Updated documentation

This commit is contained in:
Mark Qvist 2025-11-02 22:27:27 +01:00
parent 0896df05b6
commit 77d40215c8
46 changed files with 2857 additions and 15197 deletions

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@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ sys.path.insert(0, os.path.abspath('../..'))
# -- Project information -----------------------------------------------------
project = 'Reticulum Network Stack'
copyright = '2023, Mark Qvist'
copyright = '2025, Mark Qvist'
author = 'Mark Qvist'
exec(open("../../RNS/_version.py", "r").read())

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@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Standalone Reticulum Installation
If you simply want to install Reticulum and related utilities on a system,
the easiest way is via the ``pip`` package manager:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
pip install rns
@ -23,9 +23,18 @@ of your system with a command like ``sudo apt install python3-pip``,
You can also dowload the Reticulum release wheels from GitHub, or other release channels,
and install them offline using ``pip``:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
pip install ./rns-0.5.1-py3-none-any.whl
pip install ./rns-1.0.1-py3-none-any.whl
On platforms that limit user package installation via ``pip``, you may need to manually
allow this using the ``--break-system-packages`` command line flag when installing. This
will not actually break any packages, unless you have installed Reticulum directly via
your operating system's package manager.
.. code:: shell
pip install rns --break-system-packages
For more detailed installation instructions, please see the
:ref:`Platform-Specific Install Notes<install-guides>` section.
@ -39,7 +48,7 @@ On some platforms, there may not be binary packages available for all dependenci
``pip`` installation may fail with an error message. In these cases, the issue can usually
be resolved by installing the development essentials packages for your platform:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Debian / Ubuntu / Derivatives
sudo apt install build-essential
@ -245,17 +254,16 @@ easier setup, use TCP.
Connect to the Public Testnet
===========================================
An experimental public testnet has been made accessible over both I2P and TCP. You can join it
by adding one of the following interfaces to your ``.reticulum/config`` file:
An experimental public testnet has been made accessible by volunteers in the community. You
can find interface definitions for adding to your ``.reticulum/config`` file on the
`Reticulum Website <https://reticulum.network/connect.html>`_ or the
`Community Wiki <https://github.com/markqvist/Reticulum/wiki/Community-Node-List>`_
.. code::
You can connect your devices or instances to one or more of these to gain access to any
Reticulum networks they are physically connected to. Simply add one or more interface
snippets to your config file in the ``[interface]`` section, like in the example below:
# TCP/IP interface to the RNS Amsterdam Hub
[[RNS Testnet Amsterdam]]
type = TCPClientInterface
enabled = yes
target_host = amsterdam.connect.reticulum.network
target_port = 4965
.. code:: ini
# TCP/IP interface to the BetweenTheBorders Hub (community-provided)
[[RNS Testnet BetweenTheBorders]]
@ -264,11 +272,11 @@ by adding one of the following interfaces to your ``.reticulum/config`` file:
target_host = reticulum.betweentheborders.com
target_port = 4242
# Interface to Testnet I2P Hub
[[RNS Testnet I2P Hub]]
type = I2PInterface
enabled = yes
peers = g3br23bvx3lq5uddcsjii74xgmn6y5q325ovrkq2zw2wbzbqgbuq.b32.i2p
.. tip::
Ideally, set up a Reticulum Transport Node that your own devices can reach locally, and then
connect that transport node to a couple of public entrypoints. This will provide efficient
connections and redundancy in case any of them go down.
Many other Reticulum instances are connecting to this testnet, and you can also join it
via other entry points if you know them. There is absolutely no control over the network
@ -276,13 +284,65 @@ topography, usage or what types of instances connect. It will also occasionally
to test various failure scenarios, and there are no availability or service guarantees.
Expect weird things to happen on this network, as people experiment and try out things.
It probably goes without saying, but *don't use the testnet entry-points as
hardcoded or default interfaces in any applications you ship to users*. When
shipping applications, the best practice is to provide your own default
connectivity solutions, if needed and applicable, or in most cases, simply
leave it up to the user which networks to connect to, and how.
