OTA Update Support for Yocto vs. Torizon OS on SMARC i.MX95

Technical Support
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We are using the SMARC i.MX95 development board with a Yocto-based image configured for MACHINE="toradex-smarc-imx95". Is it possible to perform OTA updates on this Yocto-based OS, or is OTA only supported when using Torizon OS?

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OTA Updates with Yocto on SMARC iMX95

Yes, OTA Updates Are Possible with Yocto-Based Images

OTA updates are not exclusive to Torizon OS - you can indeed perform OTA updates on your Yocto-based OS for the SMARC iMX95(1). Toradex provides a solution called Torizon OS Reference Minimal Image (Torizon Minimal) that bridges this gap(2).

Solution: Torizon Minimal for Yocto Users

Torizon Minimal is specifically designed for users who want to stay with Yocto while still leveraging Torizon Cloud features like OTA updates(2). From the OS perspective, Torizon Minimal is the “Full” Torizon OS without a container engine(2).

What You Get with Torizon Minimal:

  • OS Updates: Updates the root file system using OStree, allowing you to update anything installed in the root file system with Yocto, including your application(2)
  • Subsystem Updates: Provides a generic API for updates so you can write your own update logic for more flexibility(2)
  • Remote Access and Device Monitoring: Full support for Torizon Cloud services(2)
  • Fleet Management: Complete fleet management capabilities(2)

Update Methods Available:

  1. OS Updates: Leverages OStree’s static deltas for low bandwidth, fast, and efficient updates - orders of magnitude smaller than A/B partition methods(2)

  2. Subsystem Updates: Allows you to update anything Linux has access to, including files, metadata, microcontrollers, and your application(2)

Implementation Path

To implement OTA updates with your current Yocto setup, you would need to build Torizon Minimal instead of a standard Yocto image(2). This removes the integration burden from you and helps bring your Yocto-based product to market faster with lower total cost of ownership(2).

The key difference is that with Torizon Minimal, only the Application Updates feature (which relies on containers) is unavailable, but you can still update your application using OS Updates and Subsystem Updates(2).

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

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Closing this in favor of this other topic