Device Management manifest CLI tool

This document provides instructions for installing and using the manifest tool.
Below is the table of contents:

• Manifest tool overview
• Installing the manifest tool
• Using the manifest tool
• Developer workflow example
• Upgrading from manifest tool v1.5.2 and lower
• External signing tool
• Troubleshooting

Note: For a comprehensive list of changes between release versions, please refer to the changelog.

Manifest tool overview

The Device Management allows you to carry out Firmware Over-the-Air (FOTA) updates on managed devices.

On the device side, the firmware update process commences when the device receives an update manifest.
The OEM (original equipment manufacturer) or the update author cryptographically signs the manifest with a private key paired with a public key existing on the device, enabling the device to verify the manifest's authenticity before accepting the firmware update.

Device Management provides support for the following:

• Full updates - Deliver new firmware and install it on the device.
• Delta updates - The manifest tool executes a differential algorithm to create a small delta patch file.
  The client uses the delta patch file and the currently installed firmware to construct a new firmware image, conserving bandwidth.
• Combined updates - The FOTA client enables you to define a device component as comprising several subcomponents that are always updated together and reported to the Update service as a single component.
  For combined updates, the manifest tool generates a combined package containing multiple firmware images.
  The client processes the combined package and installs the images in a predefined order you set on the device.

The manifest-tool Python package includes the following command line tools:

• manifest-tool - Used for creating manifest files.
• manifest-delta-tool - Generates delta patch files.
• manifest-package-tool - Creates combined package file.
• manifest-dev-tool - A developer tool for simplifying update campaigns.

Installing the manifest tool

It is advisable to install the manifest-tool Python package within a segregated Python virtual environment.

Installing the manifest tool from PyPi

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.8 ... 3.11.
  • Python 3.12 support is not available yet.
• pip (Python Package Installer).
• Internet connectivity

pip install manifest-tool

Note: If your system runs Python 3.6 or an older version, you will need to use an earlier version of this tool. You can install version 2.4.1 as follows:

pip install manifest-tool==2.4.1

Installing from local source tree

Prerequisites:

• In addition to PyPi-installation pre-requisites:
• Native toolchain:
  • GCC/Clang for Linux/MacOS.
  • Microsoft Build Tools for Visual Studio 2019 for Windows or a different version compatible with your Python version as described here.

$ git clone https://github.com/PelionIoT/manifest-tool.git
$ pip install <path to manifest-tool's local source tree>

Note: You can use $ pip install --editable <manifest-tool> to install the package in Python setuptools development mode. For more information, please see the setuptools development mode documentation.

Using the manifest tool

This section provides an explanation of how to use the command-line tools included in the manifest-tool Python package, which are as follows:

• manifest-tool
• manifest-delta-tool
• manifest-package-tool
• manifest-dev-tool

manifest-tool

manifest-tool commands:

• manifest-tool create - Creates manifests.
• manifest-tool create-v1 - Creates V1 schema-compatible manifests.
• manifest-tool parse - Parses and verifies existing manifest files.
• manifest-tool schema - Shows the bundled input validation schema.
• manifest-tool public-key - Generates an uncompressed public key.

Note: To access more detailed information about all commands, you can run manifest-tool --help. Additionally, for specific command details, including their parameters and how to use them, you can run manifest-tool <command> --help.

manifest-tool create

The manifest-tool create command is used to generate a manifest. This tool takes a configuration file that defines the update type and creates a manifest based on the provided details.

Prerequisites

• An update private key and public key certificate.

  Keep the private key secure, as it enables the installation of new firmware images on your devices.

  Provision the public key to the device.

  • To generate a private key, use the following command:

    $ openssl ecparam -genkey -name prime256v1 -outform PEM -out my.priv.key.pem
    

  • To generate a public key in uncompressed point format (X9.62), use the manifest-tool public-key command.

• Upload the new firmware image to a server that your devices can access.

