Secure upgrade

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This page describes how to do a re-flash of an activated laptop.

This process destroys all the data on the internal flash memory of the laptop, wiping out all user data, and resetting the laptop to booting from a new, standard, signed operating system build.

Make sure you won't lose your activation lease

G1G1 recipients do not need a lease, and should skip this section.

(Here we check to see whether your laptop has the ak flag set or an activation lease. This doesn't work if your laptop won't boot, so if you're doing this upgrade to get your laptop to start booting again, just proceed to the next section and do the upgrade.)

1. Get to a terminal on the laptop, and type: ls /security
   • On XO-1 this requires root permissions. Press the Alt+Ctrl+Mesh keys together to get to the console, log in as root and then enter the command above as stated.
   • If there is a lease.sig file, you will want to save this lease before re-flashing the laptop.
     1. To do so, insert a USB stick, wait for it to mount, and then type: cp /security/lease.sig /media/{name_of_usb_stick}
     2. Then, switch to the home view, go to the journal, mouse over the USB icon, and click unmount.
     3. Remove the USB stick from the USB slot, but make sure the lease.sig file is stored on it. You will have to boot the laptop with this USB stick inserted after the upgrade.
   • If there is no lease.sig file, your manufacturing data is probably set for pre-activation, and you probably don't need to do anything.
   • If you want to check that this is in fact true, in a terminal, type: ls /ofw/mfg-data/
   • If there is an 'ak' there, then the laptop is pre-activated.

Upgrade the Activated Laptop

To put the latest signed image on the laptop, follow these steps:

1. Create a USB stick with the files os{number}.img and fs.zip on the disk in the top-level directory. (We recommend that you use a "factory-formatted" USB stick.)
   • You can download these files from the latest official release.
2. With the USB stick inserted into your XO, power up while holding down all four game buttons on the right side of screen.
3. When prompted to release the game keys, do so.
   • This will re-write the internal flash memory image.
4. Once done with this re-flash, the laptop will reboot itself.
5. Next, the laptop may update the boot firmware, if necessary, and reboot itself.
6. After done with the upgrade(s), the laptop will either boot to the prompt you for a name. (If the laptop is not activated, it will fail to boot; all G1G1 laptops are shipped activated.)
7. From the Terminal activity check that the laptop is at the version you wanted by typing the command:

cat /etc/issue

(If your laptop failed to boot, insert the USB stick with lease.sig on it, and boot the laptop. This can be the same USB stick you used in Step 1 above. This should get you to the prompt for a name.)