Because of the variety of situations in which ATE is deployed and administered, the update system provides three different update models:
| • | Workstation: This is the system to use when the updates are being controlled by a person for her own PC. There are actually two variations of this model: |
| • | Manual: the user executes a menu function to check for updates. This option is enabled by default, and is the simplest, but suffers from the fact of relying on the user to initiate the check for updates. |
| • | Automatic: the user is prompted upon connecting to the server if an update is available. The user has the option of canceling, but normally would just click to accept the update, automatically launching the update installation program (which may require a few confirming clicks to complete). |
| • | Site: This model is intended for a site administrator—i.e., the person at an organization who is responsible for updating multiple workstations from a common source. The update package is saved in just one place, the A-Shell server. Each time a workstation connects, A-Shell detects if an update is needed, and if so, proceeds like the automatic model described above. |
| • | Group: This model is intended for computer dealers and corporate licensees who need to update numerous A-Shell sites. It is designed such that the person doing the updates can trigger Site-level updates without having to actually connect to each site. At the site level, the updates follow the Site model described above. |
