초록 ▼

In maintaining a communication network of processing units distributed in multiple nodes linked by communication channels, system software in a plurality of data processing units is updated by first installing the updated software in a first node. The updated software is transmitted through the netw

In maintaining a communication network of processing units distributed in multiple nodes linked by communication channels, system software in a plurality of data processing units is updated by first installing the updated software in a first node. The updated software is transmitted through the network to other nodes. A trial use of the updated software is initiated in the nodes. If failures of the updated software are detected in a node, that node will be restored to the original software version. If the trial use of the updated software is completed successfully in a node, the updated version will be installed as a preferred operational version in the node.

대표청구항 ▼

In a communication network having a plurality of processing units distributed among multiple nodes linked by communication channels where each of the processing units is coupled to at least one memory unit and where each memory unit has a status identification, maintenance apparatus for updating sys

In a communication network having a plurality of processing units distributed among multiple nodes linked by communication channels where each of the processing units is coupled to at least one memory unit and where each memory unit has a status identification, maintenance apparatus for updating system software among the processing units from a first version to a second version comprising: first means in a source node for receiving the second version; second means coupled to the first means for transmitting the second version through the network to one or more specified memory units in one or more other nodes, including means for assigning a first status to the specified memory units, and means for changing the first status to a second status upon successfully communicating the second version thereto; for at least one of said other nodes, third means for initiating a trial use of the second version in a processing unit of the one of said other nodes, including means for changing the status of memory units containing the second version to a third status; fourth means for detecting whether the second version operates successfully or fails to operate successfully during the trial use; said fourth means including, in response to a detection that the second version fails to operate successfully during the trial use means, for restoring the one of said other nodes to the first version, including means for changing the memory units containing the second version to the second status; and fifth means, in response to a detection that the second version operates successfully during the trial use, for designating the second version as a preferred version of system software, including means for changing the status of the memory units containing the second version to a fourth status.