Loading Firmware

Building a project produces a ROM file (firmware), which can then be loaded onto an XPort EDGE device via Web Manager or the Web API. Secure Boot is enabled to prevent unauthorized code from running on an XPort EDGE device. This page covers the process for loading firmware to the device, with or without Secure Boot. In the event you are not able to boot the device, you can recover or factory reset the device using the resources listed at the bottom of this page.

Uploading the ROM

The XPort EDGE gateway supports secure firmware update capability through the Device feature in Web Manager or through the firmware update Web API. Because the XPort EDGE ships from the Lantronix factory with Secure Boot enabled, you must first sign the firmware image with your private key before loading the firmware to the device. See Secure Boot.

Web Manager

Follow these steps to upload firmware to an XPort EDGE device using Web Manager.

  1. Open Web Manager, go to the Device page, and click Firmware Upgrade.
  2. Click Choose File, browse to work/project_name, and select the signed ROM file.
  3. Click Upload and then click OK to confirm that you want to upload a new firmware image. The device erases the old image and receives and writes the new image. After the new firmware is written, the device reboots automatically. It may take a few minutes for this process to complete. After the reboot, the new firmware is active.
  4. If the new firmware includes a line protocol, change the line's protocol to the new option you just uploaded. Click Line and then click Configuration. From Protocol, select the new project's protocol and then click Submit. The changes take effect immediately.

Web API

Use this endpoint to upload firmware to an XPort EDGE device using the Web API.

  • Description: Load the firmware image file
  • Protocol: HTTP
  • Method: POST
  • Content Type: multipart/form-data
  • URL: http://<hostname>/upgrade

Note

The request format emulates a filled-in form to produce a POST request with an HTTP content-type of "multipart/form-data".

Parameters:

imageFile: Name of the file containing the upgrade image.

HTTP Response Codes:

  • 200: Success
  • 507: Invalid partition size
  • 500: All other failures

CURL example:

curl --digest -u admin:PASSWORD http://<hostname>/upgrade -X POST -F imageFile=@xPortEdge_2.0.0.0R0.signed.rom

Secure Boot

Secure Boot prevents execution of unauthorized code and protects secret configuration values. To use Secure Boot, generate a key pair and submit the public key to Lantronix for signature using the request form. Program the Lantronix-signed public key into an XPort EDGE one-time programmable (OTP) memory and sign your firmware with the corresponding private key.

Note

The device must be loaded with your Lantronix-signed OEM public key before loading your signed firmware. Once the authorization is loaded, it cannot be removed or changed, and then only firmware signed by the OEM can be loaded on the device.

Development Workflow

Follow this Secure Boot workflow during development. Within the development workflow, the developer performs the following steps, working with the evaluation kits and sample modules for development and testing.

Development Workflow

These one-time actions are performed during development.

  1. Generate a 2048-bit RSA key pair using the following commands:

    • Generate an RSA Private Key with exponent=65537 openssl genrsa -f4 -out oem_rsa_key.priv 2048
    • Generate an RSA Public Key from the private key openssl rsa -in oem_rsa_key.priv -pubout -out optional_rsa_key.pub

  2. Use the request form to submit the public key to Lantronix for signature. Lantronix returns the signed public key as a ROM file that looks similar to optional_rsa_key.pub.signed.rom.

  3. Build the firmware. The ROM file looks similar to xPortEdge_xxxxx.rom.

  4. Run the Lantronix image signing tool using the command ltrx-signimage-win64.exe oem_rsa_key.priv <ROM file name>.rom <ROM file name>.signed.rom in Windows or by using the command ltrx-signimage-linux, which is located in the <SDK directory>/lantronix/bin directory, in Linux. The signing tool produces a ROM file signed with your private key. The signed ROM file looks similar to xPortEdge_xxxxx.signed.rom. This step can also be automated by including it as a post-processing step of the make process.

  5. Next, use Manufacturing Test Loader to write the signed public key to the OTP. Manufacturing Test Loader is an application that can be loaded into the XPort EDGE device over the serial interface. Connect to the device with a terminal emulator (e.g. Tera Term).

  6. Configure the serial port. In Tera Term, click Setup and then Serial port....

    • Set Port to the port you are using to connect to the device.
    • Set Baud rate to 9600.
    • Set Data to 8 bit.
    • Set Parity to none.
    • Set Stop to 1 bit.
    • Set Transmit delay to 0 msec/char and 0 msec/line.
    • Set Flow Control to hardware.
    • Click OK.

