Firmware

A firmware is a set of instructions thanks to which an electronic device works and, therefore, it enables the communication with other electronic machines. Uploading a firmware is needed to upgrade the version of a thing families.

Create a new firmware

First, click the firmware symbol in the left sidebar:

This view shows a list of the available firmware. To add a new one, click on the box with the Add.

Fill in the form by specifying the following properties of the firmware and then press the Save button.

  • Name: a mnemonic name for the firmware;
  • Checksum: a number used to check the integrity of the firmware;
  • Description: a text which explains the function of the firmware;
  • Upload file: binary data containing the firmware:
    • Select the file: menu in which the firmware can be uploaded either by browsing the local machine path or dragging and dropping the file;
    • Upload queue: section in which the progress of the uploading process is tracked.
  • Thing family: version of the thing family. After selecting which thing family the firmware belongs to, a user can either:
    • select Create new version, to create a new application id for an either major or minor upgrade;
    • select Choose an existing version, to hand out the uploaded file to the things of a given family.

Edit a firmware

Once a firmware is created, its main properties can be changed by clicking the firmware in the list. You can edit the firmware's main features, e.g., the name and the description of the firmware.

After some firmware have been created and associated to the family, users will not be able anymore to change the binary file, the thing family, and the checksum. If you need to change anything of these features, first delete the firmware and then create a new one.

APPLY TO is the operative section of the view:

  • write the ending part of the topic in the topic field;
  • fill the payload field to customize what the thing(s) will receive alongside the notification of a new firmware;
  • choose either which things or which thing families the firmware applies to:
    • select Apply to the thing with the resource id to select a bunch of things with the given resource ids;
    • select Apply to families to apply the firmware to one or more families.
  • click on Apply to save the progress.

Delete a firmware

After accessing the firmware detail view (that is, after clicking on a firmware in the Firmware view):

  • select the firmware you want to delete;
  • (optionally) check Delete the thing family too to delete the family linked to the firmware;
  • click on Delete in the bottom left corner of the box.