In-Field Update: checking incoming .hex files for NetMF version compatibility

During the software update process, mixing up NetMF v4.2 and NetMF v4.3 binaries is a bad thing.

At that point, because there is no direct access to the controller PCB in the field, a costly repair can be generated.

I’ll be living with this problem because a legacy board will not run NetMF v4.3 due to its more rigorous pin reservations.

The legacy boards will be around a long time.

So, I’m looking for a way to know what version of binary is coming in by checking the s-records.

My initial observation is that the eighth character of the first s-record is different between the NetMF versions. I’m thinking this could be the base address, and it could be a fixed difference between the versions.

Has anyone on the forum had this type of problem, how did you deal with it, and can I rely on the fixed difference outlined above?

There will be no new firmware releases for NETMF so you can hard code it if you like. Still, see my answer to your other post please.