• The configuration file should be in JSON or YAML format and include the following fields:

  vendor:  # One of the "domain" or "vendor-id" fields is expected.
    domain: izumanetworks.com  # The FW owner domain, used to generate a vendor UUID.
                               # Expected to include a dot (".").
    # OR
    vendor-id: fa6b4a53d5ad5fdfbe9de663e4d41ffe  # A valid vendor UUID.
    custom-data-path: my.custom-data.bin # Vendor's custom data file
                                         # to be passed to the target devices.
                                         # This is only relevant for manifest v3 format.
  
  device:  # One of the "model-name" or "class-id" fields is expected
    model-name: Smart Slippers  # A device model name, used to generate a class UUID.
    # OR
    class-id: 327c726ac6e54f7a82fbf1d3beda80f0  # A valid device-class UUID.
  
  priority: 1  # Update priority  to be passed to the authorization callback, 
               # which is implemented on the device side.
  
  payload:
    url: http://some-url.com/files?id=1234  # Address from which the device downloads
                                            # the candidate payload.
                                            # Obtained by clicking "Copy HTTP URL" on
                                            # the Firmware image details screen
                                            # in Device Management Portal,
                                            # or by copying the `datafile` attribute.
    file-path: ./my.fw.bin  # Local path to the candidate payload file
                            # or the delta patch file.
                            # Used for digest calculation and signing.
    format: raw-binary  # One of the following:
                        #  raw-binary       - full image update campaigns.
                        #  arm-patch-stream - delta patch update campaigns.
                        # For manifest v3 only:
                        #  combined           - combined updates.
                        #  encrypted-raw      - full image update with the encrypted image.
                        #  encrypted-combined - combined updates with encrypted image.
    encrypted:  # Required for 'encrypted-raw', and 'encrypted-patch' formats.
      digest: 3725565932eb5b9fbd5767a3a534cb6a1a87813e0b4a76deacb9b36695c71307
                    # The encrypted payload digest,
                    # obtained by copying the `encrypted_datafile_checksum` attribute
                    # from the Firmware image details screen in the Device Management Portal.
      size: 471304  # The encrypted payload size,
                    # obtained by copying the `encrypted_datafile_size` attribute
                    # from the Firmware image details screen in the Device Management Portal.
  
  component: MAIN  # [Optional] The name of the component to be updated,
                   # relevant for manifest v3 format.
                   # By default, it is set to "MAIN" for updating
                   # the main application image.
  
  sign-image: True  # [Optional] A boolean field accepting True or False values,
                    # relevant for manifest v3 format.
                    # When set to True, a 64-byte raw signature over the installed
                    # image will be added to the manifest.
                    # This image signature can be used when the device bootloader
                    # expects to work with signed images (e.g. secure-boot).
                    # By default, it's set to False. 
  
  signing-tool: ./sign.sh # Path to the external signing tool.
                          # Enables signing with existing infrastructure.
                          # The tool should accept the arguments: <digest algorithm> <key identifier> <input file> <output file>.
                          # The `--key` CLI argument will be used as <key identifier>. 
  

Example

• Consider the following configuration file named my.config.yaml:

  vendor:
    domain: izumanetworks.com
  device:
    model-name: Smart Flip-flops
  priority: 1
  payload:
    url: http://some-url.com/files?id=1234
    file-path: ./my.fw.bin
    format: raw-binary
  component: MAIN
  

• You can run the following command to create the manifest:

  manifest-tool create \
      --config my.config.yaml \
      --key my.priv.key.pem \
      --fw-version 1.2.3 \
      --output my.manifest.bin
  

Note: The value of --fw-version refers to the firmware version of the component to be updated. The value can be between 0.0.1 and 999.999.999 and must be greater than the firmware version currently installed on the device.

manifest-tool create-v1

The manifest-tool create-v1 command is designed for older versions of the Device Management update client, which use manifest schema V1. These older versions assume that the public key is packaged in an x.509 certificate.

Prerequisites

• An update private key and public key certificate.

  Keep the private key secure as it enables the installation of new firmware images on your devices.

  Provision the public key to the device.

  • To generate a private key, use the following command:

    $ openssl ecparam -genkey -name prime256v1 -outform PEM -out my.priv.key.pem
    

  • To generate a public key x.509 certificate, run the following commands:

    $ openssl req -new -sha256 \
          -key my.priv.key.pem \
          -inform PEM \
          -out my.csr.csr
    $ openssl req -x509 -sha256 \
          -days 7300 \
          -key my.priv.key.pem \
          -in my.csr.csr \
          -outform der \
          -out my.x509.certificate.der
    

    Note: Device Management update client treats the x.509 certificate as a container ONLY and does not enforce its validity. such as expiration, chain of trust, etc., although it may be validated by other Device Management components. For production purposes, it is recommended creating a certificate with a lifespan greater than the product's expected lifespan, e.g. 20 years.

