A. Software Installation and Upgrade

Software Upgrades are made available for NexLog DX-Series regularly. They include new features, system security updates, and refinements.

Just as with any computer, Eventide NexLog DX-Series Recorders require a software operating system and a number of application programs to be functional and to perform useful work. The operating system in this case is Linux, and the application programs are a combination of standard programs and programs written and maintained by Eventide to work with its custom hardware environment.

As part of the manufacturing process, Eventide installs the recorder software. Because the recorder software development is an on-going process, Eventide occasionally creates software upgrades to bring older recorders up to the current software version. It is sometimes desirable or even necessary to apply these upgrades to recorders at the customer site, and the purpose of this section is to explain the process so that customers can confidently perform upgrades (and even installations) without factory intervention.

A.1. Why Re-Installation May Be Necessary

The recorders use redundant disks, so a single drive failure should not cause loss of data or software. However, if multiple disks in an array fail due to a common cause (e.g., lightning or other power surge), you will have to re-install the software when they are replaced.

A.2. Why Upgrades May Be Necessary or Desirable

There are several reasons why you may need to do an upgrade:

  • Hardware upgrades or changes require new software

  • Valuable features are available in the new release

  • Factory support requires a more recent software version

  • Problems (bugs) are found in the version currently running

A.3. The Software Upgrade/Installation Process

The actual process of upgrading (or re-installing) your software is simple and much of it is automated. It goes like this:

First, prepare for upgrading by:

  1. Archive your call data!

  2. Archive your recorder configuration!

  3. Remove all archive media.

Second, choose an upgrade method:

Using the Front Panel of the recorder:

  • Boot to an Eventide Software Distribution DVD-ROM, at the front panel. This is the only way to do a fresh install that overwrites all data on the recorder, but it can also be used to upgrade the recorder.

Using Configuration Manager via a web browser:

  • Upload Full Upgrade Image from your Desktop: Upload an upgrade.zip file and reboot the recorder to upgrade. The file name must fit the pattern “NexlogDX-20##.#[#]upgrade.zip” (for example “NexlogDX-2021.2[314]upgrade.zip”) and will be verified as a real upgrade file before a reboot takes place.

From the Front Panel or Configuration Manager:

  • Download Full Upgrade Image from Eventide VPN Server: This will end with (VPN Not Connected) if VPN settings have not been configured and enabled.

  • Import Full Upgrade Image from an Archive Drive: If you have an NexlogDX-202X.X[XXX]-upgrade.zip image on a USB drive or blu-ray, you can insert it into the recorder and upgrade with this option.

A.3.1. Booting DVD Installation Media

  1. Insert the Eventide software distribution DVD-ROM in the top DVD drive.

  2. Power down the recorder.

  3. Restore power.

  4. Wait until the software loads.

  5. You should see a page that looks like this:

Installer/Upgrader

Fig. A.1 Installer/Upgrader

  1. If installing, click Install, and see the Install specific instructions below. This will erase all data on the recorder.

  2. If upgrading, it should correctly identify your software. Click upgrade to continue. A page like this one will appear:

Upgrade

Fig. A.2 Upgrade

  1. Click Upgrade and the upgrade will begin.

  2. When finished, the DVD-ROM will eject automatically. Remove it from the tray.

  3. Touch the touch screen or hit enter to reboot.

  4. Wait until the new software completes its initialization.

Important

You may need to wait 20 minutes or more for an upgrade. Average wait time is under 10 minutes.

A.3.1.1. Install Specific Instructions

  1. After clicking Install, you will see a page like this:

Install

Fig. A.3 Install

  1. Unless Eventide Service or your dealer tells you otherwise, click Automatic Install.

  2. The Install will then begin.

  3. When finished, the DVD-ROM will eject automatically. Remove it from the tray.

  4. Touch the touch screen or hit enter to reboot.

  5. Wait until the new software completes its initialization.

  6. Restore your configuration.

  7. Restore your archives, beginning with the most recent first.

This completes the procedure.

A.3.2. Upload Full Upgrade Image from your Desktop

Upload Full Upgrade Image from your Desktop: Upload an upgrade.zip file and reboot the recorder to upgrade. The file name must fit the pattern “NexlogDX-2020.1[601]-upgrade.zip” and will be verified as a real upgrade file before a reboot takes place.

