How do I upgrade the firmware on the Ecessa appliance? (10.7.5 and older)

Ecessa periodically releases software updates which include feature upgrades or patches to fix identified issues.

The release notes for each version can be found by going to the “Update Software” page in the web interface and clicking the radio button next to the desired firmware (the notes will be displayed to the right of the version list). For versions not included in the list on the Update Software page, please refer to the release notes found at: releases.ecessa.com

Please follow the instructions for the appropriate network configuration.

Single-unit (not a Hardware Failover pair)

1. On the "Configure Services" page, ensure a public DNS is entered as either primary or secondary (such as Google or OpenDNS). This is necessary for the Ecessa appliance to connect to update.ecessa.com.

2. Export your current configuration as a backup configuration file.

3. Navigate to the "Update Software" page

4. Select the radio button for the appropriate software version (typically the “recommended” version but not necessarily, please contact Technical Support with questions)

5. Click the Update Software button to initiate the upgrade.

For hardware failover pairs, it is important to note that versions may include updates to Hardware Failover that make the two units unstable (or incompatible) during the upgrade process (for example, going from 7.5.x to 8.0.x). To ensure a smooth transition between versions, it is highly recommended that the following instructions are followed. These directions assume the Primary device is currently the active unit:

Recommended Method for Hardware Failover pair

1. On the "Configure Services" page, ensure a public DNS server is entered as either the primary or secondary (such as Google or OpenDNS). This is necessary for the Ecessa appliance to connect to update.ecessa.com.

2. On the Primary (Active) device, export your current configuration as a backup configuration file.

3. On the "Hardware Failover" page, click the "Replicate to IDLE" button

4. Remove power from the Secondary (Idle) device

5. On the Primary (Active) device, navigate to the "Update Software" page.

6. Select the radio button for the appropriate software version (typically the “recommended” version but not necessarily, please contact Technical Support with questions).

7. Click the Update Software button to initiate the upgrade.

8. Once the heartbeat has returned with a status of up (green) for the Local-Active device, remove power from the Primary (Active) device and return power to the Secondary (Idle) device.

9. Once the Secondary finished powering up and becomes Active, navigate to the “Update Software” page.

10. Select the radio button for the appropriate software version.

11. Click the Update Software button.

12. Once the heartbeat has returned with a status of up (green) for the Local-Active device, return power to the Primary device.

13. Ensure the heartbeat comes up on both units (green-green) after the Primary has restarted.

14. At this point, both devices have been updated, and the Secondary device is now the Active device. It is not necessary to fail back to the primary device, but may be performed if preferred.

For hardware failover pairs, it is important to note that versions may include updates to Hardware Failover that make the two units unstable (or incompatible) during the upgrade process (for example, going from 7.5.x to 8.0.x). However, incremental upgrades within the same major version do not typically include these types of major updates. Please contact our Technical Support team with any questions if unsure which upgrade method to follow. These directions assume the Primary device is currently the active unit:

Alternative Method for Hardware Failover pair if upgrading between compatible versions

1. On the "Configure Services" page, ensure a public DNS is entered as either primary or secondary (such as Google or OpenDNS). This is necessary for the Ecessa appliance to connect to update.ecessa.com.

2. On the Primary (Active) device, export your current configuration as a backup configuration file.

3. On the "Hardware Failover" page, click the "Replicate to IDLE" button to ensure both units are using an identical configuration.

4. On the Secondary (Idle) device, navigate to the "Update Software" page.

5. Select the radio button for the appropriate software version (typically the “recommended” version but not necessarily, please contact Technical Support with questions).

6. Click the Update Software button to initiate the upgrade.

7. On the Primary (Active) device, ensure that the heartbeat comes up on both units (green-green) after the Secondary (Idle) device has restarted.

8. Click the Force Failover button.

9. At this point the Primary will become the Idle device and the Secondary becomes the Active device.

10. On the Primary (Idle) device, navigate to the "Update Software" page.

11. Select the radio button for the appropriate software version.

12. Click the Update Software button to initiate the upgrade.

13. On the Secondary (Active) device, ensure that the heartbeat comes up for both devices (green-green) after the Primary (Idle) device has restarted.

14. At this point, both devices have been updated, and the Secondary device is now the Active device. It is not necessary to fail back to the primary device, but may be performed if preferred.