u-blox Cellular module firmware update Installation Manual
Abstract
Description of how to update the firmware on u-blox cellular modules using EasyFlash, FOAT (over
AT commands), and the Firmware Install command.
www.u-blox.com
UBX-13001845 - R18
Cellular module firmware
update
Using EasyFlash, FOAT and Firmware Install command
Application note
Cellular module firmware update - Application note
Title
Cellular module firmware update
Subtitle
Using EasyFlash, FOAT and Firmware Install command
Document type
Application note
Document number
UBX-13001845
Revision and date
R18
15-May-2020
Disclosure restriction
Product status
Corresponding content status
Functional sample
Draft
For functional testing. Revised and supplementary data will be published later.
In development /
Prototype
Objective specification
Target values. Revised and supplementary data will be published later.
Engineering sample
Advance information
Data based on early testing. Revised and supplementary data will be published later.
Initial production
Early production information
Data from product verification. Revised and supplementary data may be published later.
Mass production /
End of life
Production information
Document contains the final product specification.
Product name
LEON-G1 series
SARA-G3 series
SARA-U2 series
LISA-U2 series
TOBY-L2 series
MPCI-L2 series
TOBY-R2 series
LARA-R2 series
TOBY-L4 series
u-blox or third parties may hold intellectual property rights in the products, names, logos and designs included in this
document. Copying, reproduction, modification or disclosure to third parties of this document or any part thereof is only
permitted with the express written permission of u-blox.
The information contained herein is provided “as is” and u-blox assumes no liability for its use. No warranty, either express or
implied, is given, including but not limited to, with respect to the accuracy, correctness, reliability and fitness for a particular
purpose of the information. This document may be revised by u-blox at any time without notice. For the most recent
documents, visit www.u-blox.com.
Copyright © u-blox AG.
Document information
This document applies to the following products:
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
Contents
Document information ................................................................................................................................ 2
Contents .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 5
2 FW update ................................................................................................................................................ 6
3 EasyFlash ................................................................................................................................................. 8
3.1 FW download over UART or UART AUX .................................................................................................. 8
3.2 FW download over USB ............................................................................................................................. 11
3.3 FW download over USB (TOBY-L2, MPCI-L2 series only) ................................................................. 14
4 Firmware update Over AT commands (FOAT) ........................................................................... 16
4.1 TOBY-L2, MPCI-L2 series AT command syntax ................................................................................. 16
4.1.1 Defined values ................................................................................................................................... 16
4.1.2 Error result codes ............................................................................................................................. 18
4.2 LEON-G1, SARA-G3, LISA-U2, SARA-U2, TOBY-R2, LARA-R2 series AT command syntax..... 18
4.2.1 Defined values ....................................................................................................................................21
4.2.2 Error result codes ..............................................................................................................................21
4.2.3 FW update procedure on LISA-U2 series ..................................................................................... 22
5 Firmware install (+UFWINSTALL) ................................................................................................. 23
5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 23
5.2 LISA-U2, SARA-U2, LARA-R2, TOBY-R2 AT command syntax ....................................................... 23
5.2.1 Defined values ................................................................................................................................... 24
5.3 TOBY-L2, MPCI-L2 AT command syntax ............................................................................................. 25
5.3.1 Defined values ................................................................................................................................... 25
5.4 TOBY-L4 AT command syntax ............................................................................................................... 27
5.4.1 Defined values ................................................................................................................................... 27
5.5 Firmware Install specifications .............................................................................................................. 28
5.5.1 Generation of the “update file” ...................................................................................................... 28
5.5.2 Recovery mechanism ....................................................................................................................... 29
5.5.3 Installation performance ................................................................................................................. 29
5.5.4 Limitations ......................................................................................................................................... 29
Appendix ....................................................................................................................................................... 30
A Glossary ................................................................................................................................................. 30
B Firmware Install error result codes ................................................................................................ 31
B.1 LISA-U2, SARA-U2, LARA-R2, TOBY-R2, TOBY-L4 error result codes .......................................... 31
B.2 LISA-U2 final results codes ..................................................................................................................... 31
B.3 LARA-R2, TOBY-R2, SARA-U2 final result codes ............................................................................... 32
B.4 TOBY-L2, MPCI-L2 error result codes ................................................................................................... 33
B.5 TOBY-L4 final result codes ..................................................................................................................... 33
C FOTA demo application in m-center ............................................................................................ 34
C.1 FOTA: firmware downloading procedure ............................................................................................. 35
C.2 FOTA: firmware upgrading procedure .................................................................................................. 35
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
D FOAT/UFWUPD on a Linux system ............................................................................................... 36
D.1 Minicom ....................................................................................................................................................... 36
D.2 Sx command .............................................................................................................................................. 40
E Disabling the automatic notification of FW update ................................................................ 41
Related documents ................................................................................................................................... 42
Revision history .......................................................................................................................................... 42
Contact .......................................................................................................................................................... 43
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
EasyFlash
FOAT
FWINSTALL
UART
UART
AUX
USB
UART
UART
AUX
USB
SPI
UART
USB
TOBY-L2 series
1
2
2
MPCI-L2 series
2
TOBY-R2 series
LARA-R2 series
SARA-U2 series
3
3
LISA-U2 series
LISA-U2 "04", "82",
"83" product versions
SARA-G3 series
LEON-G1 series
TOBY-L4 series
“50” / ”51” product
versions
Command
Response
Description
AT+CGMR
11.40
OK
11.40 is an example of a modem version.
