How To Replace A Blade

How To Replace A Blade

It's easy to replace a Blade and have it come up with the existing configuration. Every Blade backs itself up periodically to every other blade in the system. When replacing the blade, the Route Master can restore the backup config to the new device.

Before You Begin

  1. You will need to know the Blade ID and IP address of the blade you are replacing.
  2. Using Navigator, System>Config Manager, use SYSTEM BACKUP to take a backup of the system and take note of the folder where Navigator stored the files. If the restore process were to fail, you can use the backup copy on your PC to recover.
  3. Make sure that Enable Advanced Settings on the System/Preferences tab is checked in Navigator.
Warning
Make sure that the blade you are replacing is not the System Route Master. On current versions of Navigator, this is denoted by a R in the corner of the blade in the System tree. When the new blade joins, it will get its config from the Route Master, and it can't restore itself...
Info
Master preference settings can be found in Navigator by clicking on the Blade in the System Tree. Then choose the Blade Admin tab. (If you are on an older version of Navigator, this will be on the Blade Info tab instead.

Confirm The Route Master Preference

If the blade you are replacing is (or was) the Route Master:
  1. If the Blade is Online: use the Route Master Preference settings in Navigator to lower the priority number and Apply so a different blade will take over as Route Master
  2. If the Blade is Offline: use the Route Master Preference settings in Navigator to raise the priority number of the current Route Master and hit Apply. 99 is the highest setting, so use that. This will force the current Route Master Blade to remain route master when the replacement joins the system. We don't want the replacement to be able to take over the Master role until it has a chance to get its config from the current Route Master.

Confirm The Blade Software Version

The new Blade needs to have a software version that is compatible with the system that it is joining. Make sure the Blades are running the same version of software. If they are not, the Blades running the lower version should be updated to match the others, or if necessary downgrade the new Blade to match the rest of the system.
Warning
If you are upgrading or downgrading the new Blade, connect your Navigator to the new Blade on a temporary Gigabit Ethernet switch apart from the rest of the system. (You can use a cheap, dumb 5 port switch, or plug directly into the blade - no crossover cable required.) Then do a Factory Reset on that blade before you join it to the real system.

Add The Replacement Blade To The WNIP System

Before you replace a Blade, power down the old Blade and remove it from the network. If this an Engine or Console Blade, power down the surface, too.

Warning
DO NOT connect the new Blade's ETHERNET connection yet!
The only way to change a Blade ID# is to Factory Reset the blade using the front panel menu; Blade>Factory Reset>Yes.
A Factory Reset Blade has no Blade ID or IP address (you will reuse the old Blade ID and IP address.)
Alert
If the blade has a network connection to the system when you initiate the Factory Reset, the blade will tell the system to forget it ever existed and purge the system of the blade data. If you wish for the system to retain the blade data (preserved by it's ID number), disconnect it's network connection before initiating the reset. 

Using the Blade's built-in Factory Reset wizard on BLADE 3

Start with a Blade of identical type that has been Factory Reset.
  1. Power on the new Blade. The wizard will ask for a Blade ID
  2. Set the ID to the same Blade ID as the one you are replacing
  3. Assign the same IP Address as the Blade you are replacing
  4. NOW you plug the Blade into the network - connect the Ethernet connection
  5. Select the Stereo template - you'll push the saved configuration in the next step.
IMPORTANT STEP: RESTORE VS REPLACE
After plugging the blade into the network and selecting the desired template, the Factory Reset wizard will initially prompt you to:
  1. REPLACE the existing blade, Yes or No? - select YES
  2. RESTORE or REPLACE the existing blade? - select RESTORE

Using the Blade's built-in Factory Reset wizard on BLADE 4

Start with a Blade of identical type that has been Factory Reset.
  1. Power on the new Blade and wait for it to boot.
  2. Set the ID to the same Blade ID as the one you are replacing (turn the knob from DISABLED to the desired number.
  3. Assign the same IP Address as the Blade you are replacing, as well as netmask and gateway
  4. NOW you plug the Blade into the network - connect the Ethernet connection
  5. Click Submit. The Blade will enter the system.

You will get a red screen that says that a blade with the same ID already exists in the system

Push in on the knob to select REPLACE PREVIOUS BLADE. Then push the knob to confirm and turn the knob to advance to the RESTORE PREVIOUS CONFIGURATION. Push the knob to highlight, turn the knob to turn it on, then push the knob to confirm. You want it to look like this:

Now turn the knob to advance to Submit, then push the knob to submit.
The configuration will load and the blade will join the system with the new config.

After The Blade Joins The System

Go to Navigator and check its status and signals to confirm that it was restored as expected. You may need to power cycle both the Blade and surface when replacing a Console Blade.

Optional: Restore the configuration saved in Navigator to the Blade

If you're not happy with how the restore came out, restore the backup from Navigator. Go to Config Manager in Navigator and choose Restore One Blade.
  1. Select the Blade you want to restore.
  2. Choose the configuration folder you wish to restore from (they're named by date and time)
  3. Click Restore
  4. When it finishes you will need to right click the blade and select Reboot Blade for the new config to load.
  5. Check configuration and routes in Navigator

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