OpenIoT & ELC Europe 2016

Many embedded Linux projects have a requirement to update the software on devices in the field. Recent security flaws in basic components such as OpenSSL and bash, combined with the interconnectedness of all things, have highlighted the problem and made it an absolute necessity. No doubt as a consequence of this, there is a lot of activity in this area.

In this presentation, I begin by looking at the basic requirements of an update mechanism: that it must be be atomic, robust and secure. Then I will look at specific solutions, including package feeds, and image-based updaters, such as swupdate, swupd and rauc. Finally, I will look at the idea of including the updater in an end-to-end software deployment system, as is provided by Mender, Resin.io and Brillo.