1
2
3
1 Introduction
This document briefly describes the firmware update mechanism for u-blox cellular modules.
The cellular firmware comprises three parts:
The module image
The module parameters
The module file system, which contains data that can be stored by the user (such as SMS/text
messages)
To completely update the firmware, it is necessary to download at least the module image and
parameters; the module file system is optional.
The three images are resident in dedicated areas of the flash memory.
☞ It is possible to update the firmware to a newer version or to revert to an older one.
☞ The LEON-G1 series the firmware can be reverted to an older firmware version only by using the
EasyFlash tool.
☞ The modules supporting OMA-DM and ODIS may automatically notify an OMA-DM server in the
event of a Firmware Update. See appendix E for more details.
Table 1: Firmware update procedures and interfaces used on u-blox cellular modules
The +CGMR AT command allows the user to verify the module modem version:
Not supported by TOBY-L2 "00" product versions
Not supported by MPCI-L2 "00" and "60" product versions and by TOBY-L2 "00", "50" and "60" product versions
Not supported by "00", "03", "53", "63", "73" product versions
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
Attribute
Description
Firmware
Firmware of the module
NVM
All parameters described in appendix B.2 of the u-blox AT command manual [1]
Profiles
All parameters described in appendix B.1 of the u-blox AT command manual [1]
FS (File System)
Place where the user can store his own files
Calibration data
Data not belonging to above listed attributes
Product
EasyFlash
FOAT (+UFWUPD) <filetype>=[0..2]
FOTA (+UFWINSTALL)
LEON-G1 series
NVM, profiles, FS
0:
1: FS
Not available
SARA-G3 series
NVM, profiles, FS
0: NVM, profiles
1: FS
Not available
LISA-U1 series
NVM, profiles, FS
0: NVM, profiles
1: NVM, profiles, FS
2: NVM, profiles, FS
Not available
LISA-U2 series
NVM, profiles, FS
0: NVM, profiles
1: NVM, profiles, FS
2: NVM, profiles, FS
Not available
SARA-U2 series
NVM, profiles, FS
0: NVM, profiles
1: NVM, profiles, FS
2: NVM, profiles, FS
NVM, profiles
2 FW update
This section introduces the different methods available to update the firmware of the cellular module.
For each method, it is shown what will change in the cellular module with respect to the previous FW
version. Table 2 shows the different attributes that may be affected by a firmware update.
Table 2: Attributes involved in FW update
The following methods are available for the FW update:
EasyFlash tool: EasyFlash is a tool for the Windows OS to download the firmware from a PC
through a module serial interface (USB or UART)
Firmware update over AT (FOAT) by means of the +UFWUPD AT command; the FOAT is a method
to update the firmware by transferring the related file from an external device (e.g. application
host processor) to the module through the AT interface
Firmware installation from a FS file. The firmware installation from a file is triggered by the
+UFWINSTALL AT command and uses a file stored in the module’s file system (e.g. a file retrieved
from a FOTA server). This procedure can be used as a final step for the FW update procedure
Table 3 lists the cellular series modules, and for each one, the three firmware update methods. Each
method lists the attributes that are changed after the firmware update (i.e. reset to the factoryprogrammed values). If an attribute is not listed, it means that it is not changed after the update
procedure.
For example, for LEON-G1 series modules using the FOAT (+UFWUPD) method with <filetype>=0, it
will not change the NVM, profiles and FS, while with <filetype>=1 it will not change the NVM and
profiles, but will change the FS.
☞ The “Firmware” attribute is not listed in Table 3, because it is updated in all the methods:
EasyFlash, +UFWUPD [with <filetype> 0 and 2], +UFWINSTALL.
