Controllerless Networks

We have one IAP cluster where we have installed mostly IAP 135/134s.  We have recently added an IAP-277 (outdoor).  The virtual controller is showing that there is an update to the firmware available, and we are having an issue we believe might be solved by the update.

We were told by the vendor who sold us the 277 that updating firmware in a mixed environment like this needs to be done with caution.  Should I do manual updates one platform at a time, using URLs, or is it "safe" to run the "Automatic" Update from the Virtual Controller?

If we're going to try the Automatic Update, what precautions should we take ahead of it (aside from the standard config backup), just in case things don't come back online?  Some of these APs are mounted up high in an industrial environment, so getting to them to manually flash them if something goes wrong would be time consuming.

Thanks.

-Kevin

The rules:

- If you are having no problems and an update is available, skip the update.

- If you are having a problem, read the release notes for the update you are considering first to see if it fixes your problem.  If it does not, skip the update.

- If you have an AP that is very hard to reach and you are not having problems, skip the update.

In your situation, if the VC says that there is an update available, that means that the cloud has a software update for all of the APs in the cluster and as long as it can reach the cloud over the internet, it will retrieve the software for all three.  That is how it is supposed to work.  If you have problems like your VC not being able to reach the cloud intermittently or the power to that outdoor AP is not consistent, you could run into issues.  If you could easily reach all of your APs, I would say go for it.  Since you cannot reach one of your APs, I would say skip it.

Thank you, Colin.

We are generally very careful with our upgrades, only upgrading when it appears there is a benefit, or if it's been too long since our last upgrade.  In our current world, staying on old firmware for too long represents an unacceptable security risk, in our view.

In addition, whenever I have opened a support case, if I tell them I'm on old firmware, most of the time they tell me to do the upgrade before we can proceed with the case.  So, very often, our troubleshooting ends with a check for new firmware and an update if there is some available, BEFORE opening a support ticket.

We went ahead and used the automatic upgrade today, and all went smoothly.  The issue we were having appeared to be resolved, as well, but it remains to be seen if it was a result of the firmware or the resulting reboot.  If we continue having issues, we will open another thread.

Thanks again.

-Kevin