![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/OTA-1030x579.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe remote devices report to the server periodically to check for updates. If there is a software update available for a particular device, the remote device downloads the update and installs it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why do we need an OTA update service?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Update devices remotely:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have many devices located at different locations, and you want to update them, it would be a very troublesome process to visit each device physically and update them. Updating the devices over-the-air can solve this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Configure device remotely:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The same applies if you want to do some device configuration. By having an OTA update service, you can easily configure them remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Troubleshoot devices remotely:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need to access the devices via a terminal or transfer files to remote devices, you can also do that by using an OTA update service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monitor devices remotely:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, you can easily monitor remote devices for their working status by using an OTA update service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We mainly need to consider two important aspects when choosing an OTA update service and they are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We really need to be careful about security when performing OTA updates to remote devices. If proper security measure is not taking when performing the update, it is probable for the remote device to get exposed to vulnerability such as hacker attacks. Most of the OTA update services provide secure OTA updates by using HTTPS protocol to perform the updates. This means the certificates on the remote device should match with the certificates on the update server in order to establish the connection. Also, some OTA update servers support code signing, which means, after we specify that the server is a trusted party, only after that the remote device will accept the update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, it is very important to make sure that the update system is robust because the devices are deployed remotely, and it will be a troublesome process in the event that the device stops working and need to physically be present at the device to fix it. This could happen when you update a device over-the-air and the device power gets cut off in the middle of the update or else, the update failed for some other reason. To avoid this kind of breakdowns, proper measures should be set on the update system so that in the event of a breakdown during an update, the remote devices can restore the system to a previous working state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mender<\/a> is a secure and robust software update system designed to handle large number of devices. It has a simple client and server architecture allowing central management of deployments to all devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here<\/a> to sign up and connect up to 10 devices free for 12 months!<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I have explained previously, on the security side, Mender push OTA updates by using HTTPS to make the update process more secure. Also, Mender support code signage when pushing updates to remote devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the robustness side, Mender stands out because of its dual A\/B rootfs partition layout. Basically, when you generate a system image for the very first time with Mender client integration, the system partition layout will be as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, it creates two rootfs+kernel partitions which are duplicates of each other. Active partition is the partition that it uses when you boot the system for the very first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you push an update from the Mender server to the remote device, mender client on the device will download the image and write the image to the rootfs partition that is not running. Then it will configure U-Boot to boot from the updated rootfs partition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n vAfter that the device will reboot and try to boot from the updated partition. If the update gets corrupted due to power loss during the process or due to any other reason, the device will boot from the original partition that was running before. This will ensure that the device will be booted exactly the way it booted in the original working state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the update succeeds, the update partition will be set to boot permanently when mender starts as part of the boot process. Now the previous passive partition has become the active partition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mender.io has established a new partnership with Seeed to provide their community of makers and professional embedded developers with an integrated OTA software updates capability solution for 4 of its hardware boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We integrate mender client to these boards along with their existing image compilations using the Yocto Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have already finished Mender Client and Self-Hosted Mender Server integration for the ODYSSEY \u2013 X86 board. You can learn more about them below:<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat we need to consider when choosing an OTA update service?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Security<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Robustness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Using Mender as an OTA Update Service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/mender-world-1-1030x579.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSecurity and Robustness of Mender<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/part-2-3-1024x1030.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/device-partitioning.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSeeed SBCs supporting Mender<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/boards-pics-1-1030x793.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMender Client on ODYSSEY \u2013 X86<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/X86-client-1030x579.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/x86-server-1030x579.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n