About updates and releases

Releases and updates provide new features, product improvements, enhancements and bug fixes. Releases usually contain larger new features, for example, new modules or pages, whereas updates usually contain more bug fixes and maybe some minor feature improvements, for example a new section on a page or a new option. You can set your Smoothwall Filter and Firewall to check for and install updates automatically at a specified time daily. For new releases you can schedule when you want to install it for example, outside of work hours. When you install an update or release, you must make sure that your Smoothwall Filter and Firewall is connected to the Internet. This is so it can discover, download and install the update or release.

Updates

During installation of an update, your Smoothwall Filter and Firewall administration user interface is locked out to prevent system corruption. Only the latest available update for the installed release is displayed, even if there are intermediate updates. This is because each update includes the previous one. You can see the releases available for installation listed in release date order. When you click install for an update or a release the system takes a backup automatically before installing. If you have any issues with the new update or release you can always restore to the system restore point on the System restore page under the System restore point section.

Failover system

To configure a failover system, you need a Unified Threat Management license, see our help topic, About system hardware failovers. When updating a unit with a failover, you must install the updates on a failover unit first. The master unit is blocked from updating until the failover unit either matches or supersedes the master unit's installed software version. Replication between the master and failover unit stops until both are on the same installed release. To update a master and a failover unit, you should update the failover unit first. After you've installed an update on the failover system and it has rebooted and is live, you can then install the update on the master unit. While the master unit is rebooting, the failover unit is active and remains so until the master unit is live again.

Nodes

You can also schedule installation on your child nodes, see our help topic, Scheduling releases and updates to nodes.