Add software update capability

[agners]

This adds software update capability to the Python Matter Server.

As it stands, the implementation does the following things:

1. Check the DCL for software updates for a particular device
2. If an update is available, it downloads the firmware locally
3. Prepares the OTA Provider on the Matter fabric (using the Linux OTA Provider example app)
   3a. On first use, the OTA Provider App is first commissioned to the fabric
4. Notifies the node about the availability of the OTA Provider and the update

The node then communicates directly with the OTA Provider. Progress of the update can be observed in the OTA Software Update Requestor Cluster of the device being updated.

There are a few things which still need to be sorted out:

• Lifecycle management of the OTA Provider App needs improvement (termination not working/adding more updates)
• Potential candidates need to be better checked if they are indeed compatible (minApplicableSoftwareVersion/maxApplicableSoftwareVersion)
• Checksum of the update files needs to be checked after download
• Split between update check and update apply
• Handle multiple update calls for the same node
• Support updates from testnet DCL

[olavt]

Will there be some new API-commands available to control this?

[olavt]

It would be nice if these steps where totally independent:

1. Check the DCL for software updates for a particular device
2. If an update is available, it downloads the firmware locally

I would like them to be:

1. Check the DCL for software updates for a particular device
2. If an update is available go to step 3
3. Download a firmware file from a given location (either one from the one specified by the DCL or any other location)

The reason I want this is to be able to test firmware updates for devices in development, which is not yet published to the DCL. Then step 1 and 2 would be bypassed.

It would be nice with a separate API-function for each of the steps.

[marcelveldt]

TODO:

• add separate api command to check for updates
• periodic check for node updates - set flag on matterNodeData
• Show "update available" in Matter UI
• HA update entity attached to the flag + manual service call to check for updates
• The check for updates should implement throttling (HA has helpers for that)

[agners]

Will there be some new API-commands available to control this?

Yes,

It would be nice if these steps where totally independent:

1. Check the DCL for software updates for a particular device

2. If an update is available, it downloads the firmware locally

Yes, I intend to split this two operations. It is a bit a question of what the reference will be to apply the update. I intend to use the software version number (in integer format) as reference, as this should be unique. So the commands will be:

  {
    "command": "check_node_update",
    "args": {
      "node_id": 50
    }
  }

This will return information about the software, the exact format is tbd (currently a raw dump of the JSON data returned by the DCL).

Then with this command the update will get applied:

  {
    "command": "update_node",
    "args": {
      "node_id": 50,
      "software_version": 123,
    }
  }

Will then start the node update.

I would like them to be:

1. Check the DCL for software updates for a particular device

2. If an update is available go to step 3

3. Download a firmware file from a given location (either one from the one specified by the DCL or any other location)

The reason I want this is to be able to test firmware updates for devices in development, which is not yet published to the DCL. Then step 1 and 2 would be bypassed.

Agreed, we'll need to have a way to support non-DCL updates. In fact, for testing I already need this (I've now added hardcoded updates for the OTA Requestor example).

There are various use cases, from just not in DCL but online, to just an update file from somewhere. Each of these cases need some metadata to match the update file with the right devices. The metadata should probably closely follow the DCL format.

For online ones, we could probably just pass it through the WebSocket API as well, essentially how you suggest. But I don't think this will cover all use cases. 🤔

[agners]

[marcelveldt]

Can you mark it as ready once its entirely complete ? Then we'll do one final review (and hopefully the merge)

[marcelveldt]

Looks good!

[stefa168]

Sorry for chiming in, not sure if this is the best place or if this would be feasible, but: would the updates feature also support firmware downgrading, or that depends on the software on the matter devices?

[agners]

Sorry for chiming in, not sure if this is the best place or if this would be feasible, but: would the updates feature also support firmware downgrading, or that depends on the software on the matter devices?

No, downgrading is not supported by Matter OTA. From the standard:

OTA Requestors SHALL only upgrade to numerically newer versions and OTA Providers SHALL
only ever provide a numerically newer Software Image than a Node’s current version number (see
SoftwareVersion). Any functional rollback SHALL be affected by the Vendor creating a Software
Image with a newer (higher) version number, but whose binary contents may match prior func­
tionality.

[nerijus]

I've built docker image from git main branch and started it - how do I get update notification? It seems there is update available for my device (Aqara Window and Door Sensor P2), about an hour after docker container restart passed, but I don't see any notification in HA.

[TheJulianJES]

@nerijus You won't see a notification in HA, as the HA core PR is not merged yet:

• Add Matter update entities for devices with OTA requestor home-assistant/core#120304

[nerijus]

Thanks; is there a possibility to upgrade manually from command line from within python-matter-server docker shell?

[nerijus]

I updated files from home-assistant/core#120304 manually (and a few other files like select.py, strings.json), but now after restarting HA I get:

Error occurred loading flow for integration matter: cannot import name 'UpdateCheckError' from 'matter_server.common.errors' (/usr/local/lib/python3.12/site-packages/matter_server/common/errors.py)

[marcelveldt]

Just have a little bit of patience folks until this is available. It will also be added as a button the the matter server's own debug UI. The changes for HA core need some more adjustments before we merge them but plan is still to get it done on time for the next beta.

[olavt]

I would like to test the new software update capability.

What is the high level flow (which commands to use) if I provide my own firmware file?

[JoseAntonioMG]

I'm using HomeAssistant and Matter-Server with thread devices, everything works fine. I would like to be able to perform OTA updates to the devices but I don't have an account in DCL, is there a possibility to update the firmware of the devices added in HomeAssistant through Matter-Server locally? for example by indicating to Matter-Server a path where the update files are. Is there such a possibility?

I have seen that in the Matter-Server configuration there is an option to add "--ota-provider-dir", but I don't know how it works. Is this option the correct one to indicate a path where the update files are saved? How do you indicate that path?

thanks

[hoppel118]

@JoseAntonioMG Look here:

#833