The firmware is the software that provides instructions on how a device has to operate, thus making it run. The expression "re-flashing a device" refers to the action of re-installing a specific firmware on your Access Point - in this specific case, it refers to the installation of the Plasma Cloud firmware.
Before you begin, please ensure that you have a computer with a physical Ethernet port and a network cable to connect your Access Point with said port. In case your device is powered via PoE, it is advised not to use the same cable powering your device to connect with your computer to avoid breaking the network connection while powering your device off (as needed in step 7). If you don't have a spare cable available, you may use a 12V adapter to replace the PoE network cable.
To re-flash, follow the steps below:
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If you are a Linux user, please follow this guide instead.
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( 1 ) Install Npcap / WinPcap
If you have Windows 7 or later:
- Download and install Npcap;
- When installing, make sure to leave "Install Npcap in WinPcap API-compatible Mode" checked.
If you have Windows XP or earlier:
- Download and install WinPcap;
- When installing, make sure to leave "Automatically start the WinPcap driver at boot time" checked;
- After the installation is complete, restart your computer.
( 2 ) Download the re-flashing tool
Download the Plasma Cloud re-flashing tool including the latest firmware.
( 3 ) Open the Command Prompt
The re-flashing tool does not have a graphical interface and must be run from the Command Prompt.
You can open the Command Prompt in two ways:
- Press the Windows Key + R and type
cmd, then press Enter; or - Search your programs list for "cmd" or "Command Prompt".
( 4 ) Change directory (folder) in the Command Prompt
You will now need to navigate to the folder where you saved the re-flashing tool using the Command Prompt:
- Determine the path needed to reach that folder;
- Type
cdfollowed by the path in your Command Prompt.
For example, if you saved your re-flashing tool into C:\Downloads, you will have to type cd C:\Downloads.
( 5 ) Launch the re-flashing tool to see the Ethernet interfaces
To launch the re-flashing tool, type plasmacloud-flash.exe then press Enter.
You should see an output similar to the following:
Usage:
plasmacloud-flash.exe interface image flash router with given image
plasmacloud-flash.exe -v prints version information
One or multiple images of the following type can be specified:
* uboot image
* ubiquiti image
* combined image
* combined ext image
* Zyxel image
The interface has to be one of the devices that are part of the supported device list which follows.
You can either specify its name or the interface number.
1: \Device\NPF_{202AE5AE-D2E0-45F5-B0B5-4A5318E10422}
(Description: Microsoft)
2: \Device\NPF_{646DDF07-FBF9-4887-B625-1D45D4D23560}
(Description: Microsoft)
3: \Device\NPF_{70435FEE-36E4-49B4-BD26-D53F26A9AE23}
(Description: Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I219-V)
The re-flashing tool will show a numerical list of potential Ethernet interfaces on your computer. Generally, the one of interest will have "Ethernet" in the name, like the number 3 in the previous example.
If you do not see any Ethernet interface listed, either:
- Your computer has no Ethernet interfaces;
- You should try re-installing Npcap / WinPcap; or
- You should try running the Command Prompt as Administrator.
( 6 ) Launch the re-flashing tool to install the firmware
After determining which Ethernet interface you will be using,
- Type
plasmacloud-flash.exe #, with "#" being the interface number from the previous step; - Press Enter.
In the case of the output above, for instance, you should be typing plasmacloud-flash.exe
3.
( 7 ) Connect your Access Point to the Ethernet port
Connect your Access Point to the Ethernet port and power it on. If it was already on, first remove the power and then plug it back in.
( 8 ) Complete the re-flashing
Within 10 seconds you should get an output similar to the one below. If that's not the case,
- Remove the power from your Access Point and then plug it back in; and
- Check that the Ethernet interface you selected is correct.
plasmacloud-flash.exe 3 [54:9C:27:00:38:01]: type 'PA300 router' detected [54:9C:27:00:38:01]: PA300 router: tftp client asks for 'fwupgrade.cfg', serving fwupgrade.cfg-PA300 portion of: embedded image (2 blocks) ... [54:9C:27:00:38:01]: PA300 router: tftp client asks for 'kernel-f222cf5f', serving kernel-f222cf5f portion of: embedded image (2719 blocks) ... [54:9C:27:00:38:01]: PA300 router: tftp client asks for 'rootfs-fbed401c', serving rootfs-fbed401c portion of: embedded image (6145 blocks) ... [54:9C:27:00:38:01]: PA300 router: image successfully transmitted - writing image to flash ...
This process generally takes from 3 to 5 minutes. Once the re-flashing has been successfully completed, you should see a message stating "flash complete. Device ready to unplug.".
( 9 ) Re-flash additional Access Points
The re-flashing tool will not exit on its own. You can either:
- Plug in another Access Point to repeat the process, starting from step ( 7 ); or
- Press "Ctrl+C" to terminate the re-flashing tool.
( 10 ) Pair the Access Point with Plasma Cloud
After having reconnected the Access Point to your local network, you will need to pair it with your Plasma Cloud network.
Troubleshooting
Normally, the manual re-flash process just works as explained in the steps above. However, there are certain factors that may impede the connection to the device and cause the re-flash to fail.
Firewalls
A firewall on your computer may hinder the re-flashing process from completing. If you have an active firewall and the manual re-flash process is not working for your Access Points, please disable it and retry.
USB Ethernet Adapters
Some customers reported trouble re-flashing Plasma Cloud devices when using a USB Ethernet adapter. However, once a proper Ethernet NIC was used, the re-flash process completed successfully.
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