User guide

Obtaining SW Loads Provisioning a Device
5-37
AlliedView NMS Administration Guide (Controlling and Provisioning Network Devices)
5.3.8 Obtaining SW Loads
The user can go to the web site and get the appropriate files they wish to use for their specific NMS configuration. They can
place the files wherever they wish in their directory structure, but they must place the files with the destination of swdown-
load.
5.3.9 Software Configuration (Standard Loads)
When the Software Configuration application is chosen and the Collect Data icon is clicked, the following figure appears.
FIGURE 5-40 Software Configuration Panel
5.3.9.1 Firmware Decoupling Feature as part of Software Configuration
To reduce the install size for the NMS installation load, firmware loads for devices are separate from the installation load.
The user instead adds device firmware loads to the NMS server.
Release files for closely related device types and releases are placed together as a bundle, so a file is a bundle that can con-
sist of multiple groups placed together in one zip file. Within this zip file is an xml file that:
• Allows the NMS to determine compatibility for the file with the release installed on the NMS.
• Allows the user to identify the family, device types, versions, descriptions, and release date.
Moreover, when a point release is added, the NMS determines which versions are obsolete, so that only those current firm-
ware loads are available and obsolete firmware loads can be purged.
The firmware is ready to load and use as soon as it is uploaded, without the need to restart the server.
The user adds a firmware file to the NMS by:
1. Learning about the latest firmware releases from ATI (such as iMAP 12.0.1 or AT-8600 2.8.1-01).
2. Obtaining the file(s) using a CD or an ftp/web site.
3. Transferring the file(s) to the NMS server.
4. Using the Software Configuration feature to add and delete files. The NMS looks at the downloaded files and determines
which files are compatible, and can therefore determine which files can be downloaded onto the devices and which ones
can be purged as obsolete.
5. The user chooses the Modify Release Configuration, and the files, if compatible, are included in the download.
6. The user can also choose the Purge Files option, in which the NMS highlights which files are obsolete and gives the user
the ability to highlight all obsolete files which can then be deleted. (The user can still delete current files if desired.)
The rest of this subsection goes through the Software Configuration and highlights where the Firmware Decoupling feature
is being used.