KR20020090727A - A settopbox network system and the information communicating method using the system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A set-top box network system and a method for exchanging the information in the system are provided to show a characteristic of a set-top box and to share a program in a storage connected with a set-top box server. CONSTITUTION: Many set-top boxes(A-N) are connected with the set-top box server via a hub. The set-top box server is connected with the databases storing the specific information of the set-top boxes. The set-top boxes have the network ICs and the network boot ROMs(Read-Only Memories) for the network connection and a specific network hardware addresses(MAC address) for the classification of the set-top boxes. The MAC address is formed by the 48bit(6Byte) and comprises the information of a LAN(Local Area Network) card company ID and an adapter card ID. The set-top box server is connected with the database storing the MAC addresses and the network information of the set-top boxes, a name of the OS(Operating System) downloaded by the set-top boxes, and the information of a hard disk directory allotted to the set-top boxes.

Description

A settopbox network system and the information communicating method using the system

The present invention relates to a set-top box network system having a multimedia player function and a method for exchanging information in the system. In particular, a program for controlling a multimedia player stored by a hardware address of a set-top box in a storage device of a server is provided through a network. The present invention relates to a set-top box network system for downloading and executing and information exchange method in the system.

1 is a block diagram of a set-top box having a conventional multimedia player function. Its configuration includes BIOS (3), SDRAM (4), storage (6), network IC (1), network boot ROM (2), CPU (7), multimedia player module (5), and TV (9) output. Video processing unit, audio processing unit 8 and the like. When power is supplied to the set-top box, the BIOS 3 program performs a power on self test (POST) and executes an operating system (OS) program stored in the storage device 6. It also runs other applications. In a typical set-top box, the storage device 6 stores an operating system (OS) and an application program, and stores the data when there is data desired to be stored in the operating system (OS) or an application program as needed. An operating system (OS) for controlling the set-top box and a program for operating the multimedia player are stored in advance and stored in the storage device 6.

Such a set-top box has the following inconveniences.

The storage device 6 is required.

· It is impossible to add new functions or change the program.

Failure of the storage device 6 can occur, resulting in increased maintenance costs.

· It is difficult to manage because each set-top box must be managed individually.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a set-top box network system that can represent the uniqueness of the set-top box.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a set-top box network system capable of sharing a program in a storage device connected to a set-top box server.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be clearly understood from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a multimedia player set-top box according to the conventional method,

2 is a block diagram showing a set-top box network system according to the present invention,

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration inside the set-top box of FIG.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of exchanging information in a set-top box network system;

5 is a data packet format when using the RARP protocol.

In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a set-top box network system in which a plurality of Internet set-top boxes that can be connected to the set-top box server through a hub to download and drive a program from the set-top box server via a network, the set-top box The server is connected to a database storing hardware address information unique to each set-top box, and provides network information and programs corresponding to the hardware address information to each set-top box.

Another feature of the set-top box network system according to the present invention is that by adding and changing the function of the program in the set-top box server, it can be reflected in all set-top boxes connected to the server in one modification.

Another feature of the set-top box network system according to the present invention is that since each set-top box has a unique network hardware address, it is possible to operate a program having a different configuration for each set-top box in the server, and one set of all the set-top boxes Me or some designated set-top boxes may be shared and operated.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described the configuration and operation of the set-top box network system according to the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a set-top box network according to the present invention. As shown, a plurality of set-top boxes (A, B, C ~ N) are connected to the set-top box server and the network via a hub (Hub), the set-top box server database that stores the unique information of each set-top box server Is connected. Each set top box (A, B, C ~ N) has a network IC and network boot ROM for network connection, and has a unique network hardware address (MAC Address) to distinguish each set top box. MAC Address consists of 48bit (6Byte) and consists of LAN card company ID and adapter card ID information. In the set-top box server, the MAC address of each set-top box (A, B, C-N), network information of the set-top box, the name of the operating system (OS) to be downloaded by each set-top box (A, B, C-N), and the program execution The database that stores the information on the hard disk directory assigned to the set-top box for storage is connected.

3 is a block diagram schematically showing an internal configuration of a set-top box according to the present invention. Unlike the prior art, it can be seen that there is no storage device. Let's look at the behavior of each component.

