FTP Server Setup

Before you can perform Inventory Manager archive operations or firmware/boot PROM upgrades using an FTP server, you must configure your FTP server properties and login information When you install Inventory Manager, FTP server properties are configured according to certain default settings. Use the Options window to verify these settings and make any required changes, and enter your FTP server login information.

Inventory Manager uses the default tftpboot\firmware\images directory for storing your firmware. Once you have placed your firmware images in this directory, you must perform a firmware discovery to display them in the left-panel Firmware Mgmt tab. If you are using a different directory for storing firmware, you must specify the directory in the Options window FTP Transfer Settings view.

In addition, all devices are initially configured with TFTP as their file transfer method, so you must change the devices' file transfer method to FTP.

  NOTE: Refer to How to Set Up Alternate Firmware Download Servers for information on configuring alternate servers to perform remote firmware downloads.

Instructions on:

Configuring FTP Server Properties and Login Information

Use these instructions to specify the FTP server IP address, set paths to the root and firmware directories, and set login information. The FTP server needs access to these directories in order to perform archive operations or firmware/boot PROM upgrades.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree under the Inventory Manager folder, expand the File Transfer Settings folder and select FTP Transfer Settings. The right-panel FTP Transfer Settings view is displayed.
  3. Select the Use the NetSight Server's IP checkbox, or use the FTP Server IP field to enter the IP address of the device where the FTP server resides.
  4. Enter the port number your FTP server is configured to run on.
  5. Specify the Root Directory Path. The root directory is the base directory to which the FTP server is allowed access. The FTP server will be allowed to create files to or read files from this directory and any of its sub-directories. The default root directory is the tftpboot directory that Inventory Manager automatically creates when it is installed. If you would like to use a different root directory, enter a path to that directory in this field, or use the Browse button to navigate to the directory.
     NOTE:Keep in mind the following requirements when setting the path to your root directory:
    • If your FTP server is configured with an FTP root directory, it must match the root directory entered here.
    • If your FTP server is not configured with an FTP root directory, change the FTP root directory here to the root of the drive (e.g. C:\ or D:\).
    • If you are using an FTP server on a remote system,use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) when specifying the root directory path. The UNC convention uses two slashes // (UNIX or Linux systems) or backslashes \\ (Windows systems) to indicate the name of the system, and one slash or backslash to indicate the path within the computer. For example, on a Windows system, instead of using
      h:\ (where h:\ is mapped to the tftpboot directory on the remote drive)
      use
      \\yourservername\tftpboot\
  6. Specify the Firmware Directory Path. The default firmware directory is tftpboot\firmware\images. If you would like to use a different firmware directory, enter a path to that directory in this field, or use the Browse button to navigate to the directory. The firmware directory must be a sub-directory of the root directory. (The firmware images stored in the firmware directory are added to the left-panel Firmware Mgmt tree when you perform a firmware discovery.) If you are using an FTP server on a remote system, be sure to use the UNC standard described in the Note above when specifying the path.
  7. Specify your FTP Server login information. Select the Anonymous checkbox if your FTP server is configured to accept Anonymous logins. (Inventory Manager will automatically fill in the username and password fields.) Otherwise, enter your username and password to access the FTP server. For increased security, select the Hide Password checkbox and your password will be replaced with asterisks when it is typed in.
  8. Click OK to set options and close the window. Click Apply to set options and leave the window open.

Changing Your Firmware Directory

If you want to change the directory for storing your firmware, you must change the FTP server properties using the FTP Transfer Settings view in the Options window.

  1. Select Tools > Options in the menu bar. The Options window opens.
  2. In the left-panel tree under the Inventory Manager folder, expand the File Transfer Settings folder and select FTP Transfer Settings. The right-panel FTP File Transfer Settings view is displayed.
  3. Enter the path to the new directory in the Firmware Directory Path field, or use the Browse button to navigate to the directory. The firmware directory must be a sub-directory of the root directory. If you are using an FTP server on a remote system, be sure to use the UNC standard described in the Note above when specifying the path.
  4. Click OK to set options and close the window.

Setting Your File Transfer Method to FTP

You can set a file transfer method for a specific device, or specify a default transfer method for an entire device type using the File Transfer Method window. Once you have specified the file transfer method for a device, all archive save and restore operations and firmware/boot PROM upgrades on that device will be performed using the specified method. All devices are initially configured with TFTP as their file transfer method, until specified otherwise using these windows. For complete instructions, see How to Set a File Transfer Method.

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