Enhancing Efficiency and Security with FlashRunner OS: Key Functionalities Explored

The FlashRunner Operating System, as already illustrated in our previous article, offers many advanced functionalities that simplify its utilization and enhance the user’s possibilities. These features are developed over the years, as we adopt new technologies, constantly in touch with the customer’s needs. Here below we illustrate the most interesting and advanced ones.

Users’ management

Many people, with different roles, are involved in the context of a production environment. Each one has different authorization and different tasks, spacing from setup and validation up to mass production. 

FlashRunner OS allows the definition of an additional profile with limited and configurable permission. In this method only authorized people, after a login, can fully access the programmer. Moreover, each command can be set to require a login to be executed. Finally, it is also possible to set a flash counter to exactly track and limit the number of programmed DUT, and avoid unauthorized programming. 

Data management

As a programmer, one of the most important aspects of FlashRunner is data management. The customer’s firmware needs to be checked, eventually patched and flashed according to its metadata and device specification. To accomplish this aim, the Operating System receives the data formatted as FRB, a file type defined by SMH Technologies that is optimized to be read and parsed efficiently. The OS always checks the data integrity before its utilization and then eventually patches it with dynamic data (like serial number, etc not stored in the file) and then partially stores it in a volatile cache for faster access. Moreover, the OS can handle encrypted data, using standard cipher algorithms, choosing between symmetric or asymmetric keys. Finally, is also possible to guarantee, other secrecy and integrity, the authenticity of data through the CMAC mechanism, making the system full around completed.

Logging

Knowing what is happening in a production line is fundamental.  FlashRunner OS offers a real-time log functionality to track all operation occurs. The log report, for each operation, the timestamp and the channel involved, making possible to know the status of the entire system. The user can set different log levels to choose what event record according to its needs, avoiding unnecessary entries. The log is also stored in a file in a circular way to limit its dimension, making it possible to access it in the next moment.

FlashRunner OS is the core of the system, and through it, the device drivers can express all their potential. Other features, here not mentioned, are present, therefore stay tuned on our blog for the next articles.