WHITE PAPER. SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE UPDATING Streamlining the Indispensable FOTA in m2m Applications

Transcription

1 SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE UPDATING Streamlining the Indispensable FOTA in m2m Applications

2 INTRODUCTION Firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updating provides a cost-effective, fast, secure and reliable way for wirelessly re-flashing the firmware on mobile and m2m devices, ensuring that embedded software is up to date with the latest enhancements and features. FOTA has been used widely in the mobile handset market since the mid-2000s. It is a concept proven in billions of mobile handsets and other wirelessly connected devices worldwide. FOTA enables new features and services to be delivered after devices have been deployed in the field. Because FOTA updating sends only the changes (i.e., the differences) between firmware versions to deployed devices without having to send the entire new firmware file over the air, it significantly saves on bandwidth and usage charges. As mobile devices and m2m modules become more reliant on software to deliver services, features, quality, comfort and other selling points, companies require better and bolder solutions to keep software up to date uniformly throughout the field of deployed units. The October 20, 2012, issue of The Economist magazine talks about the inevitable arrival of the driverless car, stating, Carmakers are starting to take autonomous vehicles seriously. Other businesses should too. Google, one of the top advocates of the driverless car concept, with a test fleet of vehicles roaming the streets of towns in California, suggests that commercial offerings could be available within a decade. Mercedes Benz, Ford, and Tesla Motors, the U.S. all-electric car maker, all have working systems for updating and upgrading software in the field. Future driverless automobiles will include thousands of times more software in the car than today s human-driven counterparts. The ability to effectively manage embedded software over the air is a must-have requirement for all who design software-rich, longlifecycle products. Lifecycles of machine-bound applications can range from a few to more than 10 years as in the case of smart grid devices. The installation of version updates with new features and software improvements represents a necessity for m2m applications because, among other things, it does away with the need to have devices upgraded manually by technicians, cutting costs and time required for maintenance. FOTA software management also improves reliability figures of m2m modules. 1

3 THE NEW SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE PROCESS Modern software development processes use strict revision control at various levels. Typically, software - embedded or otherwise - is comprised of a few to several thousand functional blocks or modules. All of these modules combine to generate what is known as the image. The image is a sequence of binary codes comprised of program files and data that is stored into the device memory and executed by the device processor. When any of these software or data modules is changed or eliminated, the resulting image changes, requiring that devices be re-flashed with the new image in order for the changes to take effect in the fielded units. Integrating this traditional software development process with FOTA updating is a critical step for m2m-enabled devices not only to improve quality, reliability and customer satisfaction, but also to bring product improvements and potentially new revenue streams to market. Firmware updates over the air are enabled by a technique known as diff comparison. Diff comparison is an algorithmic technique that efficiently identifies the differences between two versions of the m2m device firmware (code and data), representing this difference in the smallest possible update package (delta package or DP), building and installing the new version in-place into the module. A FOTA end-to-end solution is comprised of four primary components: 2

4 Update Generator Red Bend s Update Generator is a software development application that extracts the essential differences between two firmware versions and creates compact delta update packages. The Update Generator creates update packages of an m2m module firmware image and its file system, which typically includes the modem software, configuration data, settings, protocol stacks, system status and other information that affects device functionality configuration and performance. Update Agent Red Bend s Update Agent is a library integrated into Telit modules. It installs the update package for the module in an efficient and reliable manner in the limited memory available. Software Management Center The back-end management system that enables Telit to centrally manage firmware, applications and m2m devices over the air. The data exchange protocol, which is optimized for mobile communication, provides all management aspects of the software update process including key security functionality and the ability to perform device provisioning. Device Management Client The Software Management Center communicates with Red Bend s Device Management Client on the module. This protocol, which is optimized for mobile communication, also provides the management elements of the software update process, including key security functionality and the ability to perform device provisioning. 3

5 CREATING THE CLOSED LOOP SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT The update process usually starts by sending individual devices a special type of SMS. This message starts the handshake process between the Device Management Client and the Software Management Center. The management center indentifies the software version installed in the device and based on that, determines the delta package (DP) that needs to be downloaded. Through the channel between the module and the Software Management Center, the DP is downloaded and then installed by the Update Agent in the module. The download process and the update process are both fail-safe, meaning they are immune to communication and power failure scenarios. If there is a communication or power failure, the module can recover and be restored to the previous state prior to when the failure occurred. After the update is completed successfully, a message is sent to the Software Management Center providing information about the newly installed firmware version in the module. This ensures that a current inventory record is maintained for the precise software content in each module on the network. By coupling that information with problem reports coming from the field through customer support or device self-reporting schemes, software developers can quickly discover the root cause of issues that are difficult or sometimes impossible to identify through lab test cases. Collecting and Using Data from the Field Comparing information from the Software Management Center with the integrator s defectreporting and customer support systems can be a powerful way to stabilize module firmware and increase customer satisfaction. Product management can also cross-link the information from customer support and the Software Management Center to glean likes and dislikes of new features. This is a vital first step in product improvement and roadmap planning, giving product managers real-time data from the field to help them make decisions on feature inclusion priorities and other elements associated to product evolution. 4

