uses the same reader program using for subscriptions for consumer files, like MP3, MP4, etc. This is basically done by a user activating the “refresh-button” of its reader program. This user action triggers a message to be sent to the download server, to the pre-specified URL in order to again trigger the download process from the download server to the requesting user. Thus, the desired software update is downloaded to the requesting intermediate system. 
     Version management can be implemented in different ways; a preferred way is to include the current version number of the requesting system into its download request. Then a respective evaluation control logic located at the download server selects the appropriate software update package. The packages, of course must be prepared at the vendor side as this is required also in prior art. 
    
    
     
       3. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is not limited by the shape of the figures of the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates the most basic structural components used during the inventional method, both at the download server side and at the downloading side, 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the most important steps of a preferred embodiment of the inventional method performed at the downloading user side, and 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the respective steps to be performed at the download server side. 
     
    
    
     4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With general reference to the figures and with special reference now to  FIG. 1  a software administration staff member of an enterprise is assumed to use the man machine-interface of a user Personal Computer (PC)  10  connected to the Internet. The user PC  10  is connected to the Intranet of the enterprise and hosts a prior art podcast reader application  12  which is commercially available in prior art. Examples of commercially available podcast reader applications include: Podnova® podcast reader application, I-Tunes® podcast reader application, Juice Receiver® podcast reader application. One or more of these podcast reader applications may be available to be downloaded via the Internet. 
     Managed by this RSS reader application  12  some subscription lists  14  of URLs are stored, as this is expected by the RSS reader. Those URLs specify the download source mentioned later. 
     Somewhere also connected to the Internet the download source computer  16  is located and provided with for example a HTTP server functionality. This download server  16  stores any required plurality of pairs of RSS files to be described later below, and respective software update packages. This list of pairs is denoted by reference sign  18 . This list  18  is thus a list of RSS feeds  19 A . . .  19 I. 
     With reference to  FIG. 2  the configuration of the RSS reader program for being used to download software updates and the operation thereof will be described next below: 
     In a first step  210  the user at user PC  10  opens its subscription list window and adds a new item to its subscription list. Each new item he adds represents a software product, for which a respective URL exists which is supported by the software vendor, and at which a respective software update package is provided for download. 
     In case that a number of 120 software products must be managed by the software administration user of the above-mentioned enterprise this lists holds at least one entry for each product. This principle can be, of course also varied, by making some distinction, for example by adding an item for an individual program component which is to be provided for being updated. As an example a word processor component, a spread sheet application and a desktop publishing component in a prior art office program application suit can be mentioned. 
     In step  220  a respective URL is added to each item of the subscriber list. This URL defines the location of the download source of the respective software product. In terms of RSS prior art technology, this URL specifies an “RSS feed”. Then, the user side is configured to be operated. Assume, the URLs are also operable at the download server side and the before-mentioned list  18  is complete and stored under respective different URLs at the server side, the reader may be operated. 
     Thus, in order to check for new updates, in a step  230  the administration user  10  may initiate an update mechanism manually by pushing an update button provided on the RSS reader user interface. Or, depending on the actual implementation of the inventional method he may trigger an automated update mechanism just by specifying the time when an automated update should be performed. 
     Details of the update are as follows: during this update procedure, for each entry in the subscription list  18  the required connection to the pre-specified URL is established, and the respective specific RSS file is downloaded from the HTTP server  16 . This, is preferably implemented such that a download is only done when the actual version number specifies that an update is available. 
     If the user system  10  is already provided with the highest version number update, preferably no download will be performed. In this respect the skilled reader will appreciate from the sample RSS files which are given below in an exemplary form programmed in XML, that version management can easily be done by evaluating the version information given in their enclosure URL line and in the file name itself provided therein. This file name includes the version number of the software update. 
     Next, a sample RSS file is shown for improved clarity, containing two updates for an UNIX® computer operating system, derivate AIX® Operating system: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
                 &lt;?xml version=“1.0”?&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;rss version=“2.0”&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;channel&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;title&gt;AIX Updates&lt;/title&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;link&gt;http://www- 
               
               
                   
                 03.ibm.com/servers/eserver/support/unixservers/aixfixes.html&lt;/link&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;description&gt;Technology Level 5300-04&lt;/description&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;language&gt;en-us&lt;/language&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;copyright&gt;2006&lt;/copyright&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;lastBuildDate&gt;2/14/2006&lt;/lastBuildDate&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;webMaster&gt;service@ibm.com&lt;/webMaster&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;ttl&gt;1&lt;/ttl&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;item&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;title&gt;bos.64bit&lt;/title&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;enclosure 
               
