User Manual

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WhereLAN III User’s Guide

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User’s Guide, WhereLAN III draft D1675 rev F

Zebra Confidential

Important: The wpa_supplicant file, which controls security of the wireless

client card, is currently over written when upgrading the firmware on a

WhereLAN-III.

• Over writing the wpa_supplicant file can lead to loss of network

connection if the WhereLAN-III is wirelessly connected to the

network.

• Once upgraded the wpa_supplicant file will revert to its original

configuration.

• Recovery WILL require direct connection to the unit.

Solution: The issue of over writing the wpa_supplicant file can be avoided by

editing the WhereLAN-III ‘upgrade.txt’ script file that is distributed with the

WhereLAN-III firmware files. The files will be located in a directory under the

/inetpub/ftproot/server\G3v501.

• The script file is the first to be read by the WhereLan-III and is

subsequently used by the WhereLan-III to control which of the four

firmware files (bootloader.bin, uImage, rootfilesys, and JFFS2) are to

be uploaded to the WhereLan-III during the upgrade process.

• The wpa_suplicant.conf file is stored within the JFFS2 image. When

JFFS2 is upgraded, the site specific wpa_suplicant.conf file is replaced

with the default found in the released JFFS2 image.

• Modifications to the upgrade.txt script file are supported to enable the

WhereLan-III to temporarily save the site specifc wpa_supplicant.conf

file and restore it after the upgrade of JFFS2 completes.

• The necessary command line for saving and restoring the

wpa_suplicant.conf file is present in the upgrade.txt script, but is

commented out and therefore causes no effect.

• Modifying the wpa_supplicant.conf file can be done by removing the

“#” (indicator for a comment line)from in front of the

F1=”wpa_supplicant/conf” line.

o Note ‘#’ is the script’s language for indicating the line is a

comment and contains no instructions. Removing the ‘#’

causes the script to execute the instruction on that line.

o The upgrade.txt file must be edited with a Linux friendly text

editor. Do not use Notepad or similar as it WILL corrupt the