Managing Firmware Upgrades
Firmware is the software programmed on Instant On APs and switches to make sure the devices run and provide functionality to users. The firmware installed on the Instant On APs is the Instant On software image. When the firmware is upgraded, device performance and functionality is improved through feature enhancements and bug fixes.
Upgrading the Firmware for an Instant On AP or Switch
When an AP or switch is deployed into the network, it joins an Instant On site, which is a group of APs and switches that are configured and managed from a single location. Upon joining the site, the AP or switch automatically syncs its Instant On software image with the software image version configured on the site. Each time the software image is updated on the site, all APs and switches in the site are upgraded to the new software image version.
Instant On Image Server
Every version of the Instant On software image is uploaded and stored in a cloud-based image server that is hosted by HPE Networking. The image server always contains the latest version of the Instant On software so that you can keep your system up-to-date.
Updating the Software Image on an Instant On Site
Instant On allows you to control when a software update on the site needs to take place. This is done by configuring a day of the week and time of your preference for the site using the Instant On web application. When a new software update is available, an information alert is displayed with sufficient information of when the update will occur. The page displays the new version number and the information in the release. The page also includes the scheduled time for the update and the options— or . Clicking on the Schedule update link opens a calendar from which the administrator can pick a specific date on which the update is preferred. The software update can be extended up to a maximum of 30 days from when the alert is generated. If a date is not set in the calendar, the software update will take place based on the preferred day of the week setting.
To create a schedule for the software update to be installed automatically on the site, follow these steps:
- Click the site management icon (
) at the top-right corner of the UI screen. The page is displayed. - Click the tab to view the scheduling options.
- Under Automatic Updates, select a day from the drop-down list for the software update to be installed automatically.
- Under Site Local Time, click on a suitable time from the clock and click Ok.
- Under Installation Delay, move the slider to set the preferred delay for automatic installation of the latest software update. The available options are: No Delay, 1 Week (Default), 2 Weeks, 3 Weeks, and 4 Weeks.
- Click Update.
The status of the upgrade is displayed in the page by means of a progress bar. The progress bar will be green if the firmware update was successful or yellow if some device(s) failed to install the firmware.
At the end of the software update, a list is displayed that lets the user know how many devices successfully installed the firmware successfully and how many did not complete the installation.
When the software is up-to-date, the page will show the current Instant On software version and the date of the last update.
Verifying Client Connectivity During Upgrade
Instant On APs are automatically rebooted with the new version of the Instant On software image during a software upgrade. When an AP goes down during the reboot, the wireless clients connected to that AP are either moved to another AP in the Instant On site or completely dropped from the network. Though this scenario is expected, keep in mind that a firmware upgrade can cause major disruptions for the clients in your network. This is limited to the time-period that the APs take to reboot, which is 3-5 minutes. We recommend that you schedule this activity for when you don't expect users connected to the network actively.
Upgrade Failure
If a software upgrade fails, an alert is generated to advise the user about a possible issue on the network. The Instant On APs or switches will continue to operate on the existing software version and the new software upgrade will be retried again during the next maintenance window.
Instant On Mobile App Compatibility
Though the Instant On mobile app is backward-compatible with older versions of the Instant On software image, the Instant On software image is NOT backward-compatible with older versions of the mobile app. If the mobile app installed on your device is older than the Instant On software image running on your Instant On site, a warning message appears when you attempt to launch the app.
The mobile app can only be launched if it is updated to the latest version. To update the mobile app, click the app store icon that is available below the warning message.
