Stable Upgrade

This page is about updating the operating system software on your XO laptop to a "stable" release. It arrived running a stable release, and other stable releases have been made. A stable release is distinguished from other software "builds" by being signed with a crypto key that ony OLPC has, marking it as a suitable software release for ordinary people using the laptop. (As opposed to more adventurous people, who might want to run improved software not written by OLPC. Anyone is free to do so; this capability is required by the GNU General Public License that governs much of the software. And by OLPC on free/open source software, the company policy on freedom for the users of its software.)

You can upgrade via the built-in networking, or by using a USB storage device such as a flash memory "USB stick".

OLPC software releases are currently identified by numbers; thus "643" or "649" below are the numbers of particular software releases made in late 2007.

Network upgrade (only works well from 643 or later)

1. Go into the virtual terminal: Hold down Alt, Ctrl, and (the 'Mesh' key - third key from the left along the top row).
2. Login in as 'root'
3. Type: olpc-update <version>
   • The stable version released on December 1 is '649'.
4. When the download and upgrade are complete and verified; type 'reboot' to start the laptop up in the new version.
5. After booting into sugar, check the code version as described below.

To Upgrade from a USB stick (will overwrite all saved data)

Copy any files you would like to keep onto another data storage device (usb key, another laptop, etc...)

First you need to create a USB stick with the latest stable build:

1. Make sure that your USB stick is FAT formatted, not FAT 32, and only contains 1 partition.
2. Go to the jffs2 download page for stable build, http://download.laptop.org/xo-1/os/official/
3. Download two files to your local computer: fs.zip (about 200k), and osXXX.img (about 300M); where XXX is the build number.
   • These files will be found in /build_number/jffs2
4. Put these two files on the USB stick at the root directory. Remove any other files on the USB stick.

Next, upgrade your laptop:

1. Ensure you have both a power adapter and a battery plugged into the laptop.
2. Insert the USB stick into the laptop while it is powered off.
3. Hold down all four gamekeys on the right then push the power button.
4. Release the gamekeys when directed.

Check the version of code your laptop is running:

1. Boot the laptop; and wait until you get the sugar home screen.
2. Hold down Alt, Ctrl, and 'mesh' (the third key from the left along the top row).
3. Check the version by reading the label just above the login: OLPC Build 649 (match that against expected build number). You may have to hit enter once.
4. Hold down Alt, Ctrl, and 'home' (the 5th key from the left on the top row) to get back to Sugar UI.

Advanced Upgrades

To upgrade to a non-stable release, you must have a developer's key (or a machine that was never locked down, such as a G1G1 MP machine). Consult Activation and Developer Keys and Autoreinstallation for more details.