Question: How do I downgrade an Aruba controller from ArubaOS 5.0 to an earlier version?
Product and Software: This article applies to all Aruba controllers and ArubaOS versions.
If you upgraded from ArubaOS 3.3.x to 5.0, the upgrade script encrypts the internal database. Any new entries that were created in ArubaOS 5.0.0.1 are lost after the downgrade. (This warning does not apply to upgrades from ArubaOS 3.4.x to 5.0.)
Before you reboot the controller with the pre-upgrade software version, you must perform the following steps:
1) Back up your controller before you downgrade the operating system to a previous version.
2) Verify that Disable Control Plane Security (CPsec) is disabled.
3) Set the controller to boot with the pre-upgrade configuration file.
4) Set the controller to boot from the system partition that contains the pre-upgrade image file.
Note: When you specify a boot partition (or copy an image file to a system partition), the software checks that the image is compatible with the configuration file that will be used on the next controller reload. An error message is displayed if a system boot parameters are set for incompatible image and configuration files.
After you downgrade the software on the controller, follow these steps:
1) Restore your configuration from the pre-upgrade configuration backup that is stored on your flash file. Do not restore the flash file system from an ArubaOS 5.0.0.1 backup file.
2) The WMS database or RF Plan data does not need to be reimported. However, if you have added changes to RF Plan in ArubaOS 5.0.0.1, the changes will not appear in RF Plan in the downgraded ArubaOS version.
3) If you installed any certificates while running ArubaOS 5.0.0.1, reinstall the certificates in the downgraded ArubaOS version.
The following sections describe how to use the WebUI or CLI to downgrade the software on the controller.
Using the WebUI to Downgrade ArubaOS
1) If the saved pre-upgrade configuration file is on an external FTP/TFTP server, copy the file to the controller by navigating to the Maintenance > File > Copy Files page.
- For Source Selection, select FTP/TFTP server, and enter the IP address of the FTP/TFTP server and the name of the pre-upgrade configuration file.
- For Destination Selection, enter a filename (other than default.cfg) for Flash File System.
2) Set the controller to boot with your pre-upgrade configuration file by navigating to the Maintenance > Controller > Boot Parameters page.
- Select the saved pre-upgrade configuration file from the Configuration File menu.
- Click Apply.
3) Determine the partition on which your previous software image is stored by navigating to the Maintenance > Controller > Image Management page. If no previous software image is stored
on your system partition, load it into the backup system partition. (You cannot load a new image into the active system partition.)
- Enter the FTP/TFTP server address and image file name.
- Select the backup system partition.
- Click Upgrade.
4) Navigate to the Maintenance > Controller > Boot Parameters page.
- Select the system partition that contains the pre-upgrade image file as the boot partition.
- Click Apply.
5) Navigate to the Maintenance > Controller > Reboot Controller page. Click Continue.
The controller reboots after the countdown period.
6) When the boot process is complete, verify that the controller is using the correct software by navigating to the Maintenance > Controller > Image Management page.
Using the CLI to Downgrade ArubaOS
1) If the saved pre-upgrade configuration file is on an external FTP or TFTP server, copy the file to the controller:
(host) # copy ftp: <ftphost> <ftpusername> <image filename> system: partition 1
or
(host) # copy tftp: <tftphost> <image filename> system: partition 1
2) Set the controller to boot with your pre-upgrade configuration file.
# boot config-file <backup configuration filename>
3) Execute the show image version command to view the partition on which your previous software image is stored.
In the following example, partition 0 is the backup system partition and it contains the backup release 3.4.1.23. Partition 1 is the default boot partition and it contains the ArubaOS 5.0.0.1 image:
#show image version
----------------------------------
Partition : 0:0 (/dev/hda1)
Software Version : ArubaOS 3.4.1.23 (Digitally Signed - Production Build)
Build number : 20219
Label : 20219
Built on : 2009-12-11 20:51:46 PST
----------------------------------
Partition : 0:1 (/dev/hda2) **Default boot**
Software Version : ArubaOS 5.0.0.0 (Digitally Signed - Production Build)
Build number : 23711
Label : 23711
Built on : 2010-03-25 01:59:13 PDT
Note: You cannot load a new image into the active system partition (the default boot).
4) Set the backup system partition as the new boot partition.
# boot system partition 0
5) Reboot the controller.
# reload
6) When the boot process is complete, verify that the controller is using the correct software.
# show image version