               
                   
                 url=“http://www.ibm.com/rss/aix/bos.64bit.5.3.0.40.bff” 
               
               
                   
                 length=“150528”&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;/item&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;item&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;title&gt;bos.acct&lt;/title&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;enclosure 
               
               
                   
                 url=“http://www.ibm.com/rss/aix/bos.acct.5.3.0.40.bff” 
               
               
                   
                 length=“884736”&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;/item&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;/channel&gt; 
               
               
                   
                 &lt;/rss&gt; 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Note that the file name in the URL line comprises the version number. 
     So, in step  240  any available software update is retrieved for a specific entry of the subscriber list of the user  10 . This information, which software updates are available is sent back to the user  10  who may then actually select an item or not, step  250 . Then in step  260  a new item may be defined for being downloaded. In the YES-case of step  260  the next entry of the subscription list is processed in the same way as described before. So, for each entry of the subscription list an individual connection to the specified URL is established, remark that this may be a large number of URLs which may be all different to each other. 
     After the last item of the subscription list has been processed, the procedure has been completed, step  270 . It should be noted that it is preferred to show the user within the reader, if or if not, a new software update is present at the software vendor&#39;s website before prompting him for download. This might be easily implemented by a simple comparison of version numbers, that one resident already on the user side and that one of the update package. 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , at the download server side the following control flow of the inventional embodiment will be preferably used as follows: 
     In a preparative step  305  for each software product offered for an inventional update, an RSS file is generated and deployed at a given storage resource, readily applicable for download purposes. A http server, for example, is implemented to evaluate incoming update requests. 
     Once a request is received, see step  310  and steps  232 ,  234  in  FIG. 2 , the payload of the request is evaluated and scanned for RSS file identification information, see  FIG. 1 , the list  18  for reference. In particular, and preferably the URL of the incoming request is evaluated and checked if it mentions or contains a link for a RSS feed implemented at the server side. 
     As the information, which update for which product will be published at the Portal of the software vendor offering this inventional update procedure, the incoming request will contain the proper information necessary for determining which RSS file is the correct one and holding the correct update package for the requesting user. 
     Of course, the request may already contain additional information telling the vendor further details on the hardware and operating system resident at the update requesting side. Thus, the correct RSS file will be selected in a step  320 , and will be sent to the requesting user in step  330 . 
     Then after the RSS file precisely determined, it is sent to the requesting user. 
     A skilled user will appreciate that this procedure is repeated via step  340  and again  310 , . . . , until no more requests come in. Thus, the loop of  FIG. 3  is quit and the control has been finished. 
     As the loop of  FIG. 2  is meant to comprise update of several vendors, one may exemplarily assume that when the loop having a total iteration number of 100, for example iteration  1  to  20  bear requests to vendor A, iterations  21  to  71  are directed to vendor B, and the rest is for vendor C, for example. 
     At the download server side the implementation of RSS feeds for software updates according to the inventional method is done by an XML file provided for each RSS feed. 
     The preferred implementation of such RSS feed is a file that contains a list of files which are available as software updates. There can be one or more software updates in a single RSS feed. 
     Multiple variations of the described embodiment are feasible. For example, a combination with the method of subscribing to updates to achieve a pushing mechanism by the software provider. 
     It should be noted that the inventional method is pulled by the software user instead of being pushed by the software provider as it is done in prior art in the widely used method of subscribing to and receiving newsletters via e-mail. 
     If there is information about available software updates for a specific subscribed software feed already available, this information is updated with the newly downloaded RSS file information. 
     The result of the comparison is shown to the user. 
     To enable the reader the download software updates, there are no changes in the reader necessary. 
     Advantageously, there are no interfaces to other components e.g. browsers. 
     The further transfer of the software update packages to the actual target system or target systems of the enterprise may then be performed when eventually, a test of the new update has been successfully completed. The actual transfer follows prior art procedures and may use any suited protocol, like FTP, SCP or NFS, etc. 
     The present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. An automatic update tool according to the present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. 
     The present invention can also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which—when loaded in a computer system—is able to carry out these methods. 
     Computer program means or computer program in the present context mean any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following 
     a) conversion to another language, code or notation; 
     b) reproduction in a different material form.