.. warning::
It probably goes without saying, but *don't use the testnet entry-points as
hardcoded or default interfaces in any applications you ship to users*. When
shipping applications, the best practice is to provide your own default
connectivity solutions, if needed and applicable, or in most cases, simply
leave it up to the user which networks to connect to, and how.
Hosting Public Entrypoints
===========================================
If you want to host a public (or private) entry-point to a Reticulum network over the
Internet, this section offers some helpful pointers. You will need a machine, physical or
virtual with a public IP address, that can be reached by other devices on the Internet.
The most efficient and performant way to host a connectable entry-point supporting many
users is to use the ``BackboneInterface``. This interface type is fully compatible with
the ``TCPClientInterface`` and ``TCPServerInterface`` types, but much faster and uses
less system resources, allowing your device to handle thousands of connections even on
small systems.
It is also important to set your connectable interface to ``gateway`` mode, since this
will greatly improve network convergence time and path resolution for anyone connecting
to your entry-point.
.. code:: ini
# This example demonstrates a backbone interface
# configured for acting as a gateway for users to
# connect to either a public or private network
[[Public Gateway]]
type = BackboneInterface
enabled = yes
mode = gateway
listen_on = 0.0.0.0
port = 4242
If instead you want to make a private entry-point from the Internet, you can use the
:ref:`IFAC name and passphrase options<interfaces-options>` to secure your interface with a network name and passphrase.
.. code:: ini
# A private entry-point requiring a pre-shared
# network name and passphrase to connect to.
[[Private Gateway]]
type = BackboneInterface
enabled = yes
mode = gateway
listen_on = 0.0.0.0
port = 4242
network_name = private_ret
passphrase = 2owjajquafIanPecAc
If you are hosting an entry-point on an operating system that does not support
``BackboneInterface``, you can use ``TCPServerInterface`` instead, although it will
not be as performant.
Adding Radio Interfaces
==============================================
Once you have Reticulum installed and working, you can add radio interfaces with
@ -349,7 +409,7 @@ If you want to participate in the development of Reticulum and associated
utilities, you'll want to get the latest source from GitHub. In that case,
don't use pip, but try this recipe:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Install dependencies
pip install cryptography pyserial
@ -415,7 +475,7 @@ build into Termux. After that, you can use ``pip`` to install Reticulum.
From within Termux, execute the following:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# First, make sure indexes and packages are up to date.
pkg update
@ -434,7 +494,7 @@ If for some reason the ``python-cryptography`` package is not available for
your platform via the Termux package manager, you can attempt to build it
locally on your device using the following command:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# First, make sure indexes and packages are up to date.
pkg update
@ -470,7 +530,7 @@ On some architectures, including ARM64, not all dependencies have precompiled
binaries. On such systems, you may need to install ``python3-dev`` (or similar) before
installing Reticulum or programs that depend on Reticulum.
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Install Python and development packages
sudo apt update
@ -491,7 +551,7 @@ use the replacement ``pipx`` command instead, which places installed packages in
isolated environment. This should not negatively affect Reticulum, but will not work
for including and using Reticulum in your own scripts and programs.
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Install pipx
sudo apt install pipx
@ -506,7 +566,7 @@ Alternatively, you can restore normal behaviour to ``pip`` by creating or editin
the configuration file located at ``~/.config/pip/pip.conf``, and adding the
following section:
.. code:: text
.. code:: ini
[global]
break-system-packages = true
@ -514,7 +574,7 @@ following section:
For a one-shot installation of Reticulum, without globally enabling the ``break-system-packages``
option, you can use the following command:
.. code:: text
.. code:: shell
pip install rns --break-system-packages
@ -539,7 +599,7 @@ Python manually.
