RuggedCom RX1000, RX1100 manual When a Software Upgrade Requires a Reboot, Automatic Upgrade

RuggedRouter™ User Guide

Your RuggedRouter software is provided in releases of the form rrX.Y.Z.

The platform release number X changes when new hardware platforms are released. The major release number Y is increased when important new features are added. This is called a “Major” release. The minor release number Z is increased when minor functionality is added or bug repairs are made. This is called a “Minor” release.

The actual software of the RuggedRouter is composed of a number of “packages”. Each package contains all of the files necessary to implement a set of related commands or features, such as a firewall or ssh client. A router upgrade involves replacing some of these packages with newer versions and with adding new packages. The upgrade system handles all this for you.

When A Software Upgrade Requires A Reboot

Software release upgrades that involve changing to a new linux kernel require a reboot. Releases that force a reboot are always “Major” releases (but note that some major releases may not require a reboot). Minor releases will never require a reboot. The upgrades release notes will state whether a reboot will occur.

You are warned before starting an upgrade when a reboot is required. The only exception is the unattended automatic upgrade.

Automatic Upgrade

It can be programmed to check a server on your network at a specific time each day, upgrading to the newest release. RuggedCom understands that some administrators may wish to pre-test package upgrades on specific machines before performing a network wide upgrade. It is also possible to manually control the upgrade process on a per-machine per-package basis.

The upgrade system allows you to restrict the maximum amount of bandwidth consumed by an upgrade. Most upgrades will involve relatively modest amounts of data transfer, especially over an Ethernet class network. But when the router is accessed over a low speed WAN link, even a small upgrade can temporarily consume 100% of the links bandwidth. This can disrupt mission critical applications. The bandwidth limiting feature limits only the upgrading process, leaving regular traffic unregulated.

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