• Upload the new firmware binary to a server that your devices can access, and obtain the URL for the uploaded firmware binary.

• A configuration file in JSON or YAML format, as required for the manifest-tool create command.

Example

• To create a V1 schema-compatible manifest, you can run the following command:

  manifest-tool create-v1 \
      --config my.config.yaml \
      --key my.priv.key.pem \
      --update-certificate my.x509.certificate.der \
      --output my.manifest.bin
  

manifest-tool parse

The manifest-tool parse command is used to parse and validate existing manifest files.

Prerequisites

• A manifest file (for example my.manifest.bin).
• Optionally, you can provide an update private key, public key, or certificate to validate the manifest's signature.

Example

You can run the following command to parse and validate a manifest file:

$ manifest-tool parse \
  my.manifest.bin \
  --private-key my.priv.key.pem
----- Manifest dump start -----
Manifest:
vendor-id=fa6b4a53d5ad5fdfbe9de663e4d41ffe
class-id=3da0f138173350eba6f665498eace1b1
update-priority=15
payload-version=1572372313
payload-digest=b5f07d6c646a7c014cc8c03d2c9caf066bd29006f1356eaeaf13b7d889d3502b
payload-size=512
payload-uri=https://my.server.com/some.file?new=1
payload-format=raw-binary
----- Manifest dump end -----
2019-10-29 20:05:13,478 INFO Signature verified!

manifest-tool schema

The manifest-tool schema command is used to print the input validation JSON schema that is bundled with the current tool. This schema can serve as a self-documenting reference to help you better understand and validate the manifest tool's input configuration.

Example

You can execute the following command to print the input validation schema:

$ manifest-tool schema

manifest-tool public-key

The manifest-tool public-key command is used to create a public key file in uncompressed point format. Provisioning this file to the device enables the device to verify the manifest's signature.

Example

To create a public key file from a private key (for example, my.priv.key.pem) and save it as my.pub.key.bin, you can use the following command:

manifest-tool public-key my.priv.key.pem --out my.pub.key.bin

manifest-delta-tool

The manifest-delta-tool is used to generate delta patch files, which are required for delta updates.

Run manifest-delta-tool --help for more information about usage and arguments.

Prerequisites

• The firmware currently installed on the device and the updated firmware image. These are required for calculating the delta patch.

Example

You can use the following command to generate a delta patch file:

$ manifest-delta-tool -c current_fw.bin -n new_fw.bin -o delta-patch.bin

Notes:

1. An additional configuration file with the same name but with the .yaml extension will be generated. Both files are required by the manifest tool. Only the output file specified by the --output argument should be uploaded to the Izuma cloud.

2. The compression block size has a direct impact on the amount of memory required by the device receiving the update. The device requires twice the amount of RAM during runtime to decompress and apply the patch.

3. The compression block must be aligned with the network (COAP/HTTP) buffer size used for download. Misalignment in sizes may result in device's failure to process the delta patch file.

manifest-package-tool

Use this tool to generate combined package files for combined updates.

manifest-package-tool commands:

• manifest-package-tool create - Creates a combined package file for combined updates.
• manifest-package-tool parse - Parses and verifies existing combined package files.

Note: Run manifest-package-tool --help for more information about all commands, or manifest-package-tool <command> --help for more information about a specific command, including its parameters and how to use them.

manifest-package-tool create

The manifest-package-tool create command is used to create a combined package file based on a configuration file that contains information about firmware images for a combined update.

Prerequisites

• The configuration file should be in JSON or YAML format and include the following fields:

  images:                        # Two or more images
  - file_name:  ./my.fw1.bin     # Local path to one of the firmware images.
    sub_comp_name:  fw1_id       # Name of the subcomponent firmware image.
    vendor_data: fw1_vend        # Vendor data for the firmware image.
  - file_name:  ./my.fw2.bin     # Local path to another firmware image.
    sub_comp_name:  fw2_id       # Name of the subcomponent firmware image.
    vendor_data: fw2_vend        # Vendor data for the firmware image.
  

