User guide

Chapter 5: Updating the Appliance
50
Updating the Appliance
Introduction Ensure the appliance is always running the latest firmware and intrusion prevention
updates. The appliance retrieves updates from the ISS Download Center, accessible over
the Internet.
You can update the appliance in two ways:
● configure automatic updates
● find, download, and install updates manually
Types of updates You can install the following updates:
● Firmware updates. These updates include new program files, fixes or patches,
enhancements, or online Help updates.
● Intrusion prevention updates. These updates contain the most recent security
content provided by ISS’s X-Force.
You can find updates on the Updates to Download page, and you can schedule automatic
update downloads and installations from the Update Settings page.
Note: Some firmware updates require you to reboot the appliance. For more information
about product issues and updates, see the Proventia Network Intrusion Prevention
System (IPS) Readme on the ISS Download Center at
http://www.iss.net/download/ .
Finding available
updates
When you click Find Updates on the Update Status page, the appliance checks for the
following:
● updates already downloaded to the appliance and ready to be installed
● updates available for download from the ISS Download Center
If the appliance finds updates to download or install, an alert message displays a link to
the appropriate page (the Download Updates or Install Updates page).
Update packages
and rollbacks
A rollback removes the last intrusion prevention update installed on the appliance. You
cannot roll back firmware updates.
Important: IBM ISS recommends that you perform a full system backup before you install
a firmware update. If you enable automatic firmware updates, you should enable the
Perform Full System Backup Before Installation option.
After an update is installed, the appliance deletes the update package so the downloaded
package is no longer on the appliance. If you roll back the update, the appliance is
available for update downloads and installation the next time updates are available or at
the next scheduled automatic update.
SiteProtector
management
If you use SiteProtector to manage the appliance, you can install an update while the
appliance is registered with the SiteProtector Agent Manager. You can also configure it to
use the SiteProtector X-Press Update Server to download and install available updates.