MYSBootloader 1.3pre2 testing

[mannkind]

This post is deleted!

[tekka]

@jmkhael Looks like a bad radio connection (GW too close / far, interference, power) What happens if you upload the FW via serial link?

[jmkhael]

@mannkind : thanks for the clarifications. My problem is that the node seems to hang at the booting phase in MYSController sa per the screenshot.

@tekka that should be it (gw in the 50 cm range). I'll try more tests and get back here in any case.

@mannkind, @tekka: How do we interpret the OTA logs?

[jmkhael]

@tekka: it was probably a mix of power/distance. when change these two parameters, OTA went fine. thank you

What is the best way to handle OTA for sleeping nodes? is there something else todo besides setting the property under settings in MYSController? Do I need to powercycle the node or will MYSController kicks in when the node sleeps/smartSleeps?
thank you for your time

[tekka]

@jmkhael MYSController will reboot the node as soon as it wakes up, sends and processes incoming messages.

[jmkhael]

@tekka my node wakes up every two minutes (or on pir movement) sends some messages (temperature, light level...) and sleeps right away. will MYSController be able to do that in this small time window? is there something i can code to help it? (heartBeat, wait, smartSomething?)
(as i saw during my few tests, i had to powercycle my node, maybe i wasn't patient enough :))

[tekka]

@jmkhael place smartSleep() instead of sleep(), before sending any values to the controller - MYSController will pick this up and send a reboot command. Also, you need to mark the node as battery-powered/sleeping node...

[JCLB]

Just tried with this release, works great (had no problem with previous release)

The only drawback is the packet bitrate, around 40 per minute with 45 bytes each.
It takes 1h to flash a node. few minutes, just make sure of your wiring as this is a very intensive process compared to node's standard radio use.

Here is a flash running on a test network:

Can we update many nodes at the same time ? haven't tried

[tekka]

@JCLB This is unusual. A regular sketch ~20kB takes ~2mins. Maybe you are having issues with power supply, bad clones, or other sources of interference.

[JCLB]

I can now gets dozen of packets at once, then hold, continues...depending of how I press the wires on radio side :sweat:
It's a wiring problem, will try this weekend with a soldered node.

Thank you

[tekka]

@JCLB Thanks for reporting, I'm using short dupont cables or have the radio fixed on a PCB.

[kk02067]

I have also problem with speed of the upload. I get about 1 packet per 3 seconds. Is there a something in the code for the bootloader that has a waitingtime of 3 seconds? And if so, because of what? From that info we might be able to tell if it's a reception problem of the node or the gateway.

[pku]

@tekka Thank you for great job on MYSBootloader. It works fine for me. Currently I'm testing it and have few questions.

• Please can you provide source code? Maybe then I can answer my questions myself :)
• Software signing doesn't work after firmware is uploaded. EEPROM is cleared. Is it possible to restore shared key HMAC after firmware is stored?
• Is possible to send firmware with signing to prevent loading from fake gateway? I thing signing of available firmware version and firmware CRC is enough ..?

Thank you for answers.

[NiklasO]

I have changed the fuse settings for my setup. I don't know if it makes any difference but there is a fuse for "Preserve EEPROM memory through the Chip Erase cycle". Was noticing that my sensors was getting a new id every time I did some changes in my sketches and flashed using "Upload with programmer". I have not succeeded with OTA flashing yet.
I also use the external crystal present on the Pro Mini. Using 0xFF, 0xD2 and 0xFE.
Probably only used when programming using ICSP.

MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328=ATmega328 8MHz (XTAL, BOD1V8)
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.upload.maximum_size=30720
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.upload.maximum_data_size=2048
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.upload.speed=38400
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.bootloader.low_fuses=0xFF
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.bootloader.high_fuses=0xD2
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.bootloader.extended_fuses=0xFE
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.bootloader.file=MYSBootloader/MYSBL13pre_atmega328_8Mhz.hex
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.build.mcu=atmega328p
MYSBL13.menu.cpu.8MHzatmega328.build.f_cpu=8000000L

[pku]

@NiklasO I'm using Arduino Mini 5V, 16Mhz with fuses as you have. Except BODLEVEL 2.7V and EEPROM Cleared. OTA works fine, 21kB hex file is sent in cca 2-5 minutes (very depends on count of wrong packets, without 47uF capacitor on NRF24 or with low power supply it takes about 2 hours :) ). I started with MYSController and small and easy Blink.ino.hex from MYSController distribution. Now I use MyController and own firmwares...

[JCLB]

@pku if your keys are in the sketch everything will work for signing.
#define MY_SOFT_HMAC_KEY XXX... //signing key
#define MY_AES_KEY XXX... // if you use encryption
Of course if you want to use whitelisting then you need to compile each node sketch separately with it's serial.

@NiklasO
Personally I set the node ID manually to avoid this
#define MY_NODE_ID 30 // Sets a static id for a node
And I group tens so all my 3X nodes are in kitchen, 4X in office, 11X in bedroom 1 and so on.

I would love to see a proxy mode in MYSController, in order to interface between a controller that doesn't support OTA and an Ethernet gateway :heart_eyes:

Let say your LAN is the following:

• MySensors gateway 192.168.0.1
• controller (raspberry + Domoticz or else) 192.168.0.2
• PC with MYSController 192.168.0.3

Whenever you need to update a node, you launch MYSController but don't connect to the gateway, then you tells Domoticz .2 to connect to MYSController .3 instead of the gateway .1, at this point MYSController starts relaying everything between Domoticz and the gateway + provides you the ability to update a node.

When you want to get back to normal operations, you set back 192.168.0.1 on Domoticz, MYSController receives a TCP reset and ends it's session with Domoticz and stop the session with the gateway.

We would get a minimum downtime and can could use MYSController to update nodes and debug traffic while letting the normal controller...controlling

[NiklasO]

@NiklasO
Personally I set the node ID manually to avoid this
#define MY_NODE_ID 30 // Sets a static id for a node
And I group tens so all my 3X nodes are in kitchen, 4X in office, 11X in bedroom 1 and so on.

Ah, yes. Setting static id sound like a solution to my problem. Thanks.

[Anduril]

@JCLB said:

@pku if your keys are in the sketch everything will work for signing.
#define MY_SOFT_HMAC_KEY XXX... //signing key
#define MY_AES_KEY XXX... // if you use encryption
Of course if you want to use whitelisting then you need to compile each node sketch separately with it's serial.

but that would give a listener your full MY_SOFT_HMAC_KEY and signing would be useless in future. Therefor it is better to write the key in eeprom with cable and later only update firmware without key via OTA.

[pku]

@Anduril

1. I agree, keys located in sketch can be used as workaround only, because the security is broken.
2. But I'm interesting in key located in EEPROM. How it is work during flashing? If Clear EEPROM fuse is not set then everybody can take my outside node, put his own firmware and it will work with keys from EEPROM. It is again a security issue (of course he must have physical access to my node).
   I thing it should work with this scenario:

• reguest for new firmware
• copy key, serial and rsa into RAM
• flash new firmware (with fuse clear EEPROM)
• copy key, serial and rsa back into EEPROM

What do you thing?

[Anduril]

For a node that is physically accessable it is realy hard. First: does this node needs signing? For sensor data you don't need in most cases. Maybe you should use the hardware chip, there you can't read out the key and if it was locked you also can't change it.
If you still need to use softsigning you could use whitelisting and revoke the whitelist-entry in case of corruption.