Methods and systems for dynamically creating upgrade specifications based on per device capabilities

A method comprising:

• producing a specification for a finite state machine that upgrades a network appliance from a first set of service executables to a second set of the service executables, wherein producing the specification includes:
• running the first set of the service executables in a live mode and in a first execution domain of the network appliance and running the second set of the service executables in a safe mode in a second execution domain of the network appliance;
• and
• producing the specification in response to receiving upgrade planning data produced by the second set of the service executables, the specification specifying a plurality of states of the service executables in the first set and of the service executables in the second set,
• wherein:
• each of the service executables are configured to run in a plurality of modes that include the live mode and the safe mode, the service executables running in the live mode providing network services and the service executables running in the safe mode unable to provide the network services;
• and
• the first set includes a service executable configured to program a data plane of the network appliance and the second set includes a second service executable configured to program the data plane.

A system comprising:

• a means for providing a plurality of network services by running first set of service executables in a first execution domain of a network appliance that includes a data plane;
• a means for running a second set of the service executables in a second execution domain of the network appliance;
• and
• a means for producing, in response to receiving upgrade planning data from the second set of the service executables, a means for specifying a finite state machine configured to upgrade the network appliance from the first set of the service executables to the second set of the service executables,
• wherein:
• each of the service executables are configured to run in a plurality of modes that include a live mode and a safe mode, the service executables running in the live mode providing the network services and the service executables running in the safe mode unable to provide the network services;
• and
• the first set includes a service executable configured to program the data plane and the second set includes a second service executable configured to program the data plane.