Program Update Restoration for Version Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for updating programs in information processing apparatuses, such as image forming devices, fail to consider the impossibility of program restoration in case of errors during updates, particularly for external controllers with low communication speeds, leading to inconsistencies in program versions and potential system failures.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus equipped with an identifying unit, an acquiring unit, an update unit, and a restoring unit that identifies update-object programs, acquires restoration programs from an external device, updates the programs, and restores the system to a previous state in case of errors, ensuring appropriate version combinations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If programs are updated independently without pre-acquiring restoration programs, then update process is simple, but system reliability deteriorates when errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by acquiring restoration programs from external devices before the actual program update occurs. This ensures that restoration capability is prepared in advance, allowing the system to recover if update errors occur, thereby improving reliability without requiring complex real-time decision-making during updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the update process into distinct phases: acquiring restoration programs before update, performing the update, and then restoring if necessary. This segmentation allows each phase to be handled independently, managing complexity while ensuring reliability through structured progression.
2Reliability
If restoration programs are acquired from external devices before update, then system reliability improves, but loss of time increases due to communication delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the time-consuming acquisition of restoration programs in advance, before the critical update operation. This preliminary action shifts the time loss to a non-critical phase, ensuring that when updates are performed, restoration capability is already available without delaying the main update process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares restoration programs beforehand as a cushion against potential update failures. This beforehand cushioning ensures that even if communication delays occur during acquisition, the system has adequate time and resources to restore if needed, protecting against worst-case scenarios.
3Productivity
If update process continues without checking restoration capability, then productivity is high, but reliability deteriorates when errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent checks for restoration programs before proceeding with updates, performing this validation in advance. This preliminary check ensures version consistency is maintained while not significantly impacting productivity, as the check is quick compared to the full update process and prevents failed updates that would require rework.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an information processing apparatus which is equipped with: an identifying unit configured to identify an update-object program which is an object of an update; an acquiring unit configured to, in preparation for a failure of the update of the update-object program, acquire from an external device a restoration program for restoring a state of the update-object program to a state before the update; an update unit configured to update the update-object program after the acquiring unit acquired the restoration program from the external device; and a restoring unit configured to, in the case of the failure of the update of the update-object program by the update unit, restore the state of the update-object program to the state before the update, on the basis of the restoration program acquired by the acquiring unit.