# Firmware Deployment and Troubleshooting with Akbar Dhanaliwala

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2021-04-06
- Length: 1h 20m
- Episode: 537
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/537-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala/

## Summary

Chris Gammell, founder of Lager Data, explains how his experiences with companies like SolarCity, Ringly, and Minna Life revealed the tedious nature of embedded firmware testing, inspiring the creation of the Lager Gateway platform. He details how the system enables continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) for embedded devices by allowing engineers to run unit and system tests, flash firmware, and debug remotely from a command line without physical lab access. Gammell highlights the use of Dockerized build environments and integration with GitHub Actions to automate testing, ensuring that changes to firmware do not break device functionality or over-the-air update capabilities.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=0) Introduction: Chris Gammell and Lager Data
- [1:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=106) The Pain of Embedded Testing and Debugging
- [10:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=614) War Stories: SolarCity, Tesla, and Joulé
- [28:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=1681) Spin-out: Minna Life and Marketing Challenges
- [36:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=2174) Ringly: Hardware Constraints and Supply Chain
- [45:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=2740) The Genesis of Lager Data and CI/CD
- [55:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=3322) Lager Gateway: Docker, Unit Tests, and GDB
- [1:04:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=3887) Automating System Tests and GitHub Actions
- [1:12:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2021-04-06-firmware-deployment-and-troubleshooting-with-akbar-dhanaliwala#t=4343) Adoption, Pricing, and Getting Started

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Lager Data (company)
- Pokeboard (company)
- SolarCity (company)
- Joulé (company)
- Ringly (company)
- Minna Life (company)
- J-Link (tool)
- STM32 (chip)
- Eclipse (tool)
- GitHub Actions (tool)
- Docker (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Continuous Integration for Embedded Systems](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2021-03-01-continuous-integration-for-embedded-systems) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [395: I Can No Longer Play Ping Pong](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-12-10-395-i-can-no-longer-play-ping-pong) (Embedded.fm)
- [390: Irresponsible At the Time](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-10-21-390-irresponsible-at-the-time) (Embedded.fm)
- [Embedded Systems Engineer Discusses AI-Driven Testing Revolution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-06-03-embedded-systems-engineer-discusses-ai-driven-testing-revolution) (OnTrack)
- [Revolutionizing IoT Device Management: Updating the World with Peridio](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2024-08-01-revolutionizing-iot-device-management-updating-the-world-with-peridio) (Over the Air)

## Citing this page

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