News
30.10.2024 Discover autumn news from the Unipi technical department! In this article, you will find helpful tips and links to all the necessary information.
Debian 12 Bookworm based OS images & Evok v3 released
What have the changes brought?
- Mervis OS: storing the license in the HW to facilitate future OS upgrades.
- All OS: access to inputs, outputs, and device information within SysFS has been simplified and enhanced. Automatic FW update after OS flash (only for FW6) - to facilitate future updates.
Is there an OS upgrade needed?
- If the controller is connected to the internet, it is advisable.
- However, if the controller is an embedded device without an internet connection, this is unnecessary in most cases.
- If you need clarification on either the procedure or the necessity of upgrading, you can consult Unipi's technical department; our support team can guide you through it.
How to upgrade?
If you have a controller with Debian 10 operating system, the only correct procedure for upgrading to Debian 12 is to download and re-flash the entire OS.
- Mervis OS: make a backup of the solution, then open the solution in the IDE 2.6.5 and follow the instructions on the Knowledge Base. Once the program has been compiled, flash the new OS, then deploy the solution, and check that the inputs and outputs are communicating and the Mervis Cloud services are running (if applicable). Finally, license the device.
- Node-RED OS: back up your flow or even the entire operating system. Then, flash the new OS and upload the flow. It will be necessary to switch the nodes for communication with Unipi inputs and outputs from version 2 to 3, add the required modules to the palette, or make other minor adjustments.
- Base OS: if you are running your software and using Evok to communicate with I/O, you must make minor adjustments for which GitHub will help the most. The SysFS access has also been revised and made even more centralized. In the case of Modbus, everything has stayed the same and has only been enhanced.
OS fixes and news from September 2024
Uboot - OS downgrade fix
- After upgrading to the latest version (of packages or OS), it is again possible to downgrade the OS, for example, to upload an older backup.
- Update of packages: unipi-kernel, unipi-u-boot, unipi-altboot
- Patron: The fix concerns flashing via USB and the service web interface; the new OS can be found here.
- Gate: The fix only affects flashing via the service web interface (flashing via USB worked); the new OS can be found here.
Fix of RS485 serial line section 2 and 3 (Unipi Patron)
- The non-standard behavior of serial line sections 2 and 3 in Patron controllers is fixed with a new package and firmware version. To fix it, just upload a new OS or upgrade the unipi-kernel-modules & unipi-firmware6 packages and then update the FW of all sections.
Uboot - new flash drives
- Support for multiple types of USB flash drives for both data transfer and OS flash/backup purposes.
EXT4 FS
- All released OS images now use the Ext4 file system instead of Btrfs (B-tree file system). If you are interested in the Btrfs, please contact our technical support.
Modified appearance of the OS download page on Knowledge Base
- The site is now divided into Stable and OldStable, with added links to the most relevant articles, and added information for each OS, eventually including a changelog and package list.
New/revised tutorials (Mervis)
- Diagnostics of eMMC/SD
- Custom HMI design
- Upgrade to Mervis 2.6.5
- Communication with M-Bus device
- Revision of other tutorials related to Mervis 2.6.5 release: https://kb.unipi.technology/en:sw:01-mervis:06-tutorials?tns
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