In-place Extractable Archive Image for Space-Constrained Software Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Low Power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), such as sensor networks, face challenges with limited memory and processing capabilities, making it difficult to install or upgrade operating systems due to space constraints, as existing methods require significant memory for extracting and storing archive images.
Innovation Solution
The technique involves copying and deleting segments of a component file from an archive image to a storage location, using a temporary buffer space, allowing for the extraction and reconstitution of files without significant memory increase, enabling software installation in space-constrained devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional software installation methods are used in LLNs, then complete software packages can be installed, but the memory requirements exceed the limited storage capacity of devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the software installation process into segments: extracting only necessary files from the archive image to a temporary location, installing from there, and then deleting the extracted files. This segmentation allows complete software installation without requiring the entire archive to reside in memory simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between installation completeness and memory constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary extraction of only the necessary software components to a temporary location before the actual installation process. This preliminary action prepares the installation environment without requiring full archive decomposition, enabling complete installation while limiting peak memory usage to only the temporarily extracted portion
2Ease of operation
If the entire archive image is extracted to storage location, then all files are available for installation, but the memory consumption doubles the archive size requirement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary files or segments from the archive image to a temporary location, rather than extracting the entire archive. This selective extraction maintains file accessibility for installation while avoiding the doubling of memory consumption that would occur with full extraction, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and memory consumption
3Reliability
If segment copying is performed without deletion from archive, then all segments are preserved, but the archive cannot be removed to free space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent copies segments from the archive image to a temporary location and then deletes the original segments from the archive. This copying approach ensures data integrity during the transfer process while enabling subsequent deletion of the source archive to free up storage space, resolving the contradiction between data integrity and storage space availability
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a device in a network stores an archive image to a storage location of the device. The archive image comprises a plurality of compressed files. For one or more of the files, the device copies a segment of a particular file in the archive image to a segment copy in the storage location of the device and deletes the segment of particular file from the archive image. The device repeats the copying and deleting steps until the particular file has been fully deleted from the archive image. The device reconstitutes the particular file by merging the segment copy with one or more other segment copies associated with the particular file.