The BIOS 23 transfers control to the network boot program in the network boot ROM 22 after the power-on self test (POST) is performed by the BIOS 23 when power is supplied to the set-top box. The network IC 20 is an integrated circuit that performs the operation of connecting the set-top box to the network and the setta box server 42. The network boot ROM 22 is an integrated circuit in which a set-top box is connected to a server through a network to store an operating system (OS) and a program for downloading an application program. The SDRAM 24 executes an operating system (OS) or an application program downloaded from a server through a BIOS program and a network. The CPU 27 performs operations necessary for controlling each device, and the video and audio processing unit 28 converts various video signals and audio signals of the set-top box to the TV 29 such as a multimedia player function and an Internet function. .

4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of an information exchange method in a set-top box network system according to the present invention. As shown, it can be seen that processes (A1 to A5) performed in the set-top box and processes (B1 to B3) performed in the set-top box server are linked.

When power is applied to the set-top boxes A, B, and C to N, power on self test (POST) in the BIOS 23 is performed, and control is transferred to the network boot ROM 22 (A-1 process).

The network boot ROM 22 executes a boot program. At this time, the network boot program execution method may use the following three methods.

Ⅰ) It is executed by program in BOOT ROM of network card mounted in ISA and PCI slot of set top box.

Ii) A method performed by a program in a network boot ROM mounted on a main board of a set top box.

Ⅲ) This is done by a program in the BIOS ROM on the main board of the set-top box. This method does not require a separate network card or nonvolatile memory for network booting, and uses the network boot program in the BIOS ROM (A-2).

The network boot program then broadcasts its hardware-specific address (MAC address) to all set-top boxes connected to the same network using network protocols such as BOOTP, DHCP, or RARP (described in more detail later). (A-3 process).

The set top box server analyzes the hardware addresses received from each set top box (step B-1).

Unique hardware address and network information of each set-top box (A, B, C ~ N), operating system (OS) name that each set-top box (A, B, C ~ N) will download, The corresponding information is read from the database in which the information of the allocated hard disk directory is stored (step B-2).

The read information is transmitted to each matched set-top box (B-3 process). At this time, the information provided to each set-top box from the database is as follows.

Set-top box network information (IP, gateway, subnet mask, DNS, etc.)

-Name of the set-top box

Operating system name assigned to the set-top box

-Information on the directory of the hard disk of the server assigned to the set-top box (where various application programs are stored, if you want to save data when running the program on the set-top box).

The set-top box sets the TCP / IP interface based on the information received from the set-top box server. (A-4 process)

The set-top box downloads and runs an operating system (OS) program from the set-top box server while connected to the network, connects the specified hard disk directory to the server using the NFS protocol, and executes an application such as a multimedia player (A- 5 steps).

On the other hand, the structure of the information stored in the database connected to the set-top box server is as follows. First, suppose the network hardware address of the set-top box is

Set-top box A network hardware address: 0800003A0B01

Set-top box B network hardware address: 0800003A0B02

Set-top box C network hardware address: 0800003A0B03

The database structure is as shown in Table 1 below.

Hardware address IP address OS program name Hard Disk Directory Information … 0800003A0B01 192.168.1.2 2 settopbox1_os / settopbox 1 … 0800003A0B01 settopbox2_os / settopbox 2 … 0800003A0B01 settopbox3_os / settopbox 3 … … … … … …

The IP address assigned to each set-top box is a private IP address, which is governed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and designates an IP address space that can be freely used in the internal network as follows.

IP class A: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255

IP class B: from 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255

IP class C: 172.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

Therefore, the IP address assigned to the set-top box can be assigned and used by any server in the above-described range.

The name of an operating system (OS) program assigned to a set-top box can be designated as a separate program for each set-top box. Also, an operating system program can be shared among all set-top boxes. Set-top boxes can share an operating system program. For example, the operating system (OS) programs of set-top box A and set-top box B may be named settopboxl-os, and the operating system programs of set-top box C may be named settopbox3-os.

In addition, hard disk directory information assigned to each set-top box may be shared by all set-top boxes, and several set-top boxes may share a single directory. For example, the directory information of Set Top Box A and Set Top Box B is / settopboxl, and the directory information of Set Top Box C is / settopbox3.

The following describes the network booting process according to the type of network protocol used in the set-top box.

First, the network booting process of the set-top box using the BOOTP method will be described.

(BOOTP-1 process) The set-top box, or BOOTP client, broadcasts a BOOTP message packet as shown in Table 2 below to obtain network configuration information and operating system (OS) information.

op (1) htype (1) hlen (1) hops (1) xid (4) secs (2) flags (2) ciaddr (4) yiaddr (4) siaddr (4) giaddr (4) chaddr (16) sname (64) file (128) vendoe (64) / option for DHCP (312)

BOOTP is designed to deliver configuration information using User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Internet Protocol (IP). The set-top box that makes the request is called a BOOTP client, and the computer that responds to the request of the BOOTP client is called a BOOTP server. BOOTP is defined in the "RFC 951 Bootstrap Protocol" and has been updated in RFC 2132, RFC 1532, RF 1542, and RFC 1395.

