OTA Updates: A Different Kind of Question

[carlz28]

This isn't a "when will the OTA Update come?" or "will I lose root?"

I am wondering how the OTA update process begins.
We've just about all read that Motorola has posted info on Facebook stating that 2.1 will be available this week (or next....'when' is actually irrelevant).
So is it Motorola who is responsible for making the 2.1 update suitable for our Droids? Meaning...are they the ones who have tested/tweaked Google's 2.1 update and made sure it works okay with the phone, added/removed features etc.?
And not Verizon? Or does Verizon have the final 'say' as to whether or not the update is ready to go to our phones. Or do they even have any input at all?
IIRC, the last update to 2.0.1 (at least the forced method) everybody was downloading the file from Google servers. Maybe that was just coincidental as somebody leaked the info/link...I can't remember back that far lol.
I used the force update method so I'm not sure how the OTA worked (I know how it works..just saying).

Kinda rambling here...sorry.
Basically, I want to know does Motorola push the update? Or do they send the files to Verizon and then they push it to us?
And regardless of who does the pushing of the update, how will we know where the file came from? I saw an Admin asking in another thread for someone to PM him about the link/file/whatever. How would I, rooted or not, know exactly how to get the update.zip from the phone? Is there a link associated with the file that can be seen by a normal user?


Again, sorry. Kinda have multiple questions in the above paragraphs.
Any enlightenment would be appreciated to cure my curiosity. I did search for this info on here, but basically only came up with people saying when "Moto/VZW" makes an announcemnt, we will know..etc etc.

Thanks guys & gals.

 

[johnnybirdman]

Good questions. I don't know who the responsible parties are. I can tell you that I didn't force the 2.0.1 update. I was at work and a message popped up on my phone that said an update is ready for your phone but b/c my a battery was at 30% it wouldn't update. The message suggested that if I wanted to update I either plug the phone in or wait till the battery is charged fully. I plugged it in immediately and told it to update. Simple.
J.

 

[StingRay]

I'm interested to find out myself...

Prior to my Droid, I had a Blackberry Storm and was constantly waiting on some sort of OS upgrade/leak...those "official" upgrades were pushed by Verizion....

In the case of BB, RIM supposedly would test the OS then pass it on to Verizon once it met all of RIM's requirements....Verizon would then test the crap out of it, then would push it out if it passed their's....most of the time it seemed that OS's wouldn't make it past Verizon's tests...

I'm under the impression that Android works a little different, but I'm assuming still must be tested by Verizon to make sure it works properly on their network....

Looking forward to someone clarifying this just for informational purposes....

 

[messenger13]

Google > Motorola > Verizon.

Verizon pushes the OTA update.

 

[kbayer]

Google > Motorola > Verizon.

Verizon pushes the OTA update.

Before there was the web, email, or forums, inquisitive beings had to scale a huge mountain to get to the top where they could find Joe Droid, robed in white, answering questions of all who sought his wisdom.

You always da man.

 

[potatolover1102]

Could someone explain to me how the update works over wifi? I mean over 3g the network sees you and knows to update the phone but if I am roaming then how does it know to send it over wi-fi which is not linked to the cell network at all??

 

[messenger13]

Could someone explain to me how the update works over wifi? I mean over 3g the network sees you and knows to update the phone but if I am roaming then how does it know to send it over wi-fi which is not linked to the cell network at all??

An interesting question. VERY interesting. Causes one to pontificate for a moment.

First of all, the portion of your statement above that I have in boldface is perhaps part of your misunderstanding. Whether your DROID uses a 3G pipe to the cell tower then out to the "cyber cloud", or a WiFi connection that is connected to a wired pipe of some sort and out to the cyber cloud makes no difference. Your phone has an IP Address and a MAC address. When Verizon inspects the otacerts.zip file, they know that you either need the update file or not. If you do, they push the file to your phone. Whether that file uses your 3G connection, or goes through some ISP, to your home, through your router, back through the air and to your DROID just doesn't matter.

Does that help at all, or just muddy things up worse?

 

[potatolover1102]

No that helps. I just didn't know how Verizon could see my phone if it only on wi-fi since it is not connected to the "network". I get how they get it to me either way I just do not know how Verizon can see the phone when it is not connected say in airplane mode with wi-fi on, how do they know to look for it when it is not on the network? Do they just look internally for accounts with a droid and send out like a ping to the phones maybe?