When Python and ``pip`` is available on your system, simply open a terminal window
and use one of the following commands:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Install Reticulum and utilities with pip:
pip3 install rns
@ -560,7 +620,7 @@ manually add your installed ``pip`` packages directory to your `PATH` environmen
variable, before you can use installed commands in your terminal. Usually, adding
the following line to your shell init script (for example ``~/.zshrc``) will be enough:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
export PATH=$PATH:~/Library/Python/3.9/bin
@ -583,7 +643,7 @@ Reticulum and related utilities using the `opkg` package manager and `pip`.
To install Reticulum on OpenWRT, first log into a command line session, and
then use the following instructions:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Install dependencies
opkg install python3 python3-pip python3-cryptography python3-pyserial
@ -620,7 +680,7 @@ don't always have packages available for some dependencies. If Python and the
`pip` package manager is not already installed, do that first, and then
install Reticulum using `pip`.
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Install dependencies
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-cryptography python3-pyserial
@ -646,7 +706,7 @@ On some architectures, including RISC-V, not all dependencies have precompiled
binaries. On such systems, you may need to install ``python3-dev`` (or similar) before
installing Reticulum or programs that depend on Reticulum.
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Install Python and development packages
sudo apt update
@ -667,7 +727,7 @@ use the replacement ``pipx`` command instead, which places installed packages in
isolated environment. This should not negatively affect Reticulum, but will not work
for including and using Reticulum in your own scripts and programs.
.. code::
.. code:: shell
# Install pipx
sudo apt install pipx
@ -717,7 +777,7 @@ use the ``pip`` installer, or run the included Reticulum utility programs (such
After installing Python, open the command prompt or Windows Powershell, and type:
.. code::
.. code:: shell
pip install rns

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@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ for example the :ref:`PipeInterface<interfaces-pipe>` or the :ref:`TCPClientInte
in combination with code like `TCP KISS Server <https://github.com/simplyequipped/tcpkissserver>`_
by `simplyequipped <https://github.com/simplyequipped>`_.
It is also very easy to write and load :ref:`custom interface modules<interfaces-custom>`
into Reticulum, allowing you to communicate with more or less anything you can think of.
While this broad support and flexibility is very useful, an abundance of options
can sometimes make it difficult to know where to begin, especially when you are
starting from scratch.

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@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ to participate in the development of Reticulum itself.
hardware
interfaces
networks
examples
support
examples
.. toctree::
:maxdepth: 2

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@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ nodes over any kind of local Ethernet or WiFi-based medium. Even though it uses
discovery, and UDP for packet transport, it **does not** need any functional IP
infrastructure like routers or DHCP servers, on your physical network.
.. warning::
If you have **firewall** software running on your computer, it may block traffic
required for ``AutoInterface`` to work. If this is the case, you will have to
allow UDP traffic on port ``29716`` and ``42671``.
As long as there is at least some sort of switching medium present between peers (a
wired switch, a hub, a WiFi access point or similar, or simply two devices connected
directly by Ethernet cable), it will work without any configuration, setup or intermediary devices.
@ -55,7 +60,7 @@ current operating systems, both desktop and mobile.
most commonly seen on very cheap, ISP-supplied WiFi routers, and can sometimes
be turned off in the router configuration.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# This example demonstrates a bare-minimum setup
# of an Auto Interface. It will allow communica-
@ -99,7 +104,7 @@ autodiscover other Reticulum nodes within your selected Group ID. You can specif
the discovery scope by setting it to one of ``link``, ``admin``, ``site``,
``organisation`` or ``global``.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[Default Interface]]
type = AutoInterface
@ -145,7 +150,7 @@ Listeners
The following examples illustrates various ways to set up ``BackboneInterface`` listeners.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# This example demonstrates a backbone interface
# that listens for incoming connections on the
@ -173,7 +178,7 @@ The following examples illustrates various ways to set up ``BackboneInterface``
If you are using the interface on a device which has both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses available,
you can use the ``prefer_ipv6`` option to bind to the IPv6 address:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# This example demonstrates a backbone interface
# listening on the IPv6 address of a specified
@ -188,7 +193,7 @@ you can use the ``prefer_ipv6`` option to bind to the IPv6 address:
To use the ``BackboneInterface`` over `Yggdrasil <https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/>`_, you
can simply specify the Yggdrasil ``tun`` device and a listening port, like so:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# This example demonstrates a backbone interface
