Symbol Technologies VC5090 - Manual (Page 169)

Application Development and Deployment 7 - 25
AirBEAM Smart
The AirBEAM Smart product allows specially designed software packages to be transferred between a host
server and Symbol wireless handheld devices. Before transfer, AirBEAM Smart checks and compares
package version, so that only updated packages are loaded.
AirBEAM Smart resides on radio-equipped client devices and allows them to request, download and install
software, as well as to upload files and status data. Both download and upload of files can be accomplished in
a single communications session. The ability to transfer software over a radio network can greatly reduce the
logistical efforts of client software management.
In an AirBEAM Smart system, a network-accessible host server acts as the storage point for the software
transfer. The AirBEAM Smart Client uses the industry standard FTP or TFTP file transfer protocols to check the
host system for updates and, if necessary, to transfer updated software.
AirBEAM Package Builder
In a typical distributed AirBEAM system, software to be transferred is organized into packages. In general, an
AirBEAM package is simply a set of files that are assigned attributes both as an entire package and as
individual component files. The package is assigned a version number and the transfer occurs when an
updated version is available.
An AirBEAM package can optionally contain developer-specified logic to be used to install the package.
Installation logic is typically used to update client device flash images or radio firmware. Examples of common
AirBEAM packages would include packages for custom client application software, radio firmware and
AirBEAM Smart Client software.
Once these packages are built, they are installed on the host server for retrieval by the handheld device. The
AirBEAM Package Builder is a utility used to define, generate and install AirBEAM packages to a server. The
packages are then loaded from the server onto a client device equipped with an AirBEAM Smart Client
executable.
For detailed instructions on how to define, generate and install AirBEAM packages to the server, refer to the
AirBEAM Package Builder Product Reference Guide
, p/n 72-55769-xx.
AirBEAM Smart Client
The AirBEAM Smart Client is installed on the handheld vehicle computer. It is configured with the server
access information, the names of the packages to be downloaded and other controlling parameters. When the
AirBEAM Smart Client is launched, the device connects to the specified FTP server and checks the packages
it is configured to look for. If the package version was updated, the client requests the transfer.
AirBEAM License
The AirBEAM Smart Client is a licensed software product. The AirBEAM Smart Client's version
synchronization functionality is enabled through a license key file that is stored on the client device. The
license key file can be built into AirBEAM Smart Client's image, or downloaded in a special AirBEAM package.
The AirBEAM license key file contains a unique key and a customer specific banner that is displayed when the
AirBEAM Smart Client version synchronization logic is invoked.
NOTE
For more detailed information about AirBEAM Smart, refer to the AirBEAM ® Smart Windows ® CE Client
Product Reference Guide (p/n 72-63060-xx).