You have the option to set this to automatically reboot and apply the upgrade once upload and verification of the image is completed. If you leave this unset, reboot manually from the System: Power Off page when ready to upgrade.

Important

You may need to wait 20 minutes or more for an upgrade. Average wait time is under 10 minutes.

A.3.3. Download Full Upgrade Image from Eventide VPN Server

If the recorder is configured to have VPN access to Eventide, you can kick off an upgrade from here. This option will show (VPN Not Connected) if VPN settings have not been configured and enabled.

A.3.4. Import Full Upgrade Image from an Archive Drive

Copy NexlogDX-202X.X[XXX]-upgrade.zip image on a USB drive or blu-ray, insert to the recorder and use the System: Upgrade Recorder Software page to apply this upgrade to the recorder by selecting this option. It will offer a list of all Eventide Upgrade Media present in the recorder. Select one of these and proceed to select which upgrade image on the drive to upgrade to.

USB Upgrade In Progress, with Automatic Reboot Option

Fig. A.4 USB Upgrade In Progress, with Automatic Reboot Option

You have the option to set this to automatically reboot and apply the upgrade once upload and verification of the image is completed. If you leave this unset, reboot manually from the System: Power Off page when ready to upgrade.

A.4. Some Details, Especially About Installation

If you do an install on top of an existing system, all your calls will be erased. If you have archived your calls, you can restore them as described in the next section. An upgrade will leave your calls in the same state as they were earlier.

If you do a new installation, you will have to reconfigure the recorder in accordance with the setup instructions. This is greatly simplified by the “Read/Write Configuration to Archive” feature. Please read the information in SETUP carefully before you start the installation!

If you upgrade the recorder, be sure to read the release notes or other information to see if there are any new SETUP items that must be configured.

A.4.1. Restoring Archives When Installing New Software

In the Archiving section of the SETUP mode there is a menu item “Archive restore.” If you insert previously recorded archive media into one or more drives, it will allow you to select that drive with the knob and perform a restore operation; i.e., copy the calls from that medium back to RAID. Several checks are performed before the medium is transferred:

  • Does the serial number of the recorder that recorded the archive medium agree with that of the destination recorder?

  • Are the channel names of the recorder the same as the destination?

  • Does the format of the data on the archive conform to that of the destination?

  • Is there any problem with or damage to the archive medium data to be transferred?

  • Are any of these calls duplicates of calls already on the recorder?

  • User confirmation: Are you sure you want to go ahead with the transfer?

If none of these apply to the medium, or if you indicated that you wish to proceed anyway, the archive transfer will commence. All drives operate independently. You can restore archive media in all available drives, or you can even record archives on one medium while restoring from another.

Important

The restoration process will delete the oldest calls on the recorder to make room for the restored calls. In some cases, this will be the calls being restored. Always restore from the most recent archive backwards.

If you are restoring archives after a new installation, set the current archive time to make sure that new archives are only recorded from the present forward. If you don’t set this and begin new archiving after you have restored your archives from a previous installation, you might find yourself “re-archiving” the restored archives.

A.4.2. Potential Issues

For the most part, the process is automated. At least for an upgrade, beyond inserting/removing the disk, removing/applying power, and exhibiting patience, there is little for you to do.

One problem that can occur is failure to recognize the medium in the upgrade drive (the one in which you place the DVD). If this happens, the recorder just powers up normally and the DVD never ejects. In such a case, manually eject the DVD, and again shut down the unit. Next, visually inspect the medium, confirm it has no scratches, it’s clean, it’s right-side-up, and it’s carefully centered in the drive tray. Then try again. If the drive persistently refuses to recognize the DVD, yet works correctly when archiving, you probably have a defective upgrade DVD, or one that differs enough from the drive’s calibration to make reading the DVD problematic. You can try copying the DVD-ROM to another blank one, burning a new one, requesting a replacement, etc.

Much less common: The DVD can’t be read completely, and the upgrade/install process hangs up and the DVD does not eject. In this case, try the procedure again from the beginning. For an installation, no damage will be done as long as the install eventually completes correctly. For an upgrade, there is a possibility that configuration information will have been lost, in which case it can be restored manually or from the configuration archive that you made before starting the upgrade. Do NOT, however, try to resume normal recorder operation until the upgrade has completed normally.

Note: Please read the release notes. Software upgrades will normally come with printed information, and possibly with a README file on the disk. If anything in the release notes contradicts something you read here, go with the release notes!