# listening for connections over Yggdrasil.
@ -204,7 +209,7 @@ The following examples illustrates various ways to connect to remote ``BackboneI
As noted above, ``BackboneInterface`` interfaces can also connect to remote ``TCPServerInterface``,
and as such these interface types can be used interchangably.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# Here's an example of a backbone interface that
# connects to a remote listener.
@ -217,7 +222,7 @@ and as such these interface types can be used interchangably.
To connect to remotes over `Yggdrasil <https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/>`_, simply
specify the target Yggdrasil IPv6 address and port, like so:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[Yggdrasil Remote]]
type = BackboneInterface
@ -234,7 +239,7 @@ The TCP Server interface is suitable for allowing other peers to connect over
the Internet or private IPv4 and IPv6 networks. When a TCP server interface has been
configured, other Reticulum peers can connect to it with a TCP Client interface.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# This example demonstrates a TCP server interface.
# It will listen for incoming connections on all IP
@ -262,7 +267,7 @@ configured, other Reticulum peers can connect to it with a TCP Client interface.
If you are using the interface on a device which has both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses available,
you can use the ``prefer_ipv6`` option to bind to the IPv6 address:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# This example demonstrates a TCP server interface.
# It will listen for incoming connections on the
@ -278,7 +283,7 @@ you can use the ``prefer_ipv6`` option to bind to the IPv6 address:
To use the TCP Server Interface over `Yggdrasil <https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/>`_, you
can simply specify the Yggdrasil ``tun`` device and a listening port, like so:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[Yggdrasil TCP Server Interface]]
type = TCPServerInterface
@ -315,7 +320,7 @@ The TCP interface types can also tolerate intermittency in the IP link layer.
This means that Reticulum will gracefully handle IP links that go up and down,
and restore connectivity after a failure, once the other end of a TCP interface reappears.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# Here's an example of a TCP Client interface. The
# target_host can be a hostname or an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
@ -328,7 +333,7 @@ and restore connectivity after a failure, once the other end of a TCP interface
To use the TCP Client Interface over `Yggdrasil <https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/>`_, simply
specify the target Yggdrasil IPv6 address and port, like so:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[Yggdrasil TCP Client Interface]]
type = TCPClientInterface
@ -340,7 +345,7 @@ It is also possible to use this interface type to connect via other programs
or hardware devices that expose a KISS interface on a TCP port, for example
software-based soundmodems. To do this, use the ``kiss_framing`` option:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# Here's an example of a TCP Client interface that connects
# to a software TNC soundmodem on a KISS over TCP port.
@ -363,7 +368,7 @@ intermittent TCP links.
The TCP interfaces support tunneling over I2P, but to do so reliably,
you must use the i2p_tunneled option:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[TCP Client over I2P]]
type = TCPClientInterface
@ -387,10 +392,10 @@ with all other peers on a local area network.
Using broadcast UDP traffic has performance implications,
especially on WiFi. If your goal is simply to enable easy communication
with all peers in your local Ethernet broadcast domain, the
:ref:`Auto Interface<interfaces-auto>` performs better, and is even
:ref:`Auto Interface<interfaces-auto>` performs *much* better, and is even
easier to use.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# This example enables communication with other
# local Reticulum peers over UDP.
@ -460,7 +465,7 @@ of the ``i2pd`` package. For more details about I2P, see the
When an I2P router is running on your system, you can simply add
an I2P interface to Reticulum:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[I2P]]
type = I2PInterface
@ -477,7 +482,7 @@ also inspect the status of the interface using the ``rnstatus`` utility.
