13/2/20 Unipi expands its OEM programme by an option to configure software in Unipi OEM controllers already during their assembly.
All Unipi controllers require an operating system (OS) image - a large archive containing everything necessary to start and run applications on the controller. A large portion of customers, mainly OEM, use a so-called open-source OS image, which includes only the most basic software needed for working with Unipi controllers. The process of open-source OS customization so far required to enable the SSH access on each controller and, through it, to configure the open-source image manually.
To make this process faster and easier, Unipi now introduces the option of automatic creation and customization of OS images, and their upload into OEM controllers during their assembly. This service significantly reduces the time needed to prepare controllers for deployment, and also greatly simplifies management of the installed software (version management, archiving, updates, replacement etc.). In the end, your controllers can be delivered already configured and with any required software already pre-installed.
For technical details and further info about the custom OS images, please visit the Unipi Knowledge Base.
Standard procedure
The procedure with a customized OS image
A practical example of using a customized OS image
One of our OEM is using his customized Unipi controllers in combination with the Node-RED platform. To avoid the necessity of manually configuring the controllers, the customer approached Unipi developers with a request to create a custom OS image.
During the process, the customer could select both which Node-RED version will be used and which extension will it contain. The image also included an initial configuration of controllers, eg. user names, passwords, firewall settings etc. Per the customer's request, Unipi developers also added a VPN client and monitoring applications. The resulting OS image was then loaded to all controllers during their manufacturing.
In the end, the customer obtained pre-configured controllers featuring a custom graphic design and containing all the necessary software needed. The customer thus saved a notable amount of time that would be otherwise needed to prepare the controllers for deployment.
