Integrate IoT cloud analytics and over the-air (ota) updates with google and mender.io

Mirza Krak
Embedded Solutions Architect
Mender.io
Integrate IoT cloud analytics and over-the-air (OTA) updates with Google and Mender.io

● Over-the-air software updates for IoT and Mender introduction
● Yocto Project introduction
● Google IoT Core and Cloud IoT introduction
● Device authentication integration between Cloud IoT and Mender
Session overview

● Mirza Krak
○ 8 years in Embedded Linux
■ U-boot and Linux kernel
■ Yocto/Buildroot
○ mirza.krak@northern.tech
About me
● mender.io
○ Open-source update manager for
embedded devices
○ Open source (Apache License, v2)
○ Supports a variation of update styles
■ Dual A/B rootfs layout
■ Update Modules (beta)
○ Remote deployment management (server)
○ Under active development

https://northern.tech/careers
We are hiring

Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of things (IoT) is the extension of
Internet connectivity into physical devices
and everyday objects. Embedded with
electronics, Internet connectivity, and other
forms of hardware (such as sensors), these
devices can communicate and interact with
others over the Internet, and they can be
remotely monitored and controlled
Source: WikipediaIt means taking all the things in the world and
connecting them to the internet

Connected devices must be remotely updatable
● There will be bugs, vulnerabilities
○ 1-25 per 1000 lines of code*
○ Botnets w/ millions of devices:
Mirai, Hajime, Brickerbot
● … and new features
● … after device is deployed to the field
*Source: Steve McConnell, Code Complete
Source: Ars Technica

IoT devices are in a harsh environment
● Remote
○ Expensive to reach physically
● Long expected lifetime
○ 5 - 10 years
● Unreliable power
○ Battery
○ Suddenly unplugged
● Unreliable network
○ Intermittent connectivity
○ Low bandwidth
○ Insecure
What can
go wrong?

Criteria for IoT software update management
● Robust and secure
● Atomic installation & consistent across
devices
● Secure transport and codesigning
● Integrates with existing development
environment
● Easy to get started
● Bandwidth consumption
● Downtime during update
What can
go wrong?

General IoT update manager workflow
Detect update
(secure channel)
Download
(secure channel)
Integrity
(e.g. checksum)
Authenticate
(e.g. signature)
DecryptExtract
Install Failure recovery
(e.g. roll back)
Compatibility
check
Sanity checks
Post-install
actions
Pre-install
actions
Must-have
Environment-specific
(Re)Start*
*E.g. reboot, restart service, start container

Mender provides both client and server
● Client-server model
○ Apache 2.0
○ Mender provides both, including web UI
○ No need to “glue” several projects
○ Server can integrate with 3rd party
clients through its REST API
● Supports updating
○ File system images
○ Update Modules (beta)
■ Application updates
■ Containers
■ nd more

Mender uses a dual A/B system layout
● Very robust
○ Fully atomic and consistent
● Integrates well
○ OS, kernel, apps unchanged
○ Needs bootloader “flip” support
○ Partition layout, requires 2x
rootfs storage
● Fairly short downtime (minute)
○ 1 reboot
OS A
(active)
Bootloader
Device/System
OS B
(inactive)
Kernel Kernel
● Mender deploys to inactive partition, then
reboots into it
○ Common design for IoT
○ Used in newer Androids (‘N’ and later)

Mender - server
Mender Devices
Users
API Gateway
TCP 443
DeviceAdm
DeviceAuth
UserAdm
Inventory
Deployments
GUI
Conductor
Storage
Proxy
TCP 9000
Minio
MongoDB
ElasticSearch
Redis
Filesystem
external clients stateless application layer persistent storage
● Microservices
● Only port 433 and 9000
● RESTful API
○ Device API
○ Management API
/api/management/v1/deployments
/api/management/v1/admission
/api/management/v1/devauth/
….
https://docs.mender.io/apis/overview

Yocto Project is a Linux build system
“It's not an embedded Linux
Distribution, It creates a custom one
for you.”
● Structured way to build a Linux
distribution from source, using
software “meta layers”
● Flexible and very portable
between hardware
○ Requires some learning
● Probably the most popular Linux “OS” for
IoT devices
○ Major board manufacturers provide
BSPs as Yocto meta layers
● Mender provides meta-mender for
integrating the Mender client
● Google provides meta-gcp-iot for integrating
Mender and MQTT telemetry application

Google IoT Core
“Cloud IoT Core is a fully managed service that allows you to easily and securely
connect, manage, and ingest data from millions of globally dispersed devices”
● MQTT and HTTP protocols
● scales automatically in response to real-time changes
● industry-standard security protocols protect your data.

Google IoT Core
Protocol bridge
MQTT protocol endpoint
Automatic load balancing
Global data access with
Pub/Sub
Device manager
Configure individual devices
Update and control devices
Role level access control
Console and APIs for device
deployment and monitoring

Device authentication is complex
● To securely authenticate to cloud services, devices need an identity and credential
tuple
○ Typically a serial number and public/private keypair
● Different cloud services use different identity and credential tuples
● Result: Identity and key management becomes very complex and error-prone

Device authentication in Google IoT Core
Device identity is based on an asymmetric key-pair of
two supported formats:
○ RSA 256 public key wrapped in a X.509v3
certificate
○ Elliptic curve (ECDSA) algorithm using
P-256 and SHA-256 [more efficient,
better suited for small devices]
Credentials may optionally have an expiration
timestamp
A device can have up to 3 credentials associated with
it at a time, allowing for rotation
The service should never need the private key
The sequence shown here is only one way to handle
device provisioning

Device authentication in Google IoT Core
MQTT/HTTP
broker
Verify JWT signature with
public key
Run API Script with
public key files
Create JWT
Secure Sign
JWT
Save device
public key
association
Device Key pair securely
generated in
Microchip ATECC608A or NXP
A71CH
Provisioner Device manager
OK
Create device (deviceid, public key)
OK
Connect (device id, signed JWT)
Connected
Secure element w/
private keys soldered
to the device
Public keys
passed as file

Device authentication in Mender
Unique
client
identity
Unique
client
key pair
Mender
client
IoT device
Trusted
server
cert
Root
certs
Mender server
Mender
config Trusted
server
cert
API
gateway
(nginx)
RSA key unique to this client. Used to sign client
identity in auth requests. Will be tied to client
identity in server.
TLS (https)
1. Auth request:
client identity, signed(client identity)
2. Reject (if client unknown/pending) or issue
JWT auth token to client.
Clients get JWT auth token if:
A. They are preauthorized, or
B. Accepted (once pending) by user/script
Identity attributes (key-value). Identity scheme is
customizable, typically serial number or MAC
address is used. More info: Identity in Mender

Device authentication integration workflow

Integration based on common private key
Identity tied to Private Key
(secure on disk or in secure element)
MQTT Client Mender Agent
Mender OTA
Server
Google Cloud
IoT Core
OTA and Firmware ManagementTelemetry and Data plane

Reference integration
Step-by-step tutorial available
bit.ly/mender-google

Integrate IoT cloud analytics and over the-air (ota) updates with google and mender.io

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