To connect to other Reticulum instances over I2P, just add a comma-separated
list of I2P base32 addresses to the ``peers`` option of the interface:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[I2P]]
type = I2PInterface
@ -516,7 +521,7 @@ can be used, and offers full control over LoRa parameters.
varies widely around the world. It is your responsibility to be aware of any
relevant regulation for your location, and to make decisions accordingly.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# Here's an example of how to add a LoRa interface
# using the RNode LoRa transceiver.
@ -608,7 +613,7 @@ Multi interface can be used to configure sub-interfaces individually.
varies widely around the world. It is your responsibility to be aware of any
relevant regulation for your location, and to make decisions accordingly.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# Here's an example of how to add an RNode Multi interface
# using the RNode LoRa transceiver.
@ -724,7 +729,7 @@ Reticulum can be used over serial ports directly, or over any device with a
serial port, that will transparently pass data. Useful for communicating
directly over a wire-pair, or for using devices such as data radios and lasers.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[Serial Interface]]
type = SerialInterface
@ -749,7 +754,7 @@ Using this interface, Reticulum can use any program as an interface via `stdin`
`stdout`. This can be used to easily create virtual interfaces, or to interface with
custom hardware or other systems.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[Pipe Interface]]
type = PipeInterface
@ -780,7 +785,7 @@ for station identification purposes.
varies widely around the world. It is your responsibility to be aware of any
relevant regulation for your location, and to make decisions accordingly.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[Packet Radio KISS Interface]]
type = KISSInterface
@ -848,7 +853,7 @@ beaconing functionality described above.
varies widely around the world. It is your responsibility to be aware of any
relevant regulation for your location, and to make decisions accordingly.
.. code::
.. code:: ini
[[Packet Radio AX.25 KISS Interface]]
type = AX25KISSInterface

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@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ The entire configuration of Reticulum is found in the ``~/.reticulum/config``
file. When Reticulum is first started on a new system, a basic, but fully functional
configuration file is created. The default configuration looks like this:
.. code::
.. code:: ini
# This is the default Reticulum config file.
# You should probably edit it to include any additional,
@ -260,13 +260,14 @@ various configuration options, and interface configuration examples:
Reticulum Network Stack Daemon
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config CONFIG path to alternative Reticulum config directory
-v, --verbose
-q, --quiet
-s, --service rnsd is running as a service and should log to file
--exampleconfig print verbose configuration example to stdout and exit
--version show program's version number and exit
-s, --service rnsd is running as a service and should log to file
-i, --interactive drop into interactive shell after initialisation
--exampleconfig print verbose configuration example to stdout and exit
--version show program's version number and exit
You can easily add ``rnsd`` as an always-on service by :ref:`configuring a service<using-systemd>`.
@ -436,31 +437,30 @@ Decrypt a file using the Reticulum Identity it was encrypted for:
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--config path path to alternative Reticulum config directory
-i identity, --identity identity
hexadecimal Reticulum Destination hash or path to Identity file
-g path, --generate path
generate a new Identity
-i, --identity identity
hexadecimal Reticulum identity or destination hash, or path to Identity file
-g, --generate file generate a new Identity
-m, --import identity_data
import Reticulum identity in hex, base32 or base64 format
-x, --export export identity to hex, base32 or base64 format
-v, --verbose increase verbosity
-q, --quiet decrease verbosity
-a aspects, --announce aspects
-a, --announce aspects
announce a destination based on this Identity
-H aspects, --hash aspects
show destination hashes for other aspects for this Identity
-e path, --encrypt path
encrypt file
-d path, --decrypt path
decrypt file
-s path, --sign path sign file
-V path, --validate path
validate signature