  7. Save the Manufacturing Test Loader macro to your PC and run it using Tera Term. In Tera Term, click Control and then Macro. Select the macro and click Open.

  8. Follow the prompts provided by Tera Term to send Manufacturing Test Loader to the device.

  9. In the CLI, type flash download serial.

  10. In Tera Term, click File and then Send File. Enter the path to the signed public key, select binary, and then click Open. Wait while the key is written to the device OTP memory. Once complete, you can verify the key has been written to OTP by typing otp keys and looking at Optional RSA Key.


    Important

Do not turn off or reboot the XPort EDGE at this time.

  1. In the CLI, type flash download serial.

  2. In Tera Term, click File and then Send File. Select your signed firmware ROM file and click Open. What while the ROM file is transferred and the firmware is updated.

These recurring actions must be completed for each development firmware build.

  1. Build the firmware. The ROM file looks similar to xPortEdge_xxxxx.rom.

  2. Run the Lantronix image signing tool using the command ltrx-signimage-win64.exe oem_rsa_key.priv <ROM file name>.rom <ROM file name>.signed.rom in Windows or by using the command ltrx-signimage-linux, which is located in the <SDK directory>/lantronix/bin directory, in Linux. The signing tool produces a ROM file signed with your private key. The signed ROM file looks similar toxPortEdge_xxxxx.signed.rom. This step can also be automated by including it as a post-processing step of the make process.

  3. Follow the steps in Uploading the ROM to load the signed firmware to the development boards and modules.

Manufacturing Workflow

Follow this Secure Boot workflow after development is complete and you have release firmware ready to load at production time. You should generate separate public and private key pairs for development and production. The production private key should not be shared with anyone outside the secure zone.

Manufacturing Workflow

Within OEM Premises

Establish a secure zone using HSM (or another technique) within your organization to create a separate space where the ltrx-signimage tool will execute with a private key generated for production.

Note

It is best practice for the manufacturing workflow to ensure the security of the OEM's private key by keeping the signing of production firmware separate from the development teams and workflows.

These one-time actions are performed during production within the OEM premises.

  1. Within the secure zone, generate a 2048-bit RSA key pair using the following commands:

    • Generate an RSA Private Key with exponent=65537 openssl genrsa -f4 -out oem_rsa_key.priv 2048
    • Generate an RSA Public Key from the private key openssl rsa -in oem_rsa_key.priv -pubout -out optional_rsa_key.pub

  2. Use the request form to submit the public key to Lantronix for signature. Lantronix returns the signed public key as a ROM file that looks similar to optional_rsa_key.pub.signed.rom.

These recurring actions must be completed within OEM premises for each production firmware release.

  1. Submit release firmware built from the SDK to the secure zone for signing the release firmware with the private key.

  2. Within the secure zone, run the Lantronix image signing tool using the command ltrx-signimage-win64.exe oem_rsa_key.priv <ROM file name>.rom <ROM file name>.signed.rom in Windows or the ltrx-signimage-linux tool in Linux. The signing tool produces a ROM file signed with your private key. The signed ROM file looks similar toxPortEdge_xxxxx.signed.rom.

Within OEM Manufacturing

These recurring actions must be completed within OEM manufacturing for each module.

  1. Use Manufacturing Test Loader to write the signed public key to the OTP. Manufacturing Test Loader is an application that can be loaded into the XPort EDGE device over the serial interface. Connect to the device with a terminal emulator (e.g. Tera Term).

  2. Configure the serial port. In Tera Term, click Setup and then Serial port....

    • Set Port to the port you are using to connect to the device.
    • Set Baud rate to 9600.
    • Set Data to 8 bit.
    • Set Parity to none.
    • Set Stop to 1 bit.
    • Set Transmit delay to 0 msec/char and 0 msec/line.
    • Set Flow Control to hardware.
    • Click OK.

  3. Save the Manufacturing Test Loader macro to your PC and run it using Tera Term. In Tera Term, click Control and then Macro. Select the macro and click Open.

  4. Follow the prompts provided by Tera Term to send Manufacturing Test Loader to the device.

  5. In the CLI, type flash download serial.

  6. In Tera Term, click File and then Send File. Enter the path to the signed public key, select binary, and then click Open. Wait while the key is written to the device OTP memory. Once complete, you can verify the key has been written to OTP by typing otp keys and looking at Optional RSA Key.


    Important

Do not turn off or reboot the XPort EDGE at this time.