As embedded systems continue to evolve toward higher intelligence and connectivity, maintaining reliability and security in deployed devices becomes increasingly critical. Whether in industrial automation, communication infrastructure, or edge computing, the ability to remotely update firmware without interrupting operations is essential. The Remote System Update (RSU) feature in Altera Agilex™ SoC FPGAs addresses this requirement by enabling secure, robust, and flexible field firmware upgrades ensuring devices can be reprogrammed, recovered, and optimized even after deployment.
What is RSU? How does it work?
RSU is a built-in capability of Agilex™ SoC FPGAs that allows systems to reconfigure and update their FPGA images remotely via flash memory. It provides a mechanism to safely switch between different application images or revert to a fallback image in case of update failures, ensuring uninterrupted system operation. This feature is especially vital for field-deployed systems, where physical access for reprogramming may be impractical or costly. RSU provides a reliable framework for over-the-air (OTA) updates, making Agilex-based platforms more adaptable and maintenance-friendly.
At its core, the RSU mechanism uses a dual-image concept stored in external flash memory typically a factory image and an application image.
- The factory image is a known stable configuration used as a fallback.
- The application image is the field-updatable configuration that can be refreshed or replaced.
During the update process, the new image is written to flash while the existing configuration remains operational. Once the image is validated, RSU switches to the new version upon the next reboot. If the system encounters a configuration error, the watchdog and retry mechanisms automatically roll back to the previous working image, ensuring fail-safe recovery.
Key Features and Benefits of Agilex RSU
The RSU framework in Agilex™ SoC FPGAs brings together reliability, flexibility, and ease of deployment.
Some of the key capabilities include:
- Dual-Image Management: Supports both factory and application images for rollback protection.
- Intelligent Error Recovery: Automatic fallback to the known good image in the event of CRC or flash corruption.
- Support for Multiple Application Images: Stores and manages up to 126 configuration images for dynamic field upgrades.
- Watchdog Timer and Retry Mechanism: Detects configuration errors and restarts the update sequence automatically.
- Secure Flash Partitioning: Separates factory and application partitions, preventing accidental overwrite.
- Power-Loss Resilience: Maintains stability even if power is interrupted during reconfiguration.
- Flexible Boot Modes: Compatible with both FPGA-first and HPS-first boot flows, enhancing system integration.
These features make Agilex RSU ideal for applications requiring continuous uptime, such as industrial automation, networking, and aerospace systems.
Why RSU matters for modern system design?
In today’s distributed and connected environments, remote manageability and resilience are no longer optional they are foundational. RSU reduces maintenance downtime, eliminates the need for physical servicing, and ensures long-term reliability for systems deployed in mission-critical environments.
By combining secure firmware update, automatic rollback, and multi-image management, developers can create products that are future-ready and capable of adapting to evolving requirements without hardware modification.
iWave Agilex SoC FPGA System on Module Portfolio
iWave offers one of the industry’s most extensive portfolios of Altera Agilex™ SoC FPGA System on Modules (SoMs), delivering scalable compute, AI acceleration, and high-speed connectivity across multiple device families. Each platform is designed for performance, longevity, and ease of integration enabling faster time-to-market for next-generation embedded systems.
Agilex 3 SoM: The Agilex™ 3 C-Series SoC FPGA SoM from iWave offers a perfect balance between high performance and power efficiency, designed for applications that demand an optimal performance-to-cost ratio in a compact form factor. The module is compatible with A3C 100 / A3C 135 devices featuring four GTS transceivers supporting data rates up to 12.5 Gbps, along with rich connectivity options including 2.5G Ethernet, USB 3.1, and PCIe Gen3.
Agilex 5 SoM: The SoM belonging to a mid-range FPGA family is engineered for applications that demand a balance of high performance, low power consumption, and compact design. It incorporates 24 FGT transceivers supporting data rates up to 28 Gbps, alongside USB 3.0 and 2.5G Ethernet interfaces for high-speed data communication.
Agilex 7 R24C SoM: The SoM is designed to cater to a wide range of applications that demand an optimal balance of power and performance. The module delivers exceptional computational capability and connectivity suited for data-intensive, real-time processing environments. It integrates 32 FGT transceivers, supporting data rates of up to 32 Gbps (NRZ) or 58 Gbps (PAM4), enabling high-speed communication across a wide array of interfaces.
Agilex 7 R31A/B/C SoM: The module is compatible with both the Agilex™ 7 I-Series (AGI 019, 022, 023, 027) and F-Series (AGF 019, 022, 023, 027) devices, offering developers flexibility in selecting the right performance grade for their application needs. The SoM integrates 64 FGT transceivers supporting up to 58 Gbps and 8 FHT transceivers supporting up to 112 Gbps, enabling ultra-high-speed serial communication for data centre, telecom, and signal processing workloads.
Agilex 9 R17B Wide-Band SoM: Built on the Altera Agilex™ 9 R17B Direct RF SoC FPGA (AGRW014 device), the module integrates direct RF sampling capability with four ADC and four DAC channels, each supporting sampling rates of up to 64 Gsps, enabling ultra-wideband data acquisition and signal generation without the need for external RF front-end components.
Agilex 9 R31D Mid-Band SoM: Delivers industry-leading midband signal performance with exceptional analog fidelity and processing efficiency. Powered by the Altera Agilex™ 9 Mid-band Direct RF SoC FPGA (AGRM027 device), the module integrates 20 ADC channels supporting up to 4 Gsps and 16 DAC channels capable of up to 12 Gsps, enabling precise data conversion. With 32 high-speed FGT Transceivers operating at up to 58 Gbps PAM4, the module ensures seamless high-throughput connectivity across multiple system interfaces.
Agilex 9 R28A SoM: Coming Soon!
For organizations designing scalable, high-performance systems, Agilex RSU is a cornerstone for achieving both operational continuity and design flexibility redefining what’s possible in modern embedded system lifecycle management. For more information or inquiries, please reach out to mktg@iwave-global.com
