MCUmgr
Overview
The management subsystem allows remote management of Zephyr-enabled devices. The following management operations are available:
The management subsystem is based on the Simple Management Protocol (SMP) provided by MCUmgr, an open source project that provides a management subsystem that is portable across multiple real-time operating systems.
The management subsystem is located in subsys/mgmt/ inside of the Zephyr tree.
Additionally, there is a sample server that provides management functionality over Bluetooth LE and serial.
Supported transports
MCUmgr supports a wide range of transports in-tree of Zephyr, additional transports can be added and submitted upstream or used out-of-tree in downstream projects without needing to fork the Zephyr repository.
The following transports are supported in Zephyr:
Name |
Kconfigs |
Extra details |
Mode support |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Server |
Client |
Incoming |
Outgoing |
|||
UART |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|||
Raw UART |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|||
Shell |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
|||
Bluetooth |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|||
UDP (IPv4) |
|
Optional DTLS support |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
|
UDP (IPv6) |
|
Optional DTLS support |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
|
LoRaWAN |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
|||
SPI |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
|||
The following are designed for usage in tests: |
||||||
Dummy |
Virtual |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||
Raw Dummy |
UART SMP over console encoding, virtual |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
||
Tools/libraries
There are various tools and libraries available which enable usage of MCUmgr functionality on a device which are listed below. Note that these tools are not part of or related to the Zephyr project.
Name |
OS support |
Transports |
Groups |
Type |
Language |
License |
|||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windows |
Linux |
mac |
Mobile |
Embedded |
Serial |
Serial (raw) |
Bluetooth |
UDP |
LoRaWAN |
SPI |
OS |
IMG |
Stat |
Settings |
FS |
Shell |
Enum |
Transport |
Zephyr |
||||
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
Application |
C++ (Qt) |
GPL-3.0 |
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
Application |
Rust |
Apache-2.0 |
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
Web page (chrome only) |
Javascript |
MIT |
|
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
Application |
Rust |
MIT |
|
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
Library and application |
Java, Kotlin, Swift |
Apache-2.0 |
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
Library |
Python |
Apache-2.0 |
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
Library |
Python |
Apache-2.0 |
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
Application |
Python |
Apache-2.0 |
|
mcumgr-toolkit |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
Library and application |
Rust, Python |
Apache-2.0 |
Zephyr MCUmgr client (in-tree) |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
Library |
C |
Apache-2.0 |
Note that a tick for a particular group indicates basic support for that group in the code, it is possible that not all commands/features of a group are supported by the implementation.
J-Link Virtual MSD Interaction Note
On boards where a J-Link OB is present which has both CDC and MSC (virtual Mass Storage Device, also known as drag-and-drop) support, the MSD functionality can prevent MCUmgr commands over the CDC UART port from working due to how USB endpoints are configured in the J-Link firmware (for example on the nRF52840 DK board) because of limiting the maximum packet size (most likely to occur when using image management commands for updating firmware). This issue can be resolved by disabling MSD functionality on the J-Link device, follow the instructions on Disabling the Mass Storage Device functionality to disable MSD support.
Bootloader Integration
The Device Firmware Upgrade subsystem integrates the management subsystem with the bootloader, providing the ability to send and upgrade a Zephyr image to a device.
Currently only the MCUboot bootloader is supported. See MCUboot for more information.
Discord channel
Developers welcome!
Discord mcumgr channel: https://discord.com/invite/Ck7jw53nU2