ALIF: Longevity Upgrade

Endpoints (Transmitters and Receivers)

The ALIF units have Flash memory devices inside of them which are rated to have guaranteed memory retention for 10 years. We have discovered a fault in the implementation of how these Flash memory devices are managed that, in the current system, could cause the Flash memory could become corrupted after 3 to 4 years. If the system has ever had been upgraded the clock is effectively reset and the 3-4 year life starts again. The upgrade is to the low-level control software. Once the new firmware is applied, you cannot roll back to a previous version of the code. In effect, this will be the only version for the system. To ensure an easy upgrade path, we are delivering the upgrade in two parts:

1. Stability upgrade - V4.3 Hotfix (ALIF 1002 and ALIF2000) and V3.6 (Mixed systems between ALIF1000 and AlIF1002/2000)
2. Reliability upgrade (Flash control is the only change) V4.4 and V3.7

There are no functional changes or bug fixes between the Stability version and the Reliability version. Once the Reliability version has been applied, the system cannot be rolled back. Customers can apply the Stability version and check that this operates to their satisfaction before going to the Reliability version. The customers must go to the Stability version before they go to the Reliability version. i.e. no large jumps in versions. The upgrade image for Reliability contains the images for the main partition/backup partition and boot loader and can be loaded in from either AIM or the local web pages.

Endpoint Firmware Upgrades

AIM Manager

There is small patch released to the V4.4 AIM release for long term stability. Under heavy switching load or in systems with redundant servers, the excess load on the database could occur causing excessive usage and wear of the solid state memory that is fitted in the AIM server. Wear cannot be undone so as a precautionary measure we have fitted a two stage alarm process to indicate if a potential issue is looming. Alarm 1 indicates that the memory has reached a level of use equivalent to 75% of its life and a warning message is displayed to feedback this to your local support. The devices typically run for double their stated life so there is time to plan for maintenance. Alarm 2 is the detection of errors on the disk which indicates that a real failure may not be far away. This is non-cancellable and has a stronger warning. From the 12th August 2016 all AIM units have been fitted with an up-rated SSD which has a longer life expectancy as an extra layer or reliability.

AIM Firmware Upgrades

AIM 4.5 Features