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ARGUS User Manual

DJI dock firmware

ARGUS hosts firmware binaries in S3 and pushes them to paired docks (and their aircraft) over the DJI Cloud API ota_create service. The pipeline lives under Admin → DJI management → Firmware.

Who can upload

Firmware upload is admin-only. Operators see the firmware version in the dock tile but cannot initiate an upgrade.

Upload flow

When an admin picks a firmware file in Admin → DJI → Firmware → Upload:

  1. ARGUS requests a 10-minute presigned S3 PUT URL from the API. The short TTL bounds the window for a credential leak.
  2. The browser reads the file and computes MD5 client-side (big files stream through the Web Crypto subtle digest — no load into memory).
  3. The browser uploads directly to S3 via the presigned URL. No bytes round-trip through ARGUS.
  4. After upload, the API runs an S3.HeadObjectCommand to confirm the object exists at the expected size. If the HEAD fails, the S3 key is deleted and the upload is rejected.
  5. The API mints a 6-hour presigned GET URL (long enough to cover the dock’s download + retries) and writes a dji_firmware/{id} Firestore doc with:
    • file name, size, SHA, MD5;
    • product version + firmware version strings pulled from the filename (DJI’s convention — e.g. WM265E_07.01.10.05.zip);
    • target domain (aircraft / dock);
    • uploader uid + timestamp;
    • the presigned GET URL (regenerated on re-push if it expires).

Push to device

  1. In the firmware list, pick the row and click Push to device.
  2. Confirm the target: dock, aircraft, or both (determined by the firmware filename).
  3. ARGUS calls POST /api/dji/docks/{sn}/firmware/upgrade with a devices[] array (one entry each for the dock SN and aircraft SN, with product_version + firmware_version).
  4. argus-dji publishes the DJI ota_create MQTT service with the presigned file_url, md5, and file_size.
  5. The dock downloads the binary, verifies MD5, and begins install. When the target is the aircraft, the dock installs to the aircraft on next presence.

Status pipeline

The dji_docks/{sn}.firmwareUpgrade subfield tracks progress; the firmware tab renders it as a labelled progress bar:

StatusMeaning
queuedThe push was accepted; the dock hasn’t started yet.
downloadingDock is pulling the binary from the presigned URL. Progress percent is byte-level.
verifyingDock is verifying MD5 against the manifest.
installingFlash write in progress. Do not power-cycle the dock during this phase.
completedInstall finished. The dock usually reboots at this point.
failedSee lastError — usually a DJI error code (e.g. 50001 bad MD5).

Progress updates arrive as DJI ota_progress events on thing/product/{sn}/events and are mirrored into Firestore by argus-dji roughly once per second.

Safety gates

ARGUS (and the dock firmware) enforce:

  • No upgrade while airborne. If the aircraft is in any in-flight mode code (MANUAL_FLIGHT, WAYLINE_FLIGHT, AUTO_RETURNING_HOME, etc.), the push is refused by the bridge before it hits MQTT. Land first.
  • No upgrade during an active flight task. Dispatched WPML missions are completed or cancelled before an upgrade is accepted.
  • lastError with DJI code. On failure, the error code is surfaced raw — decoding tables live in DJI’s Cloud-API docs. Common codes: 50001 (MD5 mismatch), 50002 (insufficient storage), 50005 (aircraft missing from dock).

No rollback

There is no rollback. DJI does not expose a downgrade path over Cloud-API OTA. Once a firmware is installed, the only way to go back is a factory-held firmware from DJI support via a physical USB-attached Assistant 2 session. Plan accordingly:

  • Test an upgrade on one dock before fleet-wide push.
  • Keep a spare dock on the prior firmware as a fallback.
  • Do not push during an operational window.

Triggering “check for updates”

The firmware tab also has a Check for updates button that reuses the same pipeline but with empty product_version / firmware_version fields. The dock interprets this as a DJI-managed upgrade-check and pulls whatever it thinks its current recommended version is (bypassing the ARGUS-uploaded binary). Useful in an emergency when ARGUS hasn’t yet mirrored a new DJI release.

  • Pairing — prerequisite.
  • Dock tile — surfaces the current firmware version on the summary row.
  • Remote logs — pull diagnostics if an upgrade fails.