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
Product
EasyFlash
FOAT (+UFWUPD) <filetype>=[0..2]
FOTA (+UFWINSTALL)
LISA-U2
"04" / "82" / "83" product versions
NVM, profiles, FS
0: NVM, profiles
1: NVM, profiles, FS
2: NVM, profiles, FS
NVM, profiles
MPCI-L2 series
NVM, profiles, FS
NVM, profiles, FS
NVM, profiles, FS
TOBY-L2 series
NVM, profiles, FS
NVM, profiles, FS
NVM, profiles, FS
TOBY-R2 series
NVM, profiles, FS
0: NVM, profiles
1: NVM, profiles, FS
2: NVM, profiles, FS
NVM, profiles
LARA-R2 series
NVM, profiles, FS
0: NVM, profiles
1: NVM, profiles, FS
2: NVM, profiles, FS
NVM, profiles
TOBY-L4
“50” / “51” product version
NVM, profiles
Not Available
NVM, profiles
Table 3: Applicable products and attributes that will change when performing a FW update
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
4
4
3 EasyFlash
☞ See Table 1 for the list of modules and interfaces supporting EasyFlash.
A proper setup file, e.g. EasyFlash_<xx.yy.zz>.exe, is used to install the executable file and the needed
components.
☞ EasyFlash has been tested on these operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista (32/64 bit),
Windows 7 (32/64 bit), Windows 8 (32/64 bit), Windows 8.1 (32/64 bit) (32/64 bit).
The EasyFlash tool requires a file in DOF format, which includes the firmware components (module
image, module parameters, module file system) that are needed to perform a FW update.
The FW update using EasyFlash requires a PC or Notebook. The EasyFlash executable file and the
.DOF file (containing the firmware version to update) must be stored in the same folder in the PC or
Notebook. Only one .DOF file should be in the folder.
For LEON-G1 and SARA-G3 series modules, the .ROF file of the current firmware used by the module
must be stored in the same folder where the EasyFlash executable file and the firmware version (in
DOF file format) are located. The .ROF file is a downloadable file that makes it possible to revert to an
older FW release. It is only required for reverting to older FW for LEON-G1 and SARA-G3, and is not
required for other modules. Before reverting to a previous firmware version, store only one .ROF file
and one .DOF file in the same folder together with the EasyFlash tool executable file.
Each cellular product family has a unique EasyFlash version (i.e. LEON-G1 EasyFlash cannot be used
for LISA-U2 / SARA-G3 series modules and vice versa):
LEON-G1 series: EasyFlash_2G_v.2.3
SARA-G3, SARA-U2, LISA-U2, TOBY-R2, LARA-R2, TOBY-L4
TOBY-L2, MPCI-L2 series: EasyFlash_<05.aa.bb>
Always use the latest available tool version; <aa.bb> and <yy.zz> indicate the tool version.
series: EasyFlash_<06.yy.zz>
3.1 FW download over UART or UART AUX
☞ This section does not apply to TOBY-L4 series modules.
To update the module firmware using EasyFlash over UART or UART AUX interface, follow these
steps:
1. Power on the module.
2. Connect the PC or notebook to the UART or UART AUX interface of the module by means of
proper voltage translators (e.g. USB to UART converters) or by means of the proper configuration
of the connected application processor in pass-through mode.
☞ See the corresponding EVK user guide for the correct jumpers and slides configuration for the FW
update.
3. Run the EasyFlash tool.
Do not use EasyFlash_06.02.00 and previous versions for the FW update on TOBY-L4 series
UBX-13001845 - R18 EasyFlash Page 8 of 43
Cellular module firmware update - Application note
4. Select the COM port where the module is connected and the baud rate (921’600 bit/s is suggested
if supported by the used external parts).
5. Click the EasyFlash “Start” button.
6. Keep the module RESET_N input low for a proper time period when performing a module reset.
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
7. The download starts.
8. The firmware update is completed!
9. Close EasyFlash tool and reset the module.
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
3.2 FW download over USB
☞ This section does not apply to TOBY-L2 / MPCI-L2 / LEON-G1 / SARA-G3 series modules.
The firmware download using EasyFlash tool over the USB interface is similar to that for UART or
UART AUX, following these steps:
☞ Install the FlashUSB drivers before flashing over the USB interface. If the drivers are not installed,
the download does not start.
1. Power on the module.
2. Connect the PC or the notebook to the USB interface of the module.
☞ See the corresponding EVK user guide for the correct jumpers and slides configuration for the FW
update.
3. Run the EasyFlash tool.
4. Select the interested module series clicking on "Product" combo box and select the interface by
means of the “Port” combo box (the COM port and baud rate are not applicable when using USB).
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
5. Click the EasyFlash “Start” button.
6. Keep the module RESET_N input low for a proper time period when performing a module reset.
7. The download starts.
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Cellular module firmware update - Application note
8. The firmware update is completed!
9. Close the EasyFlash tool and reset the module to start.
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