• New firmware images to be included in the combined package. In this example ./my/fw1.bin and ./my.fw2.bin.

Example

You can create a combined package by using the following command:

$ manifest-package-tool create --config combined_package_config.yaml --output combined_package_file

In this example, combined_package_config.yaml is the input configuration file.

The tool creates a tar-format combined package with the firmware images listed in the configuration file, where:

• file_name is the local path to the image file.
• sub_comp_name is the name the tool gives to the subcomponent firmware image file in the combined package. This name must match the name (sub_comp_name) defined on the device.
• vendor_data is the vendor information of the firmware image.

In addition to the firmware image files, the tool creates a descriptor __desc__ file inside the tar package, which provides information about the contents of the combined package to the FOTA update client.

Notes:

1. The FOTA update client reports on a combined update as an update of a single component (defined as comp_name on the device), consisting of multiple subcomponents (each defined as sub_comp_name on the device). When creating a combined package, each sub_comp_name must correspond to a sub_comp_name on the device. For more information, see Implementing combined update

2. When creating a manifest for a combined update using manifest-tool, in the manifest configuration file, set the format field to combined or encrypted-combined, set the component field to the name of the component you are updating, and set the file-path field to the path of the combined package file.

3. To use a combined package file with the manifest-dev-tool create or update commands, set the path of the combined package file in the -p argument and pass the --combined-image flag to indicate that the current candidate payload is a combined image.

manifest-package-tool parse

The manifest-package-tool parse command is used to parse and validate existing combined package files.

Prerequisites

• A combined package file (for example combined_package_file).

Example

You can run the following command to parse and validate a combined package file:

$ manifest-package-tool parse --package combined_package_file
Contents of the tar package -
File name : _desc_
File name : fw1_id
File name : fw1_id
Information of update images:
OrderedDict([('id', b'fw1_id'), ('vendor-data', b'fw1_vend'), ('vendor-data-size', 8), ('image-size', 417053)])
OrderedDict([('id', b'fw2_id'), ('vendor-data', b'fw2_vend'), ('vendor-data-size', 8), ('image-size', 253482)])

manifest-dev-tool

The manifest-dev-tool is a developer tool designed for running a simplified update campaign. It is primarily intended for use in development flows and testing.

manifest-dev-tool commands:

• manifest-dev-tool init - Initializes the developer environment.
• manifest-dev-tool create - A simplified tool for creating manifests.
• manifest-dev-tool create-v1 - A simplified tool for creating manifests using the V1 schema.
• manifest-dev-tool update - Allows you to perform end-to-end tests without leaving the command shell.
• manifest-dev-tool update-v1 - Allows you to perform end-to-end tests without leaving the command shell using a V1-schema manifest.

Note: You can run manifest-dev-tool --help for more information about all commands, or manifest-dev-tool <command> --help for more detailed information about a specific command, including its parameters and how to use them.

manifest-dev-tool init

The manifest-dev-tool init command is used to initialize the developer environment.

• Generates credentials and a configuration file in the tool's cache directory:

  • dev.key.pem - An update private key.
  • dev.cert.der - An update public key certificate.
  • dev.cfg.yaml - Developer configuration file.

  The default cache directory name is .manifest-dev-tool.

• Generates an update resource C file with symbols that allow bypassing the provisioning step in the developer flow. The default name is update_default_resources.c.

Notes

1. Use the credentials generated by manifest-dev-tool init in the development stage only.
2. You can keep your access key in the .izuma-dev-presets.yaml file in your home directory and pass it using the --gw-preset option.

Example of .izuma-dev-presets.yaml:

usa:
    host: https://api.us-east-1.mbedcloud.com
    access_key: ak_SOME_VERY_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
japan:
    host: https://api.ap-northeast-1.mbedcloud.com
    access_key: ak_SOME_OTHER_VERY_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY

To obtain an access key and API host URL, in the Device Management Portal, click Access Management > Access keys > New access key. Limit access to the .izuma-dev-presets.yaml file to your user only.

