V3.8
OnTime Industrial Ethernet
U/R/T200 series Installation Guide
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9 Software versions of the R/T200 switch.
9.1 Introduction
The following major software versions have been launched for the R/T200 switch series:
-
version 1.xx; This version is now obsolete.
-
version 2.xx; This version is now obsolete.
- version 3.xx; This version contains support for all features in the R/T200 Operator
Manual including the VLAN and Security features.
This is the default R/T200 software version.
- version 4.xx; This version contains support for all features in the R/T200 Operator
Manual except the VLAN and Security features.
This version must be ordered separately
- version 9.xx; Switches with version 9.xx are beta releases, and will only be made
available for beta customers prior to a launch of new switch features.
Switches with software version 3.xx and 4.xx are newer than version 1.xx and 2.xx, and
switches with equal minor number of version 3.xx and 4.xx are equal from functionality point
of view except for the VLAN and Security features (e.g. version 3.06 and 4.06 correspond).
Switches with different major software versions can not be combined in the same network.
Backward compatibility cannot be guaranteed if switches with different major software
version.
9.2 How to upgrade from old to new major software version
Chapter 8 describes how to upgrade an R/T200 switch. A switch software upgrade shall
preferably be performed on a switch that is removed from the network. However, software
upgrade on a switch in a running network is possible. The principles are based on FTP
download of the new image via FTP, then the switch will isolate itself from the network, write
the new software image to flash and then re-boot.
Combining switches with different major software versions are not recommendable. This can
be a challenge if the user wants to upgrade multiple switches from an old major software
version to a new major software version since backward compatibility between different major
software versions cannot be guaranteed. The lack of backward compatibility is first of all
related to fiber ports. I.e. the layer 2 protocol implemented on fiber ports will not work in case
new and old major software are used and the switches with different major software versions
are connected via fiber ports.
Figure 19 shows how to upgrade switches in a FRNT 0 ring with fiber trunk ports from version
2.24 to version 4.06. This upgrade principle is based on keeping the old FRNT 0 ring running
the old software (switches in orange) and build a new FRNT 0 ring with switches running the
new software (switches in green). The two rings are connected via the two focal points
through a copper drop link (TX). One extra R/T200 switch is required in order to perform this
upgrade procedure.
