Versioning the embedded software

[bscholte]

If you have many embedded systems in the field, keeping track of the installed software is a real problem. It would be much easier to store the software version inside the embedded code and output this when needed. In our case, our embedded systems send status reports to their hosts and they add the software revision code to each report. We use a resource addition to the Main or some other module which holds the version info. To get this done, the approach is as follows:

• Make a small program to create a unique revision Nr. This can be a counter, but we simply use a simple "Binarized" Timestamp. This does not only give a small and unique number, it also allows to backtrack the version date and time. This small command line program was written in Delphi and the important bits look like:

  Code: Select all

  program SetRev;
  {$APPTYPE CONSOLE}
  {$R *.res}
  uses
    System.SysUtils, System.Classes;
  var
    FileName:String;
    ResFile:tFileStream;
    Data:array[0..1] of integer;
    Bin:ARRAY[0..7] of byte;
  begin
    try
      if ParamCount=1 then
        begin
          FileName:=ChangeFileExt(ParamStr(1), '.res');
          ResFile:=tFileStream.Create(FileName, fmCreate or fmOpenWrite or fmShareExclusive);
          Data[0]:=DateToInt(Now); //This procedure translates the current date into an integer. We use the same format as the LPC1769 uses.
          Data[1]:=TimeToInt(Now); //This procedure translates the current time into an integer. Again, the same format as the LPC1769 uses.
          //any other unique number generator (e.g. like Delphi built-in UUID's) would be fine too. Just keep an eye on the length of the ID
          System.Move(Data, Bin, 8);
          ResFile.WriteData(Bin, Length(Bin));
          ResFile.Free;
          Writeln('New Revision Data Written to '+FileName);
        end
       else Halt(1);
    except
      on E: Exception do
        Writeln(E.ClassName, ': ', E.Message);
    end;
  end.

• Install this program in the Astrobe Folder.
• Now select a module to add the RES to and add the following lines to the "Tools.ini" File (assuming that "MYAPP.mod" is your file to hold the version):

  Code: Select all

  [Command5]
  MenuItem=Set APP &Revision
  Path=C:\Program Files (x86)\AstrobeM3 Professional Edition\SetRev.exe
  Parameters="MYAPP.mod"
  WorkingFolder=%FileDir%
  ConsoleApp=TRUE
  Prompt=FALSE

• To read the firmware revision code as bytes, add into MYAPP.mod

  Code: Select all

  PROCEDURE GetFirmware*(VAR FW:ARRAY OF BYTE);
  VAR Res:ResData.Resource;
      I:INTEGER;
  BEGIN
    ResData.Open(Res, "MYAPP");
    IF ResData.Size(Res) = 8 THEN FOR I:=0 TO 7 DO ResData.GetByte(Res, I, FW[I]) END
                             ELSE FOR I:=0 TO 7 DO FW[I]:=0 END
                             END;
  END GetFirmware;

• This proc can be easily modified to get back the original two integers of even the timestamp

Once the app is ready to get distributed, click "Set APP Revision" from the tools Menu in the IDE. Then build the APP. Your APP will now output the stored revision code whenever needed. Since it is inside the Firmware as resource, it only gets changed when the firmware is updated.

Hope this is useful....................
(PS. Drop a line if you would need the SetRev.exe)