Abstract: The absence assistance system for at least one multimedia-enabled communication system comprising a plurality of packet-oriented client communication systems, in which the packet-oriented client communication systems support at least in part different multimedia services and at least one multimedia service of a packet-oriented client communication system is in each case assigned to at least one communication subscriber, has in each case at least one absence assistance unit per packet-oriented client communication system, the packet-oriented client communication systems being connected to one another via a peer-to-peer transmission protocol. The absence assistance units manage, in the absence of a communication subscriber, the communication connections directed to the absent communication subscriber via the at least one assigned multimedia service.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for updating software that is stored in a computer of a data communication system, a computer to be used in a data communication system, and a data communication system comprising several computers and an administrative computer. Data indicating which transmission medium should be used for exchanging data that is used for updating or controlling the updating process is exchanged between one of the said computers and the administrative computer before software that is stored in said computer or in a storage device assigned thereto is updated.