Upgrading a controller

You must use the Commissioning Wizard to upgrade the software in the JACE. This means either an “update” upgrade (say from build 4.0.101 to 4.0.106), or a full “minor” release upgrade, for example build 4.0.106 to build 4.1.88.

NOTE: When updating a multi-station system for the first time to an update release, it is recommended to upgrade a Supervisor before its subordinate JACEs.

Any JACE to be upgraded from one minor version to another, say from 4.0.nn to 4.1.nn, requires a license upgrade, purchased before starting the upgrade. Otherwise, the Commissioning Wizard will not perform the upgrade. This prevents the scenario where an upgraded controller cannot start its station, due to a licensing error.

With a platform connection to any JACE, access the Commissioning Wizard by simply right-clicking on that platform and selecting it from the menu, shown here.

Figure 86. Commissioning Wizard is right-click option of opened platform

If a controller upgrade, in the wizard’s opening selection of steps you typically deselect most items that were previously run at the controller’s initial commissioning time—for example to set enabled runtime profiles, set date and time, configure TCP/IP settings, and so on. See the figure below.

Figure 87. Typical upgrade selections for existing JACE (already running a station)

To upgrade the JACE, you select:

In the case where the upgrade requires an updated license installed:
“Request or install software licenses” (this may already be pre-selected).
In the case where a station install also requires commissioning the JACE (i.e. upgrade):
“Install station from the local computer”
And always:
“Install/upgrade core software from distribution files”

When you proceed in this manner, the wizard automatically finds and selects all core distributions needed for the JACE. Then, in the pre-selected “Install/Upgrade modules” step, the wizard provides the option to also upgrade all out-of-date software modules (always do that).

A final summary step allows you to review the upgrade before the wizard executes and performs its operations. For further details, refer to the section“About the Commissioning Wizard” in the JACE Niagara 4 Install and Startup Guide.