Firmware & File Operations

File operations let your host move files to and from the reader — firmware images, EMV configuration files, certificates, and more. All of them use the File Operations command group and share the Common File Structure format. The most common file operation is updating firmware, covered first below.

Applies to: DynaFamily (DynaFlex II PED, Go, SCR, DynaProx). Examples use the DynaFlex II Go.

Updating firmware

Firmware images are signed by MagTek and delivered as a Firmware File Type object. There are two ways to apply one — a code path and a Windows utility.

Using the commands

1. Get the signed image. Obtain the firmware file for your device (see Getting firmware files below).

2. Send it to the device with Load Firmware File – 0xD801, supplying the image type (boot loader, main app, Wi-Fi, or BLE module), a SHA-256 hash of the image, the payload, and a Load Option (Default or Auto Commit). The device must have more than 5% battery or it won't run the command.

3. The device validates and authenticates the signed image.

4. Commit the image:

   • If you sent Auto Commit, the device commits automatically.

   • Otherwise (Default mode), commit it with Commit Firmware from File – 0xD901.

5. The device reports the result and resets: Firmware Update Successful – 0x0905 or Firmware Update Failed – 0x0906. If the image is already current, the device sends Firmware is Up to Date – 0x0907.

Using the Firmware Update Utility (Windows)

If you don't need to script it, MagTek's Windows utility performs the same update through a GUI — see How to use the Firmware Update Utility.

Working with other files

The same command group handles non-firmware files — for example loading EMV configuration or certificate files, or retrieving files from the device:

Section	Information
Start Send File to Device (Secured) – 0xD811	Send a file that must be sent securely.
Start Send File to Device (Unsecured) – 0xD812	Send a file that doesn't require a secure channel.
Start Get File from Device – 0xD821	Retrieve a file from the device.
Get File Info from Device – 0xD825	Read a file's metadata without downloading it.
Delete File from Device – 0xD831	Remove a file.

For how files are framed, see About Files and the Common File Structure data object. Loading and erasing EMV configuration files specifically is covered in EMV acceptance.

Checking the firmware version

To read the device's current firmware before or after an update, use the Firmware Identification Information properties.

Getting firmware files

Firmware images and the Windows utility are downloads, not part of this guide — find the files for your device on its Firmware & downloads page, or in Downloads & compliance.

Related

Commands

Section	Information
Load Firmware File 0xD801	The host uses this command to send a firmware image file, signed by MagTek, to the device as the first step in updating firmware.
Commit Firmware from File 0xD901	The host uses this command to commit a file previously uploaded using Command 0xD801 into the device’s permanent memory after the device has authenticated the file.
Start Get File from Device – 0xD821	The host uses this command to request a file stored on the device. File types include standard files (images and certificates), MagTek custom files (configuration, firmware), and in some cases even large data blob output (such as signature capture data).
Start Send File to Device (Secured) 0xD811	The host uses this command to start sending secured files to the device for storage or processing. It is similar to Start Send File to Device (Unsecured), but is used to send a different subset of file types that impact device security and require some form of authentication from the host.
Start Send File to Device (Unsecured) 0xD812	The host uses this command to start sending unsecured files to the device for storage or processing. It is similar to Start Send File to Device (Secured) but is used to send a different subset of file types that do not impact device security.
Start Get File from Device 0xD821	`The host uses this command to request a file stored on the device. File types include standard files (images and certificates), MagTek custom files (configuration, firmware), and in some cases even large data blob output (such as signature capture data).
Get File Info 0xD825	The host uses this command to request the file information of a file stored on the device. File types include standard files (images and certificates), MagTek custom files (configuration, firmware), and in some cases even large data blob output (such as signature capture data).
Delete File 0xD831	The host uses this command to request the deletion of a file stored on the device.

Notifications

Section	Information
Firmware Update Successful 0x0905	This notification reports the successful completion of firmware update operations the host initiated using Load Firmware File and Commit Firmware from File
Firmware Update Failed 0x0906	This notification reports the failure of a Firmware Update command the host initiated using Load Firmware File and Commit Firmware from File.
Firmware is Up to Date 0x0907	This notification reports Firmware is up to date for host initiated Load Firmware File.

Guides

Section	Information
EMV acceptance	Guide to loading EMV config files

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