Secure upgrade

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

Make sure you won't lose your activation lease

(Check to see whether your laptop has the ak flag set or an activation lease)

1. Get to a terminal on the laptop, and type: ls /security
   • 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. Hold onto the key with the lease.sig file on it. You will have to boot the laptop with this key 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 key with the os{number}.img and fs.zip file at the root.
   • You can get these files from official releases
2. Insert the usb key into the shut down laptop.
3. With the usb key inserted, power up while holding all four game buttons.
4. When it says 'release the game keys', release all buttons.
   • This will re-write the nand image.
5. Once done with the nand re-flash, the laptop will reboot.
6. Next, the laptop may update the firmware, if necessary.
7. After done with the upgrade(s), the laptop will either boot to the prompt for a name (if you have an ak flag), or fail to boot because it's not activated.
8. If you're laptop failed to boot, insert the key with lease.sig on it, and boot the laptop.
   • This should get you to the prompt for a name.
9. Press the Alt+Ctrl+Mesh keys together to get to the terminal, and check that the laptop is at the version you wanted.
10. type root, enter, and poweroff to shut down the laptop.