Example

You can run manifest-dev-tool init with an access key as follows:

manifest-dev-tool init --access-key [Device Management access key]

Or

manifest-dev-tool init --gw-preset usa

manifest-dev-tool create

The manifest-dev-tool create command is used to create developer manifest files without requiring an input configuration file.

Example

You can create a developer manifest with the following command:

manifest-dev-tool create \
    --payload-url http://test.pdmc.izumanetworks.com?fileId=1256 \
    --payload-path new_fw.bin \
    --fw-version 1.2.3 \
    --component-name MAIN \
    --output update-manifest.bin

Notes:

1. To run a delta update, specify the output of manifest-delta-tool in the --payload-path argument and ensure that the .yaml output with the same name sits next to that output file.
2. You can add the --sign-image argument to update a device with a secure bootloader that requires an image signature.

manifest-dev-tool create-v1

The manifest-dev-tool create-v1 command is used to create developer manifest files in v1 format without requiring an input configuration file.

Example

You can create a developer manifest in v1 format with the following command:

manifest-dev-tool create-v1 \
    --payload-url http://test.pdmc.izumanetworks.com?fileId=1256 \
    --payload-path new-fw.bin \
    --output update-manifest.bin

Note: To run a delta update, specify the output of manifest-delta-tool in the --payload-path argument and ensure that the .yaml output with the same name sits next to that output file.

manifest-dev-tool update

The manifest-dev-tool update command is similar to manifest-dev-tool create, but it also allows you to interact with Device Management to run a full update campaign. The command performs the following actions:

1. Uploads the payload to Device Management and obtains the URL.
2. Create a manifest file with the URL from the previous step and obtains a manifest URL.
3. Creates an update campaign with the manifest URL from the previous step.
4. Starts the update campaign if you pass the --start-campaign or --wait-for-completion argument.
5. If you pass the --wait-for-completion argument, the tool waits for the campaign to complete for the time period specified by --timeout or until the campaign reaches one of its terminating states.
6. If you pass the --wait-for-completion argument without the --no-cleanup flag, the tool removes the uploaded test resources from Device Management before exiting.

Example

You can run a full update campaign with the following command:

manifest-dev-tool update \
    --payload-path my_new_fw.bin \
    --fw-version 1.2.3 \
    --wait-for-completion

Note: The tool creates the device filter for the campaign based on the unique class-id and vendor-id fields generated by the manifest-dev-tool init command.

manifest-dev-tool update-v1

The manifest-dev-tool update-v1 command is similar to manifest-dev-tool update, but it works with a v1-format manifest.

Example

You can run a full update campaign with a v1-format manifest using the following command:

manifest-dev-tool update-v1 \
    --payload-path my_new_fw.bin \
    --wait-for-completion

Developer workflow example for Mbed OS devices

1. Clone the https://github.com/PelionIoT/mbed-cloud-client-example repository.

2. From within the repository, execute the following command to initialize the developer environment and generate an update_default_resources.c file:

   manifest-dev-tool init -a $MY_ACCESS_KEY
   

3. Build the firmware image for your device.

4. Save the mbed-cloud-client-example_update.bin file.

5. Flash the mbed-cloud-client-example.bin to the device.

6. Wait for the device to register in the cloud.

7. Make some changes to the source of the firmware application.

8. Build the firmware update candidate for your device.

   • To test the delta update, create a delta patch:

     manifest-delta-tool -c <original mbed-cloud-client-example_update.bin> -n <new mbed-cloud-client-example_update.bin> -o delta.bin
     

9. Issue an update campaign with the following command::

   manifest-dev-tool update --payload-path <new mbed-cloud-client-example_update.bin or delta.bin> --wait-for-completion
   

Upgrading from manifest tool v1.5.2 and lower

Manifest tool v2.0.0 is not compatible with previous versions.

This section explains how to migrate your existing configuration and credentials for use with manifest-tool version 2.2.0 and higher.

• Initializing the development environment using previously-defined configuration and credentials.

  Run the following manifest-dev-tool init command:

  manifest-dev-tool init --api-url <API URL> \
                         --access-key <Access key> \
                         --vendor-id <Vendor ID> \
                         --class-id <Class ID> \
                         --key <private key path> \
                         --update-certificate <certificate path>
  

  Where <API URL> and <Access key> are the values from the previous .mbed_cloud_config.json file, <Vendor ID> and <Class ID> are the values from the previous .manifest_tool.json file, and <private key path> and <certificate path> are the paths to your private key and update certificate, respectively.

