Mender blog
Both the new Mender Server 4.1 LTS release and Hosted Mender release (4.1.0-saas.22) deliver delta update enhancements.
Server-side generation of delta updates
The latest Mender Server 4.1 LTS release introduces production-grade server-side generation of delta updates for Mender.
Delta updates can save significant network costs in bandwidth-sensitive environments, such as metered cellular networks. Delta updates can also greatly reduce issues where devices are unable to download a full update completely due to unreliable networks. Depending on the environment, delta updates can reduce the download size by up to 95%, transferring only the difference between the currently installed software and the one to be deployed.
The challenge with leveraging delta updates effectively is the inherent interdependence – which delta is needed depends on which software the device is currently running. In turn, delta updates potentially create a complex version matrix to be managed.
With server-side generation of delta updates in Mender, this device-specific delta generation is automatically and transparently solved by the Mender Server. For a given deployment, delta updates can be enabled under Advanced options.
The status of the delta update generation can be monitored under both Deployments (indicating that a delta is being generated for a Device) and a new tab under Releases.
As an optional step, optimizing the delta generation to the smallest possible size depends on the Artifact being deployed and the changes made between the releases. These parameters can now be set in Global settings in the Mender UI.
Please note: The server-side generation of delta updates currently supports “rootfs-image” type of updates (full A/B file system updates). This update type is typically the largest type of update, and the devices need to be configured with a read-only file system. See more information in the documentation. Future releases will support more update types for server generation.
For the full list of Mender enhancements, check out the changelogs for Mender Server.
Delta artifact generation and release management
With the latest Hosted Mender release (4.1.0-saas.22), delta artifact generation now provides complete visibility throughout the job lifecycle. Status fields are populated as jobs transition to completion, including total processing time from start to finish. The improvements include sorting delta generation job lists, making it easier to monitor and manage delta operations across your fleet.
Release management workflows are now more flexible. Mender only considers active deployments when determining if a release is "in use," allowing releases from completed deployments to be deleted. This simplifies cleanup operations and storage management for teams managing large artifact libraries.
User experience improvements
The latest Hosted Mender release (4.1.0-saas.22) also delivers improvements for the user, including self-service subscription capabilities.
Trial users benefit from improved onboarding. The device configuration snippet now correctly displays shorter polling intervals during the trial period, enabling faster iteration when evaluating Mender. A security notification email is now sent when a user disables the device monitor’s “Email Notification” setting.
Personal Access Token (PAT) security email notifications
Additionally, email notifications are now sent for Personal Access Token (PAT) management events, providing visibility into account security activities. Users with incomplete signup processes can proceed without errors when billing profiles are not yet initialized.
Self-service portal for subscription changes
For Mender subscriptions under 1000 devices and paid by credit card, users can now increase their device limit, add Mender add-ons, and upgrade their plan completely through the self-service portal. All Mender subscription changes take effect immediately, no delay!
To upgrade your plan, go to Settings (top-right corner) and then “Upgrades and add-ons.”
Try the new features
The hosted deployment of Mender is already updated with all the new features. If you’re an existing customer, check out the new features and functionality in your account today!
Note: The server-side generation of delta updates capability is only available with the Enterprise plan.
For self-hosted, on-premise Mender, please refer to the Server upgrade documentation to get the latest release.
If you are new to Mender, we recommend following the Get started documentation and signing up for a Free Trial account. No credit card is required, and you get 10 devices for free for 12 months.
Share your feedback
Share your feedback about this release in the Mender Hub General Discussions forum. If you encounter any issues, please report them in the Mender JIRA issue tracker with detailed reproduction steps.
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