Cisco ACNS Software Upgrade and Maintenance Guide, Release 5.x - Chapter 2: Obtaining Software Files and Meta Files [Cisco Application and Content Networking System (ACNS) Software]

Table Of Contents

Obtaining Software Files and Meta Files

Obtaining a Software File from Cisco.com

Obtaining a Meta File from Cisco.com

Editing the Meta File

Pre-Positioning a Software File

Sample Manifest File to Pre-Position a Software File

Obtaining Software Files and Meta Files

This chapter explains how to obtain files from Cisco.com and how to pre-position software files (pre-positioning is a concept related to centrally managed deployments). This chapter contains the following sections:

•Obtaining a Software File from Cisco.com

•Obtaining a Meta File from Cisco.com

•Pre-Positioning a Software File

Obtaining a Software File from Cisco.com

To obtain a software file from Cisco.com, follow these steps:

Step 1 Launch your preferred web browser and point it to:

http://www.cisco.com/kobayashi/sw-center/sw-content.shtml

Step 2 When prompted, log in to Cisco.com using your designated username and password. The Content Networking window appears, listing the available software products.

Step 3 Choose a link to the content networking software product that you want. The Software Download window appears.

Step 4 Click the Download ACNS Software images (contains strong encryption) link. The Content Networking window for Cisco ACNS Cryptographic Software appears.

Step 5 Click the link to the ACNS cryptographic software release that you want. The window refreshes, listing all the software files (and meta files) available for that release.

Step 6 Locate the software file that you want to download by consulting the Release column for the proper release version of the software.

The software files will have names similar to the following: ACNS-5.x.x-K9.bin

Step 7 Click the link for the software file that you want to download.

The Enter Network Password dialog box pops up. Enter your username and password and click OK.

•If this is the first time you have downloaded a software file from Cisco.com, the Encryption Software Export Distribution Authorization form appears.

–Fill out the form and click Submit. The Cisco Systems Inc., Encryption Software Usage Handling and Distribution Policy appears.

–Read the policy and click I Accept. The Encryption Software Export/Distribution Form appears.

•If you previously filled out the Encryption Software Export Distribution Authorization form and read and accepted the Cisco Systems Inc., Encryption Software Usage Handling and Distribution Policy, these forms are not displayed again. Instead, the Encryption Software Export/Distribution Form appears after you click OK in the Enter Network Password dialog box.

Step 8 Read the Encryption Software Export/Distribution Form, click the Yes or No radio button, and click Submit. A security alert dialog box pops up.

Step 9 Click Yes in the Security Alert dialog box. The Software Download window reappears.

Step 10 Right-click the software file link to download the software and use the Save Link As or the Save Link Target As option to save the file to your FTP or HTTP server.

Obtaining a Meta File from Cisco.com

A meta file is a text file that contains information about the location of the software file and other descriptive information about the software file. In software releases prior to ACNS 5.2 software, a meta file is required for updating software using the Content Distribution Manager GUI.

Note If you are updating software using the Content Distribution Manager GUI running ACNS 5.2 software, the meta file is optional.

To obtain a meta file from Cisco.com, follow these steps:

Step 1 Launch your preferred web browser and point it to:

http://www.cisco.com/kobayashi/sw-center/sw-content.shtml

Step 2 When prompted, log in to Cisco.com using your designated username and password. The Content Networking window appears, listing the available software products.

Step 3 Choose a link to the Content Networking Software product for which you want to obtain a meta file. The Software Download window appears.

Step 4 Click the Download ACNS Software images (contains strong encryption) link. The Content Networking window for Cisco ACNS Cryptographic Software appears.

Step 5 Click the link to the ACNS cryptographic software release for which you want to obtain a meta file. The window refreshes, listing all the meta files (and software files) available for that release.

Step 6 Locate the meta file that you want to download by consulting the Release column for the proper release version of the software.

The meta files will have names similar to the following: ACNS-5.x.x-K9.meta

Step 7 Click the link for the meta file that you want to download.

The Enter Network Password dialog box pops up. Enter your username and password and click OK.

•If this is the first time you have downloaded a meta file or software file from Cisco.com, the Encryption Software Export Distribution Authorization form appears.

–Fill out the form and click Submit. The Cisco Systems Inc., Encryption Software Usage Handling and Distribution Policy appears.

–Read the policy and click I Accept. The Encryption Software Export/Distribution Form appears.

•If you previously filled out the Encryption Software Export Distribution Authorization form and read and accepted the Cisco Systems Inc., Encryption Software Usage Handling and Distribution Policy, these forms are not presented again. Instead, the Encryption Software Export/Distribution Form appears after you click OK in the Enter Network Password dialog box.

