16.2. Updates

The Intra2net system contains an update system with which it can always be kept updated to the latest software version. This is necessary to quickly resolve any security issues and provide customers with new features and functionality. In this way, the Intra2net system virtually cannot be "obsolete".

Updates are always downloaded and installed over the Internet from the Intra2net server. The use of manual file import is only intended for emergencies and is then handled together with Intra2net support.

Under System > Update > Settings the update settings can be configured. In the standard configuration, the Intra2net system checks for new versions on a daily basis and notifies an administrator. The update can then either be installed immediately or delayed. The standard provider is used for dialing into the Internet (if not already online) (see Section 10.8, „Automatic Connection“).

The Intra2net system reboots after each update. If multiple updates are being installed simultaneously, each update is executed step by step, from version to version and a reboot is performed after each step. Therefore, an update can take a long time over multiple versions. Please do not switch off the Intra2net system during the update process!

The current version of the Intra2net software can be found under Information > Version.

The virus databases are updated separately from the Intra2net system updates. In the standard configuration, the Intra2net system checks for new virus databases every hour and installs them all automatically.

In addition to the hourly checks for new virus databases, there is the option to push the update system via DNS within minutes of a new virus database being released. The update system then downloads and automatically installs new virus databases in the normal way. When using this option, we recommend still running the regular hourly updates. The transmission of the version information via DNS is not cryptographically secured and can therefore be disrupted easily compared to the communication with the update servers of Intra2net, which is completely secured by HTTPS.

The Spamfilter database is also independent of the Intra2net system updates. This is automatically updated daily by default.

16.2.1. Remote Update via Partner Web

Update installation can be centrally managed from the Intra2net partner web. This can be convenient for distribution partners with a larger number of Intra2net systems. The prerequisite for this is to activate the function "Enable remote update management" under System > Update > Settings on the device itself. The activation for the partner web is completed approx. 5 minutes after saving on the device.

On the partner web individual Intra2net systems can be selected and then updated to the latest version at a specified time. The installation command is sent during the next update check. If the set time is already in the past, the update will be installed the following day.

16.2.2. Rescue System

Before new software is installed during an update process, a copy of the current status of the system partition is created. The actual update process begins after that. This copy is called a rescue system, and can be booted on demand instead of the normal system. It always reflects the status of the system prior to the last update.

The rescue system is started automatically if an update could not be installed completely. e.g. because of a hardware error or because a user switched the device off during the update process.

If necessary, the rescue system can also be launched manually, e.g. if an update has caused errors in the system. For this purpose, the rescue system can be activated on the device's console i.e. with a monitor and keyboard connected to the device, in the boot manager's menu shortly after starting the device.

The rescue system can be used normally in the majority of cases. However, there are functional limitations: Users can not be created, deleted or renamed. Furthermore, no updates can be imported to the rescue system. It is therefore recommended that the problem that led to the activation of the rescue system be resolved as soon as possible, and that the system be returned to the primary system.

If the rescue system has been activated due to an error during the installation of an update, there are the following methods for returning to the primary system and trying the update again: