< All Topics
Print

NEPI Engine – Software Updating, Backup, Cloning, and Recovery

Prerequisites

This tutorial assumes you have a working NEPI Engine enabled edge compute platform and are familiar with basic NEPI user interfacing like accessing the NEPI RUI (Resident User Interface), the NEPI network shared User Storage drive, and the NEPI file system.  If you are unfamiliar with any of these processes, you can find detailed tutorials at the links below:

https://nepi.com/nepi-tutorials/nepi-engine-connecting-and-setup/

https://nepi.com/nepi-tutorials/nepi-engine-user-storage-drive/

https://nepi.com/nepi-tutorials/nepi-engine-accessing-the-nepi-file-system/

Introduction

NEPI includes a flexible system for updating, backing up, and cloning the NEPI Engine software system. Typical steps for a updating, backing up, and cloning complete system images are provided below. During the NEPI Engine boot process, the NEPI Engine init boot system mounts/connects to one of the two Root File System partitions (A or B) on your NEPI device’s SSD card. Only one of the Root File System partitions is mounted and active at any given time, allowing NEPI’s software management system to provide updating, backup, and cloning services on the inactive Root File System partition.

What you will need

1) 1x NEPI-enabled device and power supply. This tutorial uses an S2X-S203-XNX NEPI-enabled NVIDIA Xavier NX edge compute platform.

NOTE: See available off-the-shelf NEPI enabled edge-compute options at: https://numurus.com/products-nepi-enabled-hardware/

2) 1x PC with internet access and configured to access the NEPI device’s RUI browser-based interface and user storage drive. This tutorial uses a Windows 11 PC and a USB GigE Ethernet adapter and Ethernet cable.

NOTE: Instructions for configuration a PC and connecting to a NEPI device’s RUI and user storage drive are provided in the NEPI Engine Getting Started tutorial at: https://nepi.com/nepi-tutorials/nepi-engine-connecting-and-setup/

3) 1x NEPI IDX supported 2D camera. This tutorial uses a USB webcam.

NOTE: See the NEPI Engine Hardware Interfacing tutorial “Imaging Sensors” for details on connecting a camera to your NEPI device at: https://nepi.com/tutorials/

Hardware Setup

1) Connect a NEPI IDX driver supported camera to your NEPI device.

2) Connect the NEPI device to your PC’s Ethernet adapter using an Ethernet cable, then power your NEPI device.

Updating Your Software

While the NEPI Engine Init File System image that manages a NEPI boot partition and software loading processes is not easily updatable and rarely required, the cored NEPI Engine software referred to as the NEPI Engine Root File System is easily to update when new versions of NEPI Engine become available. 

Check your NEPI device’s current NEPI Engine software version by opening your NEPI device’s RUI DASHBOARD tab and check the version number in the “Device Info” section next to “Firmware”.

1) Obtain a NEPI Root File System image update file. Numurus maintains Root File System image files for a number leading edge-compute hardware platforms.  You can check for software updates at: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/xs08d4c43dupfg1ftc2vy/h?rlkey=we8r0omh123ufq9opbl5yj0g6&dl=0

2) After downloading the zipped image file, unzip it on your PC, then copy it to your NEPI device’s User Storage drive nepi_full_img folder. Ensure it has a filename of the form  “*.img.raw”, where the wildcard * can be any valid filename substring and matches the edge-compute hardware you are working with.  If the file has a .zip extension, make sure to unzip the file first.

3) Backup your user and system settings by opening your NEPI device’s RUI SYSTEM/DEVICE tab and clicking the “Save” button with “All” selected in the dropdown box.

4) Setup the NEPI Root File System partition to overwrite. Open the NEPI device’s RUI SYSTEM/SOFTWARE tab. In the “A/B PARTITION SETTINGS” section, you can see the current Active/Inactive partition numbers and the NEPI software version installed on each. From the image below, we can see on this system, the current Active partition is “1” with NEPI version “3.0.0” and the current Inactive partition is “2” with NEPI version “3.0.0”.

NOTE: During installation of a new NEPI software image, the INACTIVE partition will be overwritten.  If the partition you want to overwrite is currently the Active partition, select the “Switch Active/Inactive” button, reboot and check that the inactive partition is the correct one.

5) Install the new NEPI Image. In the “Full System Update” section, click the “Check” button to verify a valid NEPI Root File Image has been uploaded to the NEPI device’s User Storage drive’s nepi_full_img folder. If successful, the uploaded NEPI Engine software’s version is reported in the “Image Version” textbox and the “Status” textbox will report “Ready to Install”. Click “Install” button to start the installation and wait for the installation to complete. 

6) After the installation is complete, the NEPI software manager will automatically switch the Active and Inactive partitions and boot to the new NEPI software image just installed. Reboot your system and verify that the new NEPI software version is running on the Active partition.

NOTE: In rare cases, it may be necessary to manually click the “Switch Active/Inactive” button – the Full System Update: Status text field will inform you if that is the case.

7) Repeat the software install process for the other partition by clicking the “Install” button in the “Full System Update” section and wait for the installation to complete.  After the installation on partition B is complete, the NEPI software manager will automatically switch the Active and Inactive partitions and boot to the new NEPI software image just installed. Reboot your system and verify that the new NEPI software version is now installed on both the Active and Inactive partitions.