The purpose of this external tool is to provide Canopy Customers with a convenient and controlled/safe manner for Enabling/Disabling the Hardware Scheduling feature on the Canopy Advantage product line.
Release 6.1 of the Canopy System Software implements a Hardware Scheduler that improves the communications pipe between Canopy Radios. A new option has been added to the Canopy Software configuration that allows toggling between Hardware Scheduling (New – 6.1) and Software Scheduling (Current Software – Pre 6.x).
In order for this new feature to function, it is necessary for both sides of the communications pipe to utilize the same scheduler:
For Newer Subscriber Modules, Hardware Scheduling can be enabled by
selecting a Configuration Option on the Subscriber Module Web Page.
For Older Subscriber Modules, Hardware Scheduling can only be enabled by
utilizing a Hardware Scheduler FPGA.
The CNUT External Tool for performing batch configuring of the Scheduler Option supports the following options:
1. User has installed Canopy Release 6.1 to AP and SM, and wishes to enable Hardware Scheduling:
1. Select the APs to configure.
2. Launch the CNUT External Tool.
3. If the tool cannot, find a package that has files for
both Software and Hardware Scheduler, select such a package.
4. Select the Hardware Scheduler Option.
1. By default, the Option to propagate to SMs is checked.
5. Initiate the Configuration changes
6. For each AP in the list, the Tool will:
1. Check to ensure that the AP is capable of supporting Hardware Scheduling.
1. If any AP is not capable of HW scheduling, skip it, and notify the user.
2. Check to ensure that the SMs attached to the AP are at a minimum Software Level of Canopy Release 6.1.
3. If any SM is not capable of Hardware Scheduling, skip the AP, and notify the user. (This is to ensure there are no stranded SMs)
4. Set the Scheduler Option for all SMs and reboot them.
1. If the SM Is a newer SM, then just set the HW Scheduling Flag
2. Else, Flash the SM with the HW Scheduling FPGA
5. Set the Scheduler Option for the AP and reboot it.
2. User has turned on HW Scheduling, but needs to recover any stranded SMs that are still in SW Scheduling mode.
1. Select the APs to configure.
2. Launch the CNUT External Tool.
3. If the tool cannot, find a package that has files for
both Software and Hardware Scheduler, select such a package.
4. Select the Recover Misconfigured Radios Option.
1. By default, the Option to propagate to SMs is disabled.
5. Initiate the Configuration changes
6. For each AP in the list, the Tool will:
1. Set the AP to the opposite of the Targeted Configuration.
2. Reboot the AP
3. Allow sufficient time for any misconfigured SMs to register to the AP
4. Apply the Target Configuration to any SMs and reboot it.
1. If Hardware Scheduler is selected and the SM is not capable of HW Scheduling, flag an error and skip the AP.
1. The AP will be left at the current configuration so that the user can reapply Network Update to update the SMs to R6.1.
2. On completion of Network Update, the User can relaunch this external tool to reconfigure to Hardware Scheduler
2. Reset the AP to the target Configuration and reboot it.
3. Wait for All SMs to register to the AP
4. Verify that the Total SMs is as expected (Original Count + Recovered Count)
3. User has installed Canopy Release 6.1 to AP and SM, and wishes to enable Software Scheduling:
1. Select the APs to configure.
2. Launch the CNUT External Tool.
3. If the tool cannot, find a package that has files for
both Software and Hardware Scheduler, select such a package.
4. Select the Software Scheduler Option.
1. By default, the Option to propagate to SMs is checked.
5. Initiate the Configuration changes
6. For each AP in the list, the Tool will:
1. Set the Scheduler Option for all SMs and reboot them.
1. If the SM is an AL SM, just select the SW Scheduling Option
2. Else, Flash the SM with the SW Scheduling FPGA
2. Set the Scheduler Option for the AP and reboot it.
4. User wishes to directly convert an older SM to Hardware Scheduling:
1. Add the SM to CNUT, and ensure that CNUT can communicate to it (Direct connect the SM to the PC running CNUT)
2. Select the SM.
3. Launch the CNUT External Tool.
4. If the tool cannot, find a package that has files for
both Software and Hardware Scheduler, select such a package.
5. Select the Hardware Scheduler Option.
6. Initiate the Configuration changes
7. The Tool will:
1. Check to ensure that the SM is as a minimum Software Level of Canopy Release 6.1.
2. Set the Scheduler Option for the SM and reboot it.
1. If the SM Is an AL SM, then just set the HW Scheduling Flag
2.
Else, Flash the SM with the HW Scheduling FPGA
Current FPGA Releases for older SMs:
SW Scheduling: 051104
HW Scheduling (DES): 110204
Options:
· Refresh Element: Connect to the Element, Query its state and that of its Subscriber Modules (If Applicable)
· Verify Configuration: Check All Elements against the desired Target Configuration (Hardware or Software Scheduler)
· Run Now: Execute the Current Configuration against the Selected Elements
· Run Later: Execute the Current Configuration at a Later Time (See Screen Shots Below)
· Exit: Exit the Program
To optimize the amount of time it takes to change a large number of APs and SMs over to Advantage Scheduler, it is possible to run multiple instances of the Configure Advantage Scheduler Platform tool in parallel, each operating on a different set of APs.
To initiate such parallel instances, the following process can be followed:
The user can also make use of the scheduling capability of the Configure
Advantage Scheduler Platform tool for each instance of the tool started. In
this way they may be able to initiate some instances of the Configure Advantage
Scheduler Platform immediately, and schedule others to start in the future at a
point where they estimate the initial set of instances of the Configure
Advantage Scheduler Platform tool have already completed their operation.
Recommendation: It is highly recommended that all of the APs on a single cluster of APs be
upgraded together by the same instance of the Configure Advantage Scheduler
Platform. This is due to the fact that as SMs on the
cluster are upgraded it is possible (depending on color code and frequency
settings on the cluster) for an SM to move from one AP to another during the
upgrade process (especially if the SM falls on the barrier line between two AP
sectors). The Configure Advantage Scheduler Platform tool has accounted for
this possibility, and during the verification step will ensure all SMs have been upgraded across the entire pool of APs it was working on. Therefore if an SM was properly
upgrade, but moved to another AP, this will not be flagged as an issue and will
allow the Configure Advantage Scheduler Platform tool to still complete
normally.