BOOTP messages are encapsulated in UDP headers and UDP datagrams are encapsulated in IP headers. Since BOOTP clients do not know the IP address of the BOOTP server, they use limited IP broadcast transmission. Restrictive Broadcast sends a BOOTP message packet (Table 2) to all set-top boxes and servers on the network with a BOOTP client source address of 0.0.0.0, including the hardware network address of the BOOTP client, and a destination IP value of 255.255.255.255. Broadcast

(BOOTP-2 process) The set-top box server or BOOTP server transmits the network configuration information of the set-top box, that is, the BOOTP client, the operating system (OS) program name, etc. to the set-top box. Limited broadcasts are received by all set-top boxes in the network, including BOOTP servers. But only the BOOTP server receives it and processes it.

The BOOTP server obtains the BOOTP client's hardware address (chaddr in Table 2) from the BOOTP client message packet (Table 2) and matches the IP address and associated information with the BOOTP client's hardware address in its BOOTP configuration database (Table 1). Find it and return it to the BOOTP client.

(BOOTP-3 process) Download the operating system image from the set-top box server. The BOOTP client uses the TFTP protocol to obtain an operating system image, which runs on the UDP transport layer. The set-top box server interprets the set-top box request sent by the TFTP protocol and returns the operating system (OS) program name in the configuration database (Table 1) to the set-top box.

(BOOTP-4 process) The set-top box loads an operating system (OS) program into a memory (SDRAM) 24 and executes initialization.

(BOOTP-5 process) Set-top box connects to the set-top box server by using NFS (Network File System) protocol to connect the designated hard disk directory to the set-top box server and execute applications such as multimedia player. The NFS protocol is specified in "RFC 1094" and uses UDP as the transport protocol.

Next, the network booting process of the set-top box using the DHCP method is performed as follows. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is an extension of the BOOTP protocol. The DHCP protocol consists of two elements:

-Mechanism for assigning IP addresses and other TCP / IP parameters

Protocol for coordinating and sending host-specific information

The client requesting TCP / IP configuration information is called a DHCP client, and the TCP / IP host providing this information is called a DHCP server. The DHCP protocol is specified in "RFC 2131 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol."

(DHCP-1 process) The set-top box, or DHCP client, broadcasts DHCPDISCOVER to obtain network configuration information and operating system (OS) information.

DHCPDISCOVER is encapsulated in UDP / IP packets. Since the DHCP protocol is an extension of the BOOTP protocol, the destination UDP port number uses the same 67 as that of the BOOTP server. The local IP broadcast address 255.255.255.255 is used for DHCPDISCOVER packets.

After sending a broadcast, the DHCP client enters the SELECTing phase and receives a DHCPOFFER message from the DHCP server. It then sends a DHCPACK to the server.

(DHCP-2 process) The set-top box server, or DHCP server, transmits the network configuration information of the set-top box and the operating system (OS) program name to the set-top box.

Limited broadcasts are received by all set-top boxes in the network, including DHCP servers. But only a DHCP server receives it and processes it.

The DHCP server obtains the DHCP client's hardware address (chaddr in Table 2) from the DHCP client message packet (Table 2) and matches the DHCP client's hardware address (Table 2 chaddr) in its DHCP configuration database (Table 1). Find the IP address and related information and return it to the DHCP client.

(DHCP-3 process) Download the operating system image from the set-top box server.

The DHCP client uses the TFTP protocol to obtain an operating system image, which runs on the UDP transport layer. The set-top box server interprets the set-top box request sent by the TFTP protocol and returns the operating system (OS) program name in the configuration database (Table 1) to the set-top box.

(DHCP-4 process) The set-top box loads an operating system (OS) program into memory (SDRAM 24) and executes initialization.

(DHCP-5 process) The set-top box connects to the set-top box server by using NFS (Network File System) protocol to connect the designated hard disk directory to the set-top box server and execute applications such as multimedia player. The NFS protocol is specified in "RFC 1094" and uses UDP as the transport protocol.

Next, a network booting process using the RARP method will be described.

(RARP-1 process) The set-top box, or RARP client, broadcasts a RARP request to obtain network configuration information and operating system (OS) information.

Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) is called reverse ARP because the information it finds is the opposite of what it looks for in the ARP protocol. The RARP client knows its hardware address but does not know its IP address. A server that processes RARP requests is called a RARP server.

