OTA Update Issues

Symptoms

• OTA update status shows "Failed" in device settings
• Agent version does not change after triggering an update
• Pi becomes unresponsive during update

How OTA Updates Work

1. You trigger an update from the dashboard device settings
2. The command is written to RTDB at /devices/{id}/ota/
3. The Pi agent downloads the update package
4. The agent applies the update and restarts
5. The new agent version is reported back to RTDB

Common Causes and Fixes

1. Network Interrupted During Download

Check: The update status shows a download error.

Fix: Ensure the Pi has a stable internet connection and retry the update. The update package must be fully downloaded before installation begins.

2. Insufficient Disk Space

Check: Device health shows high disk usage.

Fix: Free up space on the Pi:

sudo apt autoremove
sudo journalctl --vacuum-size=100M
rm -rf /tmp/*

Then retry the update.

3. Update Package Corrupted

Check: The agent log shows checksum or integrity errors.

Fix: Retry the update. If the issue persists, it may be a server-side problem. Wait and try again later.

4. Pi Rebooted During Update

If the Pi lost power or rebooted during the update process:

• The agent has a rollback mechanism that restores the previous version
• If the rollback fails, you may need to SSH in and manually restart the agent

Fix: SSH into the Pi and check the agent status:

sudo systemctl status loopstring-agent

If the agent is not running, restart it:

sudo systemctl restart loopstring-agent

5. Agent Version Already Current

If the update appears to do nothing, the Pi may already be running the latest version.

Check: Compare the reported agent version in RTDB (/devices/{id}/meta/agentVersion) with the latest available version.

Forcing a Fresh Install

If OTA updates consistently fail:

1. SSH into the Pi
2. Manually download and install the latest agent package
3. Restart the agent service

As a last resort, re-flash the SD card with the latest LoopString OS image.

Next Steps

• Common Errors for other error messages
• Device Offline if the Pi is unreachable after an update