ICX-500 software upgrade

This article describes how to upgrade the software of the ICX-500 Gateway.

During the upgrade process the users (intercom stations and other devices connected) will be out of service for approximately 35 seconds. Any ongoing conversations will be cancelled and not restored.

Backup customer data

Customer data must be backed up by doing a GetAll operation from AlphaPro before the upgrade is performed.

Software Upgrade

Download the software image file, e.g. vsfx-1.0.3.1.swu. This file is a complete image, and includes both the Linux OS and all applications.
Use an internet browser and log on to the ICX Web interface and select System Maintenance > System Upgrade.
Browse to the image file, and select Upload

Software Upgrade from the web interface

Scroll down and select Install
The upgrade status is shown in a separate window:

Software Upgrade status in the browser

When the software installation is finished the system will restart with the new software image.

Restore customer data

The customer data is normally automatically restored after the software upgrade.

If that is not the case, restore the customer data by doing a SendAll operation from AlphaPro. Reset the gateway when the SendAll is finished.

Roll back

The ICX-500 has two memory partitions. When upgrading the software, the partition which is not currently in use will be updated. When the update is finished, the ICX-500 will restart using the updated partition.

If for some reason the newly updated partition don't work properly, it is possible to roll back to the other partition:

Roll back to other partition

In System Monitoring > System Information you can see which partition is currently active (A or B).

Image recovery from SD Card

In the unlikely event of a system crash, it is possible to recover the system by inserting a SD Card with a recovery image.

All existing data on the ICX500 will be erased by this process
Configuration data, licenses, log files and audio messages will be deleted
The new image will be written to both partitions A and B

Prerequisites

Micro SD card, minimum 1 GB, FAT filesystem
The PC must have the software Win32DiskImager installed

Prepare the SD Card

Download the zipped image file, e.g. "vsfx-prod-1.0.3.1.img.zip"
The zip file contains one file sdcard_archive.img. Unzip the file to a known location on the PC.
Insert the SD card in your computer
Start Win32DiskImager
Select the image file sdcard_archive.img

Selecting the image file sdcard_archive.img

Verify that correct "Device" is used for the SD card, in this example the SD card is available as drive "E:"
Press "Write" to start burning the SD card.
Confirm overwrite by Yes:

Confirm writing to the SD card

A progress bar shows the write progress, it takes approx 30 seconds.
When finished, remove the SD card from the computer

Flashing files to the ICX-500

Power off the ICX-500
Open the lid to access the slot for the SD card
Insert the SD card into the slot
Open the top cover of the ICX-500 (Four screws, two at each side of the box. Tool: Torx T10)
Turn DIP switch 6 to the ON position (leave all other switches as is)
Insert a jumper on pinheader S2 (disables the watchdog)

DIP switch 6 ON: Force the ICX500 to start image recovery from the SD card
Jumper on pinheader S2: Disable the watchdog

Press and hold the factory reset (cold boot) button while powering on the ICX500
Wait until the orange Fault LED turns off, then release the button
The ICX-500 will now start flashing new files from the SD card. The process will normally take 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the speed of the SD card. The progress is indicated by LEDs. (If a PC is connected to the RS232 serial console port, one can also follow the progress on the screen)
- First the green Status LED will blink intermittently to indicate NOR flashing, and finally go steady when finished
- Next the blue Active LED will blink intermittently to indicate NAND flashing, and finally go steady when finished
- If there is an error during the flashing process, the orange Fault LED will be turned on and flashing process will stop
When the green Status LED and the blue Active LED are both ON, and the orange Fault LED is off, the flashing is correctly completed. (The serial console port will display " Turn off X500 and reset DIP switches to NOR boot").

Finalize the ICX-500

Power off the ICX-500
Turn DIP switch 6 to the OFF position
Remove the jumper on pinheader S2

DIP switch 6 OFF will force the ICX500 to boot from the internal flash memory

Remove the SD card
Power on the ICX-500. It will now boot from the internally flashed image
Verify access to the web interface of the ICX-500 Gateway at IP address 169.254.1.5 at Eth0 port
If all is OK, power off the ICX-500, and replace the lid and the top cover.