The format of the RARP request and response packet is shown in FIG. The RARP request and response packets are described below.

* RARP Request

Data Link Destination Hardware Address = Broadcast Transmission

Data Link Origin Hardware Tank = RARP Client HA (HardwareAddress)

Data Link Ethertype = 8035 Hex

Operation = 3 (RARP Request)

Sender HA = RARP Client HA

Sender IP = not defined. Usually 0.0.0.0 is used

Target HA = RARP Client HA

Destination IP = not defined

RARP response

Data Link Destination Hardware Address = RARP Client Hardware Address (HA)

Data Link Origin Hardware Address = RARP Service HA

Data Link Ethertype = 8035 Hex

Operation = 4 (RARP Response)

-Sender HA = RARP server HA

Sender IP = RARP Server IP Address

Target HA = RARP Client HA

Destination IP = RARP Client IP Address (this is the response)

(RARP-2 process) The set-top box server, or RARP server, sends the set-top network configuration information and the operating system (OS) program name to the set-top box. All set-top boxes in the network receive the RARP request broadcast transmission (see Figure 5), but only the RARP server responds.

The RARP server obtains the hardware address of the RARP client (sender HA in Figure 5) from the data link layer header of the RARP client message (Figure 5), and identifies the hardware address of its RARP configuration database (RARP client in Table 1) (see Figure 5). It finds the IP address and related information matching the sender HA) and returns it to the client.

(RARP-3 process) Download the operating system image from the server.

The RARP client uses the TFTP protocol to obtain an operating system image, which runs on the UDP transport layer. The set-top box server interprets the set-top box request sent by the TFTP protocol and returns the operating system (OS) program name in the configuration database (Table 1) to the set-top box.

The set-top box loads an operating system (OS) program into a memory (SDRAM 24) and executes initialization.

(RARP-5 process) The set-top box connects to the set-top box server by using the NFS (Network File System) protocol to connect the hard disk directory designated to the set-top box server and execute applications such as a multimedia player. The NFS protocol is specified in "RFC 1094" and uses UDP as the transport protocol.

As described above, in the set-top box network system according to the present invention, each set-top box has a unique network address, so in the server, the set-top box can operate a program having a different configuration, and one set of all the set-top boxes Me or some designated set-top boxes may be shared and operated. In addition, when there is data to be stored when the program is executed in the set-top box, it does not need to have a separate storage device because it uses a storage device such as a hard disk allocated to the server. The side effects of this are low maintenance costs and low failure rates due to storage.

Claims (8)

In a set-top box network system in which a plurality of Internet set-top boxes accessible to a set-top box server through a hub are downloaded and operated from the set-top box server through a network. The set-top box network system is connected to a database storing hardware address information unique to each set-top box, and provides network information and programs corresponding to the hardware address information to each set-top box network system. The method of claim 1, Set-top box network system, characterized in that for downloading a program from the set-top box server by a program embedded in a network boot ROM (BOOT ROM) installed in the slot (slot) of the set-top box. The method of claim 1, Set-top box network system, characterized in that for downloading a program from the set-top box server by a program embedded in the boot ROM (BOOT ROM) of the network card mounted on the motherboard of the set-top box. The method of claim 1, Set-top box network system, characterized in that for downloading a program from the set-top box server using a network as a network boot program embedded in the BIOS ROM of the set-top box. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The database connected to the set-top box server, A unique hardware address for each set-top box, IP (Internet Protocol) address assigned to each set-top box, Operating System program name applied to each set-top box, Set-top box network system, characterized in that for storing the directory (directory) information assigned to each set-top box. The method of claim 5, Set-top box network system, characterized in that a plurality of set-top boxes share one operating system (OS) program. The method of claim 5, Set-top box network system, characterized in that multiple set-top boxes use the same directory specified in the set-top box server. In the information exchange method in a set-top box network system consisting of a set-top box server and a plurality of Internet set-top boxes that can be connected to the set-top box server through a hub, In any set-top box, Performing a power on self test (A-1) according to application of power; Running a network boot program (A-2), A process of broadcasting the hardware-specific address information stored in the set-top box to all set-top boxes connected to the same network using a network protocol (A-3), On a set-top box server, Analyzing the hardware address provided from each set-top box (B-1), (B-2) reading the information allocated to the analyzed address from the database connected to the set-top box server; Transmitting the information read from the database to each set-top box (B-3); In the set-top box, Setting TCP / IP based on information provided from the set-top box server (A-4); And (A-5) downloading and operating an operating system program from the set-top box server.