  Once the command finishes successfully, you can remove the previously created files.

• Adapting the create manifest configuration

  If you use manifest-tool (not manifest-dev-tool), create a new configuration file, as described in manifest-tool create, and copy the relevant information from your existing .manifest_tool.json file. This ensures that your existing configuration and credentials are adapted for use with the new version of manifest-tool.

External signing tool

Typically, the manifest tool is responsible for digitally signing the manifest binary.
However, in a production environment where a hardware security module (HSM) is utilized for signing operations, it is preferable to have the HSM perform the manifest signing instead.
The manifest tool can seamlessly integrate with an external signing tool for this purpose.

The external signing tool should be configured to accept the following parameters:

<digest algorithm> <key identifier> <input file> <output file>

Only SHA256 is currently supported as . Before invoking the script, the manifest tool populates the <input file> with the data to be signed.
Once the script execution is completed, the manifest tool retrieves the signature from the <output file>.
It's important to note that both of these files should be in their raw binary form.

Here is an explanation of how to utilize an external signing tool in both developer and production modes.

Production mode

To generate a manifest signed by an external signing tool, follow these steps:

1. Include the following key in the configuration JSON or YAML file used as a parameter for the manifest-tool create command:

   signing-tool: ./sign.sh # Path to the external signing tool.
                           # Enables signing with existing infrastructure.
                           # The tool should accept the arguments: <digest algorithm> <key identifier> <input file> <output file>.
                           # The `--key` CLI argument will be used as <key identifier>.
   

2. Execute the manifest-tool create command with the $SIGNING_KEY_ID argument. This will use the specified $SIGNING_KEY_ID with the signing-tool script.

    manifest-tool create \
         --config config.yaml \
         --key $SIGNING_KEY_ID \
         --fw-version 1.2.3 \
         --output my.manifest.bin 
   

These steps enable the creation of a manifest signed by the designated external signing tool in a production environment.

Developer mode

To test the external signing tool feature, it can be beneficial to use the developer flow.
Start by executing the manifest-dev-tool init command with the -s, --key and --update-certificates parameters as follows: The $UPDATE_CERTIFICATE certificate should match the $KEY

manifest-dev-tool init \
     -a $MY_ACCESS_KEY \
     -s $SIGNING_TOOL  \
     --key $KEY        \
     --update-certificate $UPDATE_CERTIFICATE

After the initiation of the manifest-dev-tool, the subsequent manifest-dev-tool commands such as update, update-v1, create, and create-v1 will employ the external SIGNING_TOOL script to sign the manifest using the specified SIGNING_KEY_ID.

Troubleshooting

When encountering unexpected errors with the manifest tool, it can be helpful to get more context on the failure. Here are some common issues and their solutions:

• Getting more context on unexpected errors.

  When the tool exits with a non-zero return code, it may be helpful to get more context on the failure.

  Solution: Execute the tool with the --debug flag at the top argument parser level. For example:

  manifest-dev-tool --debug update
  

• manifest-dev-tool update ... --wait-for-completion takes longer than expected.

  manifest-dev-tool update creates a unique class-id and vendor-id generated per developer. Device Management expects a single device with these properties to connect to Device Management.

  During development, a device's device-id might change after wiping out its storage, leading to two different devices with the same class-id and vendor-id. In this scenario, Device Management will try to update both devices, although one of them no longer exists.

  Solution: Manually delete the unwanted device from Device Management. Alternatively, run manifest-dev-tool update ... --wait-for-completion with --device-id DEVICE_ID to override the default campaign filter and target a specific device by its ID.

• Update fails and manifest-dev-tool update ... --wait-for-completion cleans all resources.

  You might want to leave the resources (firmware image candidate, update manifest, and update campaign) on a service for further investigation or retry.

  Solution: Execute manifest-dev-tool update ... --wait-for-completion with the --no-cleanup flag.

• Device does not support this manifest schema

  Solution: Your device does not support the created manifest schema. Switch from the create or update command to the create-v1 or update-v1 command respectively and vice versa. Make sure the manifest schema aligns with your device's compatibility.