Software Upgrade

As new versions of the Access Point software become available, you can upgrade the software on your devices to take advantage of new features and enhancements. The AP uses a TFTP client for software upgrades. You can also use HTTP to perform software upgrades.

Note: When you upgrade the software, the access point retains the existing configuration information. Note: By default, the AP uses HTTP for software upgrades instead of TFTP.

Use the following steps to upgrade the software on an access point by using TFTP:

1.	Click the Software Upgrade tab in the Administration section.

Information about the current software version is displayed and an option to upgrade a new software image is provided.

2.	Make sure the Upload Method TFTP radio button is selected.

3.	Enter a name for the image file in the New Software Image field, including the path to the directory that contains the image to upload.

For example, to upload the ap_upgrade.tar image located in the /share/builds/ap directory, enter /share/builds/ap/ap_upgrade.tar in the New Software Image field.

The software upgrade file supplied must be a tar file. Do not attempt to use bin files or files of other formats for the upgrade; these types of files will not work.

4.	Enter the IP address of the TFTP server in the Server IP field.

5.	Click Upgrade.

Upon clicking Upgrade for the software upgrade, a popup confirmation window is displayed that describes the upgrade process.

6.	Click OK to confirm the upgrade and start the process.

Note: The software upgrade process begins once you click Upgrade and then OK in the popup confirmation window.

The upgrade process may take several minutes during which time the access point will be unavailable. Do not power down the access point while the upgrade is in process. When the upgrade is complete, the access point restarts. The AP resumes normal operation with the same configuration settings it had before the upgrade.

7.	To verify that the software upgrade completed successfully, check the software version shown on the Software Upgrade tab (and also on the Summary section). If the upgrade was successful, the updated version name or number is indicated.

Use the following steps to upgrade the software on an access point by using HTTP:

1.	Clear the Upload Method TFTP option.

When you clear the radio button, the Server IP field is disabled.

2.	If you know the path to the New Software Image file, enter it in the New Software Image field. Otherwise, click the Browse button and locate the software image file.

The software upgrade file supplied must be a tar file. Do not attempt to use bin files or files of other formats for the upgrade; these types of files will not work.

3.	Click Upgrade to apply the new software image.

Upon clicking Upgrade for the software upgrade, a popup confirmation window is displayed that describes the upgrade process.

4.	Click OK to confirm the upgrade and start the process.

Note: The software upgrade process begins once you click Upgrade and then OK in the popup confirmation window.

The upgrade process may take several minutes during which time the access point will be unavailable. Do not power down the access point while the upgrade is in process. When the upgrade is complete, the access point restarts. The AP resumes normal operation with the same configuration settings it had before the upgrade.

5.	To verify that the software upgrade completed successfully, check the software version shown on the Software Upgrade tab (and also on the Summary section). If the upgrade was successful, the updated version name or number is indicated.