August 2024 Summaries

Esper developed a custom browser solution called Titanium to meet the specific needs of a customer requiring a secure, browser-centric environment for multi-user devices. The standard Android GMS build was insufficient for their requirements, leading Esper to use their Foundation for Android as a generic system image (GSI) to create the customized browser. The Titanium browser, based on Chromium, incorporated extensive modifications such as enhanced security features, managed updates, and user-centric customizations like blocking unwanted web elements and optimizing media processing capabilities. This collaborative effort involved iterative development and ongoing maintenance to ensure the browser's security and functionality, addressing challenges inherent in poor internet environments. Titanium's success has led to its availability beyond the initial customer, offering a secure, remotely managed browser solution suitable for dedicated device fleet operators, highlighting Esper's capability to tailor solutions for complex, secure environments.

Android-x86 is an open-source project that allows Google's Android operating system to run on x86 processors, but it lacks commercial support and widespread community backing. Esper Foundation for Android on x86 offers a more robust alternative, providing a business-ready solution with enhanced security, customization, and dual-boot capabilities, making it suitable for devices like point-of-sale terminals and digital signage. While running Android on x86 hardware can improve performance and extend device longevity, particularly in legacy systems, challenges remain due to the differences between the ARM and x86 architectures. Esper's approach includes features like remote management, firmware optimization, and efficient OS deployment, making it an appealing option for enterprises seeking to leverage Android's flexibility and scalability across their x86 and ARM device fleets.

Esper has introduced the Partner Control Center (PCC) to select partners within the Esper Elevate program, enhancing its device management infrastructure capabilities. This platform allows partners to manage multiple customer tenants from a single interface, offering a consolidated view of fleet status while maintaining the independence and security of each customer's data. Esper's expertise in Android device management is highlighted by its support for over 2,000 device models and the recent expansion to iOS devices. Despite challenges faced by MSPs, VARs, and solution providers with SaaS integrations, PCC addresses operational hurdles by ensuring secure tenant management and offering advanced features like remote troubleshooting and precise app management. This move aims to empower partners to efficiently handle device management tasks for both small and large enterprises, with further developments planned for 2024.

Build numbers are crucial in application development as unique identifiers that differentiate each build of the same software, playing a significant role in testing, deployment, and debugging processes. These numbers, akin to version numbers in cooking recipes, are either manually set or automatically generated through CI/CD pipelines and are stored as environment variables or within build configuration files. In Android development, build numbers can be managed and displayed within the app's UI for easy identification, aiding in debugging and version tracking. Release tags complement build numbers by marking significant milestones in a version control system, enhancing clarity, traceability, and deployment management. Incrementing build numbers with every release ensures uniqueness, simplifies debugging, facilitates deployment, and enhances version control. However, failing to update build numbers can lead to installation issues, which has been addressed in recent updates to tools like the Esper Agent, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an incremental pattern for build numbers alongside application versions.

Esper, a company specializing in dedicated device solutions for Android and iOS, encountered a significant issue with their clients transitioning from Windows to Android on x86 processor architecture, with devices experiencing boot failures despite being relatively new. This was particularly problematic for a customer who had converted their entire POS fleet to Android, only to find that some devices were freezing during boot due to SSD failures. Detailed investigations revealed that the problem was not with Esper Foundation for Android but rather with the wear and tear of the SSDs, which had reached the end of their lifespan after heavy usage. Temporary remedies like reinstalling the operating system were ineffective long-term, as the root cause was the SSD's degraded state due to high input/output operations. The recommended solution was either to adapt application behavior to reduce input/output strain or to replace the SSDs with higher endurance models, a task that, while costly, was necessary due to the extensive wear on the current drives.

Esper, a company specializing in dedicated device management solutions, encountered a significant issue known as the "Android Black Screen of Death" (BSOD) during remote control sessions when customers played video content on devices. The problem, which resulted in a black screen during video playback, was traced back to a configuration in the silicon vendor's kernel that blocked screen capture processes from accessing the GPU's Unified Video Memory buffer when already in use by another process. To address this, Esper's engineers identified a workaround by toggling a kernel module parameter, enabling screen capturing during video playback, but this solution did not persist through device reboots. As a temporary fix, Esper developed a companion app for the affected customer to apply this adjustment automatically upon reboot while collaborating with the device maker for a permanent kernel source code update. This case study highlights Esper's deep technical expertise and commitment to resolving complex issues for enterprise customers with dedicated device fleets.