Updating Smartpath Aps In A Mesh Environment - Black Box SmartPath LWN602A User Manual

Chapter 7: Using SmartPath EMS VMA
To load a SmartPathOS image file from an SCP server:
SCP Server: (select) IP Address : Enter the IP address of the SCP server.
SCP Port: Enter the port number of the SCP server (the default port number for SCP is 22).
File Path: Enter the path to the SmartPathOS image file and the file name. If the file is in the root directory of the SCP
server, you can simply enter the file name.
User Name: Type a user name with which SmartPath EMS VMA can access the SCP server.
Password: Type a password that SmartPath EMS VMA can use to log in securely to the SCP server.
NOTE: To delete an old SmartPathOS file, select the file in the "Available Images" list, and then click Remove.
7. Click Upload.
8. Close the dialog box by clicking the Close icon ( X ) in the upper right corner.
9. By default, the SmartPath EMS VMA uses SCP to transfer the file to the selected SmartPath APs and requires a manual reboot
of the SmartPath APs to activate it. If you want to change these settings, click Settings in the upper right corner of the Upload
and Activate SmartPathOS Software page.
A section expands allowing you to change how SmartPathOS images are displayed (by software version or by file name),
how the software is activated (these options are explained below), which transfer protocol to use (SCP or TFTP), the type of
connection between SmartPath EMS VMA and the SmartPath APs, and how long to wait before timing out an incomplete
update attempt.
In the Activation Time section, select one of the following options, depending on when you want to activate the firmware—by
rebooting the SmartPath APs—after SmartPath EMS VMA finishes loading it:
• Activate at: Select and set the time at which you want the SmartPath APs to activate the firmware. To use this option
accurately, make sure that both SmartPath EMS VMA and managed SmartPath AP clocks are synchronized.
• Activate after: Select to load the firmware on the selected SmartPath APs and activate it after a specified interval. The
range is 0–3600 seconds; that is, immediately to one hour. The default is 5 seconds.
• Activate at next reboot: Select to load the firmware and not activate it. The loaded firmware gets activated the next
time the SmartPath AP reboots.
NOTE: When choosing which option to use, consider how SmartPath EMS VMA connects to the SmartPath APs it is updating. See
Section 7.6.
10. To save your settings, click the Save icon in the upper right corner. Otherwise, click the Close icon to use these settings just
this time. If you do not save your modified settings, the next time you upload a SmartPathOS image to SmartPath APs,
SmartPath EMS VMA will again apply the default settings.
11. Select the file you just loaded from the SmartPath OS Image drop-down list, select one or more SmartPath APs at the bottom
of the dialog box, and then click Upload.
SmartPath EMS VMA displays the progress of the SmartPathOS image upload—and its eventual success or failure—on the
Monitor > Access Points > SmartPath AP Update Results page.

7.6 Updating SmartPath APs in a Mesh Environment

When updating cluster members in a mesh environment, be careful of the order in which the SmartPath APs reboot. If a portal
completes the upload and reboots before a mesh point beyond it completes its upload—which most likely would happen
because portals receive the uploaded content first and then forward it to mesh points—the reboot will interrupt the data transfer
to the mesh point. This can also happen if a mesh point linking SmartPath EMS VMA to another mesh point reboots before the
more distant mesh point completes its upload. As a result of such an interruption, the affected mesh point receives an incomplete
firmware or configuration file and aborts the update.
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