This common model can describe several types of software that could necessitate to be updated or installed. This can be the firmware or operating system of a device but also be one or more software applications that require an update. Configuration can be maintained as software as well. Besides the update, it is also desired to install additional software. The Server can expose all software as a single component or separate it into several smaller components as it is illustrated in Figure 33.

Figure 33 – Example with a device and several software components

For precise identification of a specific software instance, the SoftwareUpdateType can support additional Properties: The SoftwareClass can be used to distinguish an application from a configuration or firmware. This can be further specialized by the SoftwareSubclass Property for example to identify the type of an application. Finally, the Property SoftwareName can be used to distinguish multiple instances of an application as illustrated in Figure 33 and Figure 34.

Figure 34 – Example with flexible software components