Over-the-Air (OTA) Upgrade Overview

This section will guide you through Over-The-Air (OTA) firmware updates for embedded devices using the Golioth Device Firmware Update (DFU) service. The Golioth Firmware SDK includes DFU sample code which runs on all Continuously Verified Boards. A walkthrough is included here to help you become familiar with the process.

OTA Overview

Cloud Side

The Golioth Cloud stores firmware as "artifacts" that can optionally include tags and blueprints to filter which devices are targeted. For example, you might tag a few devices as "dev" to test firmware rollouts, or categorize a hardware blueprint for all of the "nRF9160_asset_tracker" devices in your IoT fleet. A release is created using the artifact. Devices will automatically see new release version and begin the update process. Golioth includes a one-click rollback feature if you ever need to revert a rollout.

Device Side

When a device registers for firmware upgrades, it will receive a manifest from the Golioth cloud each time a release rollout change occurs. The SDK automatically parses the manifest, comparing the received firmware version number with the version the device is currently running. If the manifest version is newer, the SDK begins a block download of the artifact. The exact device firmware upgrade (DFU) mechanism used to verify and flash the firmware varies from platform to platform. Upon successful update, the device reports the new firmware version number to the cloud.