Uart based user interface: Shell?, McuMgr?

RE: Uart based user interface: Shell?, McuMgr?

Menon — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 03:48:09 GMT

Hello,

Thanks for sharing the details of your new approach here. I hope now you can successfully support firmware updates and exchange sensor data.

Kind Regards,

Abhijith

RE: Uart based user interface: Shell?, McuMgr?

sheldon_b — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 13:41:25 GMT

I ultimately decided the overhead and complexity of running MCUMGR wasn't worth the trouble. I used the following approach:

Using the app event manager, I created an event and module for a console. This console uses a UART (but could very easily be USB or BLE) to communicate with a HOST using a message-response exchange protocol. I could have gone a few different directions with the transport, but ultimately decided to use line delimited JSON strings (This part is less important because the transport was abstracted away from the console and can be changed to anything).
For firmware updates, the host sends a series of JSON strings that are ack'd by the console module.
- A DFU start message
- A sequence of DFU file fragments
- A DFU end message.
The console used the dfu_target api from <dfu/dfu_target.h>

I then wrote a host side library that allowed me to communicate with the client. While it was a little more work upfront (honestly not too bad), I have a good understanding of how the protocol works and I don't have manage another dependency.

RE: Uart based user interface: Shell?, McuMgr?

Menon — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:22:07 GMT

Hello,

I think with the overlay configuration I pointed out, the MCUGR will not take full control of the interface. But I haven't tested this here; for that, I need some more time. But I recommend you give it a try, like what is mentioned here.

Kind Regards,

Abhijith

RE: Uart based user interface: Shell?, McuMgr?

sheldon_b — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:42:39 GMT

There is a lot of content out there for accomplishing DFU over serial. The problem is that MCUMGR takes full control of the physical interface (UART) which inhibits your ability to use the interface for other things (Like exchanging sensor data). I'm trying to figure out how to support firmware updates AND exchanging sensor information/sending commands back and forth.

RE: Uart based user interface: Shell?, McuMgr?

Menon — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:33:36 GMT

Hello,

Take a look at this blog from my colleague, where he is implementing serial MCUGR SMP transport. In this sample, he has implemented an overlay file configuration for enabling UART consoles with mcumgr passthrough.

Kind Regards,

Abhijith