Updating the firmware of your MX-2800 ensures that you are using the latest and most stable version of the multiplexer possible. Adtran releases firmware updates for free and it’s definitely worth the time to update your network. The firmware for the multiplexer can be downloaded directly from the Adtran website.
Before proceeding, the following is required to complete this process.
• A populated MX2800 chassis (1200290L1)
• A DB9 to RJ-45 serial cable to console on the MX-2800
• A network switch to connect your MX-2800 chassis and your PC to the same network.
• A TFTP Program to transfer the .bin file from your PC to the multiplexer. We use SolarWinds TFTP as it is free and easy to navigate.
• A program to console the multiplexer and send commands to it. We use PuTTY for its versatility
Start by running the serial cable from your computer’s COM port to the multiplexer’s console port. Connect the LAN port of your MX-2800 to the network switch you are using. The PC must also be connected to the same switch.
Move the .bin file you downloaded from Adtran (in our example this is 1205288L1a_342a_1f5f.bin) to your TFTP-Root folder and make sure your TFTP server is up and running. Also take this time to find out the IP address of your computer. You will also need this information when you transfer the firmware update to your multiplexer.
Once you have that information and your TFTP server is up and running, you’ll want to start PuTTY. Select the connection type ‘Serial’ and specify a 9600 baud rate. Once you’re in the console, press enter until you see a screen appear asking for your username and password. Enter your username and password combination. If you don’t know this, the default answers are written below:
Username? adtran
Key code? adtran
Once you’ve logged into the multiplexer, you’ll want to enter 3 for configuration Press ‘Enter’ to go to the configuration page. here you will want hit 3 again to get system management. You will want to enter an IP address and a gateway IP address for your MX-2800. We set our IP address to 192.168.1.26 and the gateway address to 192.168.1.1 but you’ll want to set these values to whatever is appropriate for your network.
To enter the IP address, select 1 and then enter the IP address you are using. The same is done for the gateway address by selecting the optional 2. Once you have entered your code, return to the configuration page by pressing the button ESC wrench.
now select option 4 (Utilities) in the Settings menu to enter the System Utilities screen. Here you will see the two system controller cards loaded in your system. We will want to update these mx-2800 system controller cards to version 3.42A.
To start, push 2 to ‘Update FLASH software’ and press 2 again for ‘Update via TFTP server’. Enter the IP address of your PC and type the server file name of the .bin file you want to transfer from. Once these values are correct enter 3 to be the transfer.
**Warning** Do not power off the MX2800 at all during this process. Any sudden loss of power or change of state can cause irreparable damage.
Once you are done, go back to ‘System Utilities’. Now you’ll want to load the default settings using optional 1. This will take you to the ‘Load Default Settings’ screen. Select optional 3 to reset your multiplexer to its default values. Confirmed by entering 1. Once done, go back by pressing ESC twice.
You will know you are done when both installed cards are set to code version 3.42A. One of the cards may not be displayed correctly. This may take a few minutes to update, so please be patient. Once both cards display correctly, you’ll know you’re done! Feel free to shut down the system or resume using the system as before.