Configuring the Buddy Update Client

Basic Configuration

1. In the Setup, go to System > Update > Firmware Update.

2. Set the following parameters:
   Server Name: IP address of the buddy update server
   Port: 21 (default with FTP protocol)
   Server Path: -
   User Name: User name of the buddy update server
   Password: Password of the buddy update server

   

   Ensure that all servers in the network use the same credentials. For security reasons, you have to enter them in the upper mask, even if you did not specify a server.

3. Activate Automatic Update Check if you want the client to check automatically during the boot process whether new updates are available on the server.

4. Activate Automatic Buddy Detection if you want the client to look for a buddy update server on its own. 
   This is useful if you work with more than one buddy update server and do not wish to determine a specific one.
   In this case, you do not need to define the Server Name, Port and Server Path. If you enter a server name anyway, the system treats this server as a fall-back. Thus, you can be sure that the system accesses at least this one server if it cannot find any others.

5. Click Ok. 

6. Continue with further configuration changes or reboot the device.

Configuration for Different Firmware Versions

The feature is available for the following versions of IGEL OS:

• IGEL OS 10: 10.06.100 or higher

• IGEL OS 11: 11.02.100 or higher

This feature is described under Configuring the Buddy Update Server, "Configuration for Different Firmware Versions". 

In the following description, the local Setup is used for simplicity reasons; however, in a productive environment, it is recommended to use profiles. For further information, see Universal Management Suite > UMS Reference Manual > Profiles in the IGEL UMS.

To assign a client to a group:

1. In the Setup, go to Registry > update > ftp > buddy_group_id.

2. In the field Buddy Group ID, set the id of the group to which the desired firmware is assigned.

3. Click Ok. 

4. Reboot the device.
   The device will use the firmware update for the group it is assigned to.

Balancing the Server Load

This feature is available for the following versions of IGEL OS:

• IGEL OS 10: 10.06.100 or higher

• IGEL OS 11: 11.02.100 or higher

It is possible to balance the load between several buddy update servers. If System > Update > Firmware Update > Automatic Buddy Detection is activated, the clients send a broadcast in their network to determine which buddy servers are available. Each server that responds within a fixed timeout is added to a list whose maximum length can be defined. When the list is complete, either because its maximum length is reached or because the timeout has expired, the client selects a random server from the list. This way, the load of the buddy servers is distributed evenly.

To configure a client for balancing the server load:

1. In the Setup, go to Registry > update > ftp > buddy_server_candidates.

2. In the field Buddy Update Server Candidates, enter the maximum number of servers the client should collect. If the number is 1, the server that responds first is selected.

3. Click Ok. 

4. Reboot the device.