Cisco Headend System Release 2.7 Installation Guide

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Chapter 2    Upgrading the Software 
 
 
 
10 
4023372 Rev B 
Upgrade Process Overview 
Before You Begin 
Before you upgrade to MQAM 2.6.18, be sure that your system meets the criteria 
specified in System Release Compatibility and Prerequisites (on page 4) and 
Application Platform Release Dependencies (on page 5). 
If you will not be downloading the MQAM software from our File Transfer Protocol 
(FTP) site, make sure that you have obtained the CD, MQAM V2.6.18, part number 
4021953. 
 
Time to Complete 
When upgrading MQAMs with the new software, consider the following tasks and 
the amount of time required for each: 
 
Completing pre-upgrade tasks takes from 30 to 45 minutes. 
 
If you are upgrading from an FTP site, allow an additional 10 to 15 minutes to 
download the software from the FTP site. The speed of the connection and the 
size of the files will determine the actual download time. 
 
Downloading new software to the MQAM takes approximately 5 minutes for 
each modulator. 
 
For MQAMs that carry broadcast sessions, the DNCS will restart the sessions 
after the MQAMs load new software. 
 
For MQAMs that carry VOD sessions, only those sessions that are determined to 
be active will be restarted. Because subscribers may tune away when the MQAM 
reboots, the total number of recovered sessions may not match the original 
number of sessions on the MQAMs. 
Note: It is not necessary to rebuild non-VOD sessions on the MQAMs that you 
upgrade. The non-VOD sessions are rebuilt automatically after the new software is 
downloaded to the MQAM. 
 
Subscriber Impact 
When MQAMs are reset (rebooted) during the upgrade, the services they carry are 
interrupted. DHCTs will show a frozen picture or black screen until the upgrade is 
complete and the DNCS has restarted all of the active sessions on the MQAM.