-r path, --read path input file path
-w path, --write path
output file path
-H, --hash aspects show destination hashes for other aspects for this Identity
-e, --encrypt file encrypt file
-d, --decrypt file decrypt file
-s, --sign path sign file
-V, --validate path validate signature
-r, --read file input file path
-w, --write file output file path
-f, --force write output even if it overwrites existing files
-R, --request request unknown Identities from the network
-t seconds identity request timeout before giving up
-p, --print-identity print identity info and exit
-P, --print-private allow displaying private keys
-b, --base64 Use base64-encoded input and output
-B, --base32 Use base32-encoded input and output
--version show program's version number and exit
@ -640,14 +640,18 @@ Or fetch a file from the remote system:
-q, --quiet decrease verbosity
-S, --silent disable transfer progress output
-l, --listen listen for incoming transfer requests
-C, --no-compress disable automatic compression
-F, --allow-fetch allow authenticated clients to fetch files
-f, --fetch fetch file from remote listener instead of sending
-j path, --jail path restrict fetch requests to specified path
-j, --jail path restrict fetch requests to specified path
-s, --save path save received files in specified path
-O, --overwrite Allow overwriting received files, instead of adding postfix
-b seconds announce interval, 0 to only announce at startup
-a allowed_hash allow this identity
-a allowed_hash allow this identity (or add in ~/.rncp/allowed_identities)
-n, --no-auth accept requests from anyone
-p, --print-identity print identity and destination info and exit
-w seconds sender timeout before giving up
-P, --phy-rates display physical layer transfer rates
--version show program's version number and exit
@ -755,31 +759,36 @@ to create and provision new :ref:`RNodes<rnode-main>` from any supported hardwar
-i, --info Show device info
-a, --autoinstall Automatic installation on various supported devices
-u, --update Update firmware to the latest version
-U, --force-update Update to specified firmware even if version matches
or is older than installed version
--fw-version version Use a specific firmware version for update or
autoinstall
-U, --force-update Update to specified firmware even if version matches or is older than installed version
--fw-version version Use a specific firmware version for update or autoinstall
--fw-url url Use an alternate firmware download URL
--nocheck Don't check for firmware updates online
-e, --extract Extract firmware from connected RNode for later use
-E, --use-extracted Use the extracted firmware for autoinstallation or
update
-E, --use-extracted Use the extracted firmware for autoinstallation or update
-C, --clear-cache Clear locally cached firmware files
--baud-flash baud_flash
Set specific baud rate when flashing device. Default
is 921600
Set specific baud rate when flashing device. Default is 921600
-N, --normal Switch device to normal mode
-T, --tnc Switch device to TNC mode
-b, --bluetooth-on Turn device bluetooth on
-B, --bluetooth-off Turn device bluetooth off
-p, --bluetooth-pair Put device into bluetooth pairing mode
-D i, --display i Set display intensity (0-255)
-D, --display i Set display intensity (0-255)
-t, --timeout s Set display timeout in seconds, 0 to disable
-R, --rotation rotation
Set display rotation, valid values are 0 through 3
--display-addr byte Set display address as hex byte (00 - FF)
--recondition-display
Start display reconditioning
--np i Set NeoPixel intensity (0-255)
--freq Hz Frequency in Hz for TNC mode
--bw Hz Bandwidth in Hz for TNC mode
--txp dBm TX power in dBm for TNC mode
--sf factor Spreading factor for TNC mode (7 - 12)
--cr rate Coding rate for TNC mode (5 - 8)
-x, --ia-enable Enable interference avoidance
-X, --ia-disable Disable interference avoidance
-c, --config Print device configuration
--eeprom-backup Backup EEPROM to file
--eeprom-dump Dump EEPROM to console
--eeprom-wipe Unlock and wipe EEPROM
@ -790,8 +799,8 @@ to create and provision new :ref:`RNodes<rnode-main>` from any supported hardwar
-r, --rom Bootstrap EEPROM without flashing firmware
-k, --key Generate a new signing key and exit
-S, --sign Display public part of signing key
-H FIRMWARE_HASH, --firmware-hash FIRMWARE_HASH
Display installed firmware hash
-H, --firmware-hash FIRMWARE_HASH
Set installed firmware hash
--platform platform Platform specification for device bootstrap
--product product Product specification for device bootstrap
--model model Model code for device bootstrap