Koriolan
Framework Update Automation for Shipheart Control System
"Very good understanding of the need but, above all, they treat our project as if it were their own. So it's not "just" about delivering what was initially defined, but delivering what needs to be done so that it's usable in the simplest and most efficient way."Pierre Passet – CEO of Koriolan
Koriolan is a French startup behind Shipheart, a control center for pleasure boats—cabin cruisers, sailboats, motorboats, and RIBs.
Working on a new version of ShipBase, the control panel at the heart of Shipheart, they wanted to base it on up-to-date technologies to ensure long-term maintenance peace of mind.
Koriolan contacted Lenewt for expert advice on their decision to update the software stack.
The Lenewt Solution
Understanding the Need
The hardware and electronics had been selected; there was no need to change the Debian-based Linux system. It was already on the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version.
However, the framework they used for Shipheart's graphical interface was end-of-life, and a new LTS version already existed. Additionally, the Shipheart team wanted to benefit from the framework's new features. They wanted to maintain true control over their tools and be autonomous in future updates.
Integration with Debian System
Since the system wasn't changing, the latest framework version wasn't distributed by Debian. We therefore had to generate the framework installation package ourselves. A rather complex procedure for a library split into numerous modules with many dependencies.
Automation
To generate this package while respecting Koriolan's expressed desire for autonomy, we designed an easily configurable tool. The tool handles retrieving the framework sources in the configured version. It extracts necessary elements from the Debian system and compiles the library in a compatible format. It also generates an SDK allowing compilation of the Shipheart application in this new library version. Final step: it generates two packages in .deb format, installable on Debian and Ubuntu. One containing the compiled framework, now easily installable on the embedded system. The other contains the SDK to install on the computer used to develop the Shipheart application.
The Result
The result is therefore a tool that allows Koriolan to generate, in just a few clicks, the various framework components in the version they want, completely autonomously.