Remote Application Management via Per-Platform Player
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanisms for managing applications on remote devices, particularly in mobile environments, are limited and require significant user intervention, with frequent updates and patches needed due to varying hardware, platforms, and network conditions, leading to complex and disruptive installation processes.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a per-platform player application to interact with a content and application server, allowing for remote management of applications across disparate devices and networks, using a common protocol to fetch and update application logic and resources, with a thin client media application that runs on multiple devices and supports conditional gets for dynamic updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual intervention is used to upgrade and patch applications, then user control is maintained, but user burden and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service application management by automatically detecting available updates, determining installation requirements, and executing upgrades without requiring user intervention. The application management system performs these tasks autonomously, freeing users from time-consuming manual update operations while maintaining control through automated decision-making algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by proactively querying for available updates, pre-evaluating installation requirements, and preparing upgrade packages before users need them. This advance preparation eliminates the need for users to manually search for and download updates, significantly reducing time consumption while maintaining user control over the update process.
2Reliability
If periodic queries are implemented to detect updates, then application currency is improved, but network bandwidth consumption and server load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic querying with adaptive intervals, allowing applications to check for updates at optimized frequencies based on their update characteristics and network conditions. This periodic approach ensures applications remain current while reducing unnecessary network traffic compared to continuous monitoring, thereby balancing application currency with network bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms where query results inform future querying behavior. When no updates are available or updates are already installed, the system adjusts its querying frequency to reduce network traffic. This feedback-driven adaptation maintains application currency by continuing to check for updates while minimizing network bandwidth consumption through intelligent query scheduling.
3Adaptability or versatility
If comprehensive application management is implemented across diverse platforms, then system capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves comprehensive application management across diverse platforms through a universal application management system that implements a common protocol for update detection, evaluation, and installation. This multi-functional approach allows the same core system to operate across different platforms and device types, improving system capability while avoiding the need for separate complex management solutions for each platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and separates the core application management functionality from platform-specific implementations. By isolating the essential update management logic into a standalone, platform-agnostic core system, the solution achieves comprehensive cross-platform capability while keeping individual device footprints lightweight. The extracted core system handles complex management tasks centrally, reducing the complexity burden on individual devices.
Data Source
AI summary
Management of applications on remote devices is performed independently of managing platform software. A per platform player using a common protocol to communicate and receive applications is installed on a device. The player is developed and installed independently of applications which run using commands supported by the player. On player startup, the player obtains boot instructions, fetches an application manifest, and obtains player and application resources using the application manifest from a content and application server. The content and application server determines application resources to send to the player and tracks applications and application versions installed on a per user/per platform basis.