Extreme Networks EPICenter Guide User Manual

Managing Firmware Upgrades
EPICenter Concepts and Solutions Guide
107
Managing Firmware Upgrades
Managing the versions of firmware on your devices can be a significant task, as there are a number of
different versions for different device types and modules, and versions of the software and the
bootROM images must be compatible as well. EPICenter can help you manage this is several ways:
● EPICenter’s Firmware Manager can query the Extreme web site to determine whether new versions
of software are available, and can download those versions, at your option, to the EPICenter server
so that you will have them available locally to use in upgrading your Extreme switches.
● The Firmware Manager can compare the available software versions with the versions running in
your devices and indicate whether your devices are up to date.
● The Firmware Manager can manage the upgrade process through its Upgrade Wizard, to ensure that
an image or bootROM that you plan to download to a device is compatible with that device and
with the bootROM on the device. The Upgrade Wizard guides you through the steps of the upgrade
process, and will warn you if it detects problems.
If multiple steps are required to accomplish the desired upgrade (i.e. you need to perform an
intermediate upgrade before you can upgrade a device to the final version you want to use) the
Firmware manager will inform you of the steps required and the order in which they must be
performed.
● You can upgrade multiple devices in one upgrade operation, as long as all the devices in the
upgrade operation are compatible with the image you are planning to download. The Firmware
Manager will warn you and will not perform the upgrade if you attempt to specify devices that
cannot be upgraded at the same time.
Automated Retrieval of Firmware Updates from Extreme
EPICenter can connect you automatically to the Extreme web site to check for new versions of software
images. If it detects that new versions are available it indicates which those are, and you can select them
for download from the Extreme web site to your EPICenter server.
You must have a support contract with Extreme in order to download software; you will need to enter
your Extreme support user name and password in order to login to the Extreme remote server.
The Software Image Update process does not download any software to your network devices. Rather,
it stores them on the EPICenter server so that you can upgrade your devices as you see necessary based
on your own schedule and needs.
Detection of Firmware Obsolescence for Network Components
If you have downloaded and saved software and bootROM images on the EPICenter server, the
Firmware Manager will compare the current device image against the most recent image available on
the EPICenter server, and will inform you if the device is out of date. This is indicated in the device
information presented when you select a device or a device group in the Component Tree in the
Firmware Manager main window.
Multi-Step Upgrade Management
If you have software versions on your devices that are several revisions old, it may be that you cannot
upgrade to the latest software in a single step. Upgrading may require upgrades to both the bootROM

Extreme Networks EPICenter Guide Specifications

General

Brand	Extreme Networks
Model	EPICenter Guide
Category	Software
Language	English