Bumpless Firmware Upgrades for Controllers

Feb. 12, 2020

Bedrock Automation demonstrates how firmware updates to its automation platform can be conducted without disrupting its operation.

David Greenfield, editor in chief

Demo of Bedrock Automation's OSA platform undergoing a firmware update. Oscilloscope in background demonstrates how the control system's operations are unaffected during the update process.

At ARC Forum 2020, Bedrock Automation highlighted the capability of its Open Secure Automation (OSA) platform to perform bumpless updates. Essentially, this means that control system updates can now be rolled out without interrupting production processes.

As Albert Royyakkers, founder and CEO of Bedrock Automation, explained, the OSA platform features redundancy not just for reliability but for availability. He said Bedrock Automation is focused on making firmware upgrades to its systems in the field “seamless.”

In a demonstration at the event, Rooyakers and Craig Allen, manager of customer service and technical support at Bedrock Automation, show how the OSA system, with its redundant universal I/O, controller, and power supply, can be securely updated without impacting the system’s operation.

See the video below where Rooyakkers and Allen perform a firmware upgrade on the system over a secure cellular connection on a public network.

About the Author

David Greenfield, editor in chief | Editor in Chief

David Greenfield joined Automation World in June 2011. Bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and media experience to his position, David’s contributions can be found in AW’s print and online editions and custom projects. Earlier in his career, David was Editorial Director of Design News at UBM Electronics, and prior to joining UBM, he was Editorial Director of Control Engineering at Reed Business Information, where he also worked on Manufacturing Business Technology as Publisher.