6 After analyzing this data and input, a FOTA update can be planned for a specific m2m module. The update can include additional functionality, performance improvements or defect fixes. The update firmware version is then tested by the integrator or by the operator. In the U.S., it is required that the operator performs some acceptance testing. After getting final approval, the updated version goes through the Update Generator where it is compared with the version already installed on the m2m module. Then the Update Generate creates DPs for any combination of possible versions of the software in the field. Those delta packages are then loaded into the Software Management Center which is responsible for the update process. The owner of the Software Management Center needs to ensure that the information on the target m2m devices (e.g. IMEI) is already in the database and that the connectivity to the operator s SMS Center is working properly. Applying FOTA with Surgical Precision The administrator responsible for managing the Software Management Center must ensure all elements for the update campaign are present and accounted for before the campaign can start. The campaign starts gradually with a few devices in order to validate that the whole process is functioning correctly. The administrator can then update all target devices in bulk as planned, based on network capabilities and on possible constraints instituted by the operator. m2m Use-Case The number of m2m devices equipped with FOTA technology is fast increasing. Telit understood early on that given the long lifecycle of m2menabled devices and the fact that most operate unattended, there is a clear need to manage that fielded software inventory remotely. Changes in the m2m market and the fast pace of technology evolution in the areas of connectivity and sensors require that OEM vendors enhance their products adding additional capabilities such as remote device management in order to support new requirements from their customers. Consider the case of Scope Technology, one of the world s leading providers of m2m solutions to the fleet telematics and pay-as-you-drive (PAYD) market segments. The company integrated the Red Bend- Enabled Telit GE863-GPS into its MHub platform and in order to enhance the GPS performance of its application in the field, Telit was able to update over the air the SIRF GPS chip software, applying new functionality to the GPS section using its FOTA end-to end-system. Tablet Use-Case The performance and the security of a tablet is very important to the user experience. Battery life, exposure to malware and responsiveness can greatly influence the success of a tablet. But since consumer product launch windows are very strict, there have been cases where tablets have been released before performance is fully optimized, only later receiving an updated firmware revision via FOTA. 5

7 The Red Bend-Enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab LTE is a top-selling Android tablet. Recently, Docomo and Samsung upgraded the tablet s software version for solving a security issue, which also provides enhancments together with performance improvements. Hundreds of thousands of users were able to get the update either by accepting the update notification sent by Docomo or by going to the device menu selecting check for updates. Smartphone use-case Smartphones have increasingly sophisticated features, resulting in more software with greater complexity, increasing the probability of software defects. During the lifecycle of the phone, when a critical-level defect is found either by the operator or by the consumer, the OEM is required to provide a fix as soon as possible and to create a new version for an update. Once the OEM has obtained approval for the new firmware version, it uses the Update Generator to create a delta package, which is then provided to the operator for distribution over the air to the affected devices. In cases where the device does not support FOTA technology, the OEM must recall the device, as was the case of the LG Spyder 830, or advise consumers to perform the update via cable, which is more time-consuming and complicated. Recently, the Red Bend-Enabled Sony Xperia U and P models were released in Europe as part of Sony s strategy to expand into the midrange smartphone market. A few months later, Sony released a software update that included some defect fixes and performance improvements. The software update was deployed over the air to consumers by Sony and resolved, among other things, some network selection issues that customers had complained about

8 CREATING A CONSTANT QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROCESS WITH FOTA Time-To-Market (TTM) One of the clear benefits that FOTA introduced to both handset and m2m module manufacturers was the ability to quicken time-to-market for their products. Integrating FOTA into m2m devices and building the back-end infrastructure to provide end-to-end, over-the-air capabilities can help m2m module manufacturers to rationalize feature sets when introducing new devices. This capability allows companies like Telit to launch a new m2m module even if not all of the functionality is fully ready. For example, consider that a new LTE module is set for market launch where all the hardware is ready but there is no software support for one of the LTE frequency bands not used initially. The product launch can go ahead because it is possible to perform a firmware update and add the support for the additional LTE frequency band at a later date. This is also applicable for integrators embedding m2m modules into their products, for example, into a medical device, smart meter or car infotainment system. Here also integrators are looking to bring their devices to market earlier, relying on FOTA to introduce new software versions with additional capabilities rather than delay the launch. Reducing Time to Fix With m2m devices becoming more sophisticated, the potential for software defects also grows. With more operators pushing m2m as a key growth engine, they are faced with the potential for a corresponding growth in customer care calls. When a critical-level defect is found, m2m module manufacturers just like the smartphone example previously are required to provide a solution as soon as possible and to create a new version of the firmware with the tested fixes. Once that new firmware version is approved, a delta package is created which is then provided to the operator or to Telit for distribution over the air to the affected m2m devices. 7