Step 8 Read the Encryption Software Export/Distribution Form, click the Yes or No radio button, and click Submit. A security alert dialog box pops up.

Step 9 Click Yes in the Security Alert dialog box. The Software Download window reappears.

Step 10 Right-click the software file link to download the software and use the Save Link As or the Save Link Target As option to save the file to your FTP or HTTP server.

Editing the Meta File

The meta file contains a pointer to the software file for updating your device, as well as other descriptive information. The following is an example of a meta file for upgrading between ACNS 5.x software releases:
updateFileSize=203675230
version=5.2.0.b.350
description=Meta file to install ACNS5.2.0-b350 (from ACNS5.2.0)
updateFileUrl=ftp://myserver.mycorp.com/acns/ruby.bin
user=myuserid
password=mypasswrd@mycorp.com
Note If you are updating software using the Content Distribution Manager GUI running ACNS 5.2 software, the meta file is optional.

The meta file that you download from Cisco.com needs to be edited so that it points to the new location of the software file that you saved to your FTP or HTTP server. To edit the meta file, open the file in any text editor, make the appropriate changes, and save the file. You must edit the following line items:

•updateFileUrl=

Replace the URL in this line with the new URL that the Content Engine will use to fetch the software file.

•user=

Replace the username for logging in to the Cisco.com server with the username for logging in to your FTP or HTTP server.

•password=

Replace the password for logging in to the Cisco.com server with the password for logging in to your FTP or HTTP server.

Table 2-1 describes the meta file line items.

Table 2-1 Meta File Line-Item Descriptions

Field

Description

updateFileSize

Size of the software file in bytes.

version

Target software version to which you want to upgrade or downgrade.

description

Comments about the meta information. (Optional.) These comments are displayed in the Content Distribution Manager GUI.

updateFileURL

URL of the software file location. This can be either an FTP URL or an HTTP URL.

Note For HTTP URLs, authenticated servers are not supported, and only port 80 is supported.

user

Login username.

password

Login password.

The following is a sample meta file for upgrading between ACNS 5.x software releases:
updateFileSize=97205475
version= 5.0.0.b.26
description= testing
updateFileUrl= ftp://myserver.mycorp.com/ACNS-5.0.3-K9.bin
user=myuserid
password=mypasswrd@mycorp.com
The following sample meta file is for downgrading to ACNS 4.2 software from an ACNS 5.x software release:
updateFileSize=97205475
version= 4.2.0.b.1
description= testing
updateFileUrl= ftp://myserver.mycorp.com/ACNS-5.x.x-TO-4.2.1-K9.bin
user=myuserid
password=mypasswrd@mycorp.com
CDM-IP=1.1.1.1
The CDM-IP field is the IP address of an ACNS 4.x Content Distribution Manager after the software is downgraded to ACNS 4.x. (This field is optional and applies only for downgrades to ACNS 4.x software.) After the downgrade, the Content Engine registers to the Content Distribution Manager with the IP address specified in this field.

Pre-Positioning a Software File

A software file is pre-positioned in the same manner as any other content item. Pre-positioning allows you to conserve bandwidth usage across the WAN and avoid congesting your network during updates. The software file is fetched one time from the origin server, replicated across your network, and stored in Content Engine caches in your LAN.

To pre-position a software file, you must complete the following tasks:

•Define a channel.

•Assign devices to the channel.

•Define the software file that you want to pre-position using a manifest file or the Content Distribution Manager GUI content import feature.

•Check the device replication status.

See Chapter 6, "Configuring the ACNS Network for Content Acquisition" in the Cisco ACNS Software Configuration Guide for Centrally Managed Deployments publication for more information.

Note Only Content Engines can be updated using pre-positioned software files. Content Routers and Content Distribution Managers do not have pre-positioned content; therefore, you cannot use the pre-positioned method for device updates for these devices.

Sample Manifest File to Pre-Position a Software File

You can use the following sample manifest file to pre-position a software file by replacing the URL with a valid software file URL:
<CdnManifest>
<item src="http://your-web-server.com/folder/upgrade.bin" />
</CdnManifest>
The server name or IP address of the URL in the manifest file (and in the Software File URL field in the Software File Settings window [see Figure 2-1]) must match either the Origin Server field or the Request Routed FQDN field in the Content Distribution Manager GUI Web Site window. (See Figure 2-2.)

Figure 2-1 Software File Settings

Figure 2-2 Web Site Information