Solo Update Packages

This is the repository for Solo updates as delivered by Solex.

File Format

The file format for a Solo update package is pretty simple: It's a zip file containing some specific subdirectories, which contain files to either be installed on the Solo, loaded into the Solo, or to do things on the Solo.

scripts/

Scripts go here. If you need to run commands before or after installation, you can make scripts to do that, and put them in this directory. They're referenced from the package.properties file, described below.

If any extra preparation (creating directories, etc) needs to be done, it's this script that does it.

params/

Parameter files go here. You can have any number of them, but you'll typically just have one. Parameter files are in the expected format, where lines look something like this:

AHRS_TRIM_Y,-0.00460798
AHRS_TRIM_Z,0.00000000
AHRS_WIND_MAX,0
AHRS_YAW_P,0.20000000
ANGLE_MAX,2950
ARMING_CHECK,1
ATC_ACCEL_P_MAX,57600.00000000

install/

The installable files go in this subdirectory. Everything needs to be in a subdirectory under install/, so Solex knows where to put a file on the Solo while it's copying files.

Suppose you have 4 python files that go into /usr/bin and a .px4 file that needs to be updated as the Solo's firmare. In that case, you put the python files in install/usr/bin and the firmware file in install/firmware. Your zip file would look like this:

install/
    firmware/
        SomeUpdateFile-v1.0.px4
    usr/
        bin/
            follow.py
            buttonManager.py
            multipoint.py
            shotManager.py
            someNewSmartShot.py
manifest.txt
package.properties

Files

manifest.txt

This is a file that contains some info about the package. Just general information, possibly special instructions you expect the user to read, that sort of thing.

Here's a sample:

Awesome Update Number Three

This update is awesome. It fixes yaw in a few of the smart shots, and adds a new Smart Shot to the Solo. 
Also it updates the firmware on the Solo so all of the LEDs glow red.

package.properties

This is a file Solex uses as a guide for how to treat an update package. Here are the legal values for package.properties:

• preinstall: Specify the root name (not the directory) of a script to run before installation of other files.
• postinstall: Specify the root name of a script to run after installation of other files.
• reboot: If true, prompt the user to reboot after installation completes.
• postinstall.instructions: Instructions for the user after they install the package. Could be anything, really.
• target.device: Specifies which device the update should be installed to. Valid values are solo, artoo. If it's omitted, it defaults to solo.
• compat: Specifies compatibility of this package. There are 3 possible values:
  • 2.0: Package can only be installed on old "black cube" Solos.
  • 2.1: Package can only be installed on new Solos with a 2.1 Cube (green or black)
  • all: Package can be installed on either Solo version. This is the default.
• required.param: Deprecated. If present, specifies a parameter that must be present in order to install this package. You should prefer to use the compat property over this one, although you can specify both for maximum pickiness.

Here's a sample:

preinstall=preinstall.sh
postinstall=postinstall.sh
reboot=true
postinstall.instructions=Dunk your Solo in cold water. Then lay it out in the sun to dry.
compat=2.1

When you download this file and tell Solex to install it, the following happens:

1. The file is unzipped to a temp directory.
2. The preinstall script, if any, is run. If it needs to abort the installation for some reason, it can return a non-zero exit code. This will abort the entire installation process. Otherwise, it needs to return 0 for the installation to continue.
3. The directories under install are enumerated, and files found in each are scped to the corresponding directory on the Solo.
4. The parameters.param file, if present, is loaded and each of the parameters specified in it are set on the Solo.
5. The postinstall script, if any, is run. Like the preinstall script, it can abort the installation with a nonzero exit code. But by this time, the files have already been copied and parameters loaded. So aborting an installation at this stage is unusual for a script to do. And if it needs to do it, it should take care to undo everything that's been done up to that point.

That's about it.