Configure Advantage Platform Scheduler
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. This tool only works on pre-R8.0 release of Canopy System software, since all R8.0 and higher releases only use Hardware Scheduling.
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:
1. Subscriber Modules (SM) with hardware scheduling enabled will only be able to communicate/register with Access Points (AP) with hardware scheduling enabled.
2. Subscriber Modules (SM) with software scheduling enabled will only be able to communicate/register with Access Points (AP) with hardware scheduling enabled.
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 separate Hardware Scheduler FPGA.
Features
The Network Updater External Tool for performing batch configuring of the Scheduler Option will support the following options:
1. Ensure that only Advantage Access Points (AP) with Canopy Release of 6.1 up to but not including 8.0 can be configured.
2. Allow Configuring of Subscriber Modules (SM) with Canopy Release of 6.1 up to but not including 8.0 or above.
3. Allow Toggling between Hardware and Software Scheduling.
4. Allow the configuration option to be automatically propagated to Subscriber Modules currently registered with the AP.
5. Provide a GUI to the user to allow selection of the above options.
Specific Operations
1. User has installed Canopy Release 6.1 to AP and SM, and wishes to enable Hardware Scheduling:
a. Identify the APs to configure by selecting them on the tree view display.
b. Launch the Network Updater External Tool.
c. Select the Hardware Scheduler Option.
i. By default, the Option to propagate to SMs is checked.
d. Initiate the Configuration changes
e. For each AP in the list, the Tool will:
i. 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.
ii. Check to ensure that the SMs attached to the AP are at a minimum Software Level of Canopy Release 6.1.
iii. 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)
iv. 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
v. 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.
a. Identify the APs to configure by selecting them on the tree view display.
b. Launch the Network Updater External Tool.
c. Select the Recover Misconfigured Modules Option.
i. By default, the Option to propagate to SMs is disabled.
d. Initiate the Configuration changes
e. For each AP in the list, the Tool will:
i. Set the AP to the opposite of the Targeted Configuration.
ii. Reboot the AP
iii. Allow sufficient time for any misconfigured SMs to register to the AP
iv. 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.
a. The AP will be left at the current configuration so that the user can reapply Network Update to update the SMs to R6.1.
b. On completion of Network Update, the User can re-launch 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:
a. Identify the APs to configure by selecting them on the tree view display.
b. Launch the Network Updater External Tool.
c. Select the Software Scheduler Option.
i. By default, the Option to propagate to SMs is checked.
d. Initiate the Configuration changes
e. For each AP in the list, the Tool will:
i. Set the Scheduler Option for all SMs and reboot them.
1. If the SM is a newer SM, just select the SW Scheduling Option
2. Else for older SMs Flash the SM with the SW Scheduling FPGA
ii. Set the Scheduler Option for the AP and reboot it.
4. User wishes to directly convert an older SM to Hardware Scheduling:
a. Add the SM to Network Updater, and ensure that Network Updater can communicate to it (Direct connect the SM to the PC running Network Updater)
b. Identify the SMs to configure by checking them on the tree view display.
c. Launch the Network Updater External Tool.
d. Select the Hardware Scheduler Option.
e. Initiate the Configuration changes
f. The Tool will:
i. Check to ensure that the SM is as a minimum Software Level of Canopy Release 6.1 and below Release 8.0.
ii. Set the Scheduler Option for the SM and reboot it.
1. If the SM is a newer SM, then just set the HW Scheduling Flag
2. Else for older SMs Flash the SM with the HW Scheduling FPGA
FPGA Releases for R6.1 for older SMs:
o SW Scheduling: 051104
o HW Scheduling (DES): 110204
GUI
If the tool is unable to identify a package that contains FPGAs for Hardware Scheduler and Software Scheduler, the tool pops up a dialog box to select a particular package that contains the FPGAs for both kinds of scheduler. Note that the tool does not get an up-to-date list of currently selected packages from the Network Updater tool, so you may see this message and be required to specify an appropriate package even if you have such a package active within the Network Updater Manage Packages dialogue.
Otherwise, the main window of the tool will directly appear.
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). Note that the scheduled time will be based on your Network Updater computer clock, not any time set on the Canopy elements being manipulated.
· Exit: Exit the Program
Run Later:
Running Parallel Instances of Tool
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:
1. Select the AP(s) the first instance of the Configure Advantage Scheduler Platform tool should operate on
2. Launch the tool from the Tools menu
3. Configure and initiate the Configure Advantage Scheduler Platform tool
4. While the tool is running, return to the Network Updater main window
5. Select the AP(s) for the 2nd instance of the Configure Advantage Scheduler Platform tool. (Note: Remember to unselect the previous set of APs)
6. Launch the tool from the Tools Menu
7. Configure and initiate the Configure Advantage Scheduler Platform tool
8. Repeat as needed, up to the performance capabilities of the computer that is being used.
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.