9 When the device is not equipped with FOTA, it is necessary to send a technician to the remote location to manually perform the update or to wait until a maintenance window is scheduled. Neither option is optimal for time or cost. When the device is part of a revenue-generating value proposition, delaying the update can have even greater consequences. FOTA is Critical So Should Be the Selection of the FOTA Solution Software updating is increasingly becoming the critical element for companies to achieve profitability and react timely to competitive moves and market pressures. It is no longer acceptable for companies to operate in a model where software and firmware are static throughout the device s lifetime, or when updates are performed only during the occasional touch point with the device by a maintenance technician. With that in mind, it is a foregone conclusion that the decision facing integrators about which m2m module to buy becomes that much more complex. It is important for the evaluation process to include this very critical dimension in the operation of modern connected devices. Your selection of m2m module provider is so critical that, on the FOTA dimension alone, you could be either ensuring that your end products remain competitive in terms of features and reliability over time, or conversely, completely eradicating that possibility. This is why, together, Telit and Red Bend Software have partnered to make FOTA a standard feature across Telit s m2m modules, and why Telit offers a Premium FOTA Management service for its customers to help them deploy FOTA updates to Telit-enabled m2m devices. 8

10 CONCLUSION Today s m2m devices are sophisticated enabling innovative services and capabilities, yet the amount of software inside these devices is growing quickly and becoming more complex. A typical m2m device will have several iterations of major and minor software/firmware updates over its lifetime delivering feature improvements and defect fixes. FOTA enables m2m modules to stay current and keep customers satisfied with the latest capabilities, making it possible to increase the time span between hardware generations, which is very desirable outcome. Every month gained in the life of one generation provides that much more time to amortize R&D costs into the previous generation, contributing positively to cash flow and other financial considerations on investments for the next generation product. The old hardware-only business is gone. Cars, TVs, smartphones, digital cameras and parking meters all must be designed to be field-updated with improvements and fixes within its operational lifecycle. The trend is irreversible - hardware is being replaced by software anywhere possible. So it is to be expected that everything that is wirelessly connected is also maintainable over-the-air. It is critical that businesses get out ahead and start implementing FOTA-based quality processes now to stay competitive as the wave of the Internet of Things crests. 9

11 ABOUT RED BEND SOFTWARE Red Bend Software, the leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM) with more than 1.6 billion Red Bend-Enabled devices, makes mobile devices and services continuously better in a rapidly changing world. Red Bend is the only company that provides standards-based products and solutions for software management, device management and mobile virtualization that work on any mobile phone and connected device uniformly, efficiently and securely over the air. Red Bend enables its customers to stay competitive in a fast-moving market by helping them deliver high-value services on an increasing number of connected devices with growing software complexity. More than 80 leading device manufacturers, mobile operators, semiconductor vendors and automotive companies worldwide trust Red Bend with their most important assets the mobile and connected devices their consumers depend on. 10

12 ABOUT TELIT WIRELESS SOLUTIONS Telit Wireless Solutions and m2maír are brands of Telit Communications PLC (AIM: TCM), an enabler of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications worldwide providing wireless module technology enhanced by managed and value added services, including connectivity. Exclusively dedicated to M2M for over 12 years and constantly advancing technological leadership from six R&D centers around the globe, Telit offers an extensive portfolio of quality cellular, short-range, and GNSS modules, available in over 80 countries. By supplying business scalable products interchangeable across families, technologies, and generations, Telit is able to keep development costs low and uniquely protect customers design investments. Value added services from m2maír combine solutions for module, SIM, and subscription management with M2M connectivity, delivering business value through enhanced network performance, cost control, security, and troubleshooting. Addressing the critical element of cost-control in m2m integrations, m2maír offers an innovative business approach which transforms cost of connectivity into a bill-of-material (BOM) component. Further information on these services can be found at Telit provides customer support and designin expertise through its 27 sales and support offices, a global distributor network of wireless experts in over 30 Telit-designated Competence Centers. The Technical Support Forum is a first-ofkind initiative where not only customers but the entire m2m community can exchange opinions and ideas. Further information about Telit and its products can be found at Join the conversation and learn more about Telit and its customers innovative applications on Facebook and Twitter. 11