AirStack Packages Update¶

This page describes how to upgrade AirStack software packages, drivers, and FPGA firmware on the AIR-T without re-imaging the disk. Most AirStack upgrades are distributed as Debian packages (.deb files) and this procedure can be followed to upgrade the AIR-T; however, major upgrades that involve a new Ubuntu version or kernel change will require the user to perform a full AirStack OS Install. To determine which procedure may be followed, check the documentation in the Developer Portal (login required).

NOTE: IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES FLASHING YOUR AIR-T, PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT OUR AIRSTACK INSTALLATION FAQ.

Prerequisites¶

You will need:

• An AIR-T
• AirStack Debian packages downloaded from the Developer Portal at www.deepwavedigital.com

AirStack Upgrade Procedure¶

1. On the the AIR-T, open a terminal by entering ctrl + shift + T on the keyboard.

2. Go to the directory in which AirStack was downloaded. For example, if in your Downloads folder, enter the following (excluding the $):

   $ cd ~/Downloads/
   

3. Extract the AirStack archive containing the .deb files:

   $ tar -xvf airstack-packages-<VERSION>.tar.gz
   

   where <VERSION> is replaced with the version you downloaded.

4. Go to the newly extracted directory:

   $ cd airstack-packages-<VERSION>
   

5. Install all of the .deb files extracted from the archive:

   $ sudo dpkg -i *.deb
   

6. Install the new firmware by following the instructions in the Firmware Installation Procedure in the Deepwave documentation.

7. The latest AirStack examples are not included in the upgrade procedure. To get these, look in our Open Source libraries for AirStack-Examples

8. Recreate or update any conda environments that use the radio. To update existing conda environments, first activate the environment, then run the following from within the activated environment:

   $ conda update -c /opt/deepwave/conda-channels/airstack-conda soapysdr-module-airt libadi_control
   

Troubleshooting¶

• If the load_flash step fails during the Firmware Installation Procedure please see the FPGA firmware recovery procedure.
• If you wish to erase the contents of the AIR-T and reinstall the entire operating system please see AirStack Flashing instructions.