Firmware Management

Nokia AirScale Software Package Repository

Host and serve firmware packages for remote software updates

Overview

The Firmware Management page provides a centralized repository for Nokia AirScale base station software packages. Once a package is uploaded to RAN Monitor, it can be installed onto a base station in two ways:

Direct install — RAN Monitor connects to the base station and carries out the software download, activation, and reboot on your behalf. Driven from the Firmware page or the API. See Installing Firmware onto a Base Station.
Base station pull — the package is served over HTTP and the base station fetches it itself, either via the WebEM "Remote server" option or triggered by a configuration push. See Base Station Software Update Workflow and Remote Software Update via Configuration Push.

Key Features

Upload firmware packages - Store Nokia AirScale .zip software packages
Direct install to base station - Download, activate, and roll back software from RAN Monitor without logging into each site
Post-reboot validation - Confirm the base station came up on the expected software build after a reset
HTTP file serving - Base stations download firmware via standard HTTP URLs
MD5 checksums - Automatic checksum calculation for integrity verification
URL copy - One-click copy of download URLs for WebEM configuration
Storage statistics - Monitor firmware repository disk usage

Workflow Overview

Accessing the Page

URL: https://<ran-monitor-ip>:9443/nokia/firmware

Navigation: Control Panel sidebar > Firmware

The Firmware Management page with upload section and available firmware list.

Storage Configuration

Default Storage Path

Firmware files are stored on the RAN Monitor server filesystem:

/var/firmware/nokia/
├── SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip
├── SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip.md5
├── SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip.metadata.json
├── SBTS24R1_ENB_0000_001093_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A52.zip
├── SBTS24R1_ENB_0000_001093_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A52.zip.md5
├── SBTS24R1_ENB_0000_001093_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A52.zip.metadata.json
└── ...

For each firmware package, the following files are created:

.zip - The firmware package
.md5 - Cached MD5 checksum
.metadata.json - Cached metadata extracted from the package

Custom Storage Path

Configure an alternate storage location in config/runtime.exs:

config :ran_monitor,
  firmware_storage_path: "/data/firmware/nokia"

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`firmware_storage_path`	String	No	`/var/firmware/nokia`	Directory path for firmware file storage. Directory is created automatically if it does not exist.

Fallback Behavior

If the configured storage path cannot be created (e.g., permission denied), the system falls back to priv/firmware/nokia within the application directory.

Web UI Reference

Storage Overview

The top section displays repository statistics:

Metric	Description
Firmware Files	Total number of firmware packages stored
Total Size	Combined size of all firmware files
Storage Path	Current filesystem location for firmware storage

Upload Section

Upload Nokia AirScale firmware packages:

Click the upload area or drag and drop a .zip file
Verify the filename appears with size information
Click Upload Firmware to store the file

Upload progress displays transfer speed and estimated time remaining.

Supported files: .zip files only (Nokia software packages)

Maximum file size: 15 GB

Upload progress displays:

Current upload speed (e.g., 15.37 MB/s)
Percentage complete
Bytes transferred / total size
Estimated time remaining (ETA)

Filename format: Nokia firmware packages follow the naming convention:

SBTS<release>_ENB_<build>_<variant>_release_BTSSM_downloadable_<suffix>.zip

Example: SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip

Firmware List

The table displays all uploaded firmware packages:

Column	Description
Filename	Full firmware package filename
Release	Extracted release version (e.g., SBTS25R1)
Build Date	Build timestamp extracted from firmware metadata
Info	Button to view detailed firmware metadata
Size	File size in human-readable format
MD5	MD5 checksum (click to copy)
Downloads	Number of times the firmware has been downloaded
Actions	Copy URL, Download, Delete buttons

Firmware Metadata

Click the Info button on any firmware row to view detailed metadata extracted from the package:

The metadata modal displays comprehensive firmware package details.

Field	Description
Filename	Full package filename
Release	Base station software release (e.g., SBTS25R1)
Build Date	Timestamp when the firmware was built
Size	File size
File Modified	When the file was uploaded to RAN Monitor
Software Version	Full software version string (e.g., FTM_SBTS25R1_2025.05.27_0097)
PS Release	Platform software release version
Kernel Version	Linux kernel version
LTE Release	LTE software release (e.g., FL19A)
WCDMA Release	WCDMA software release (e.g., WBTSFP20C)
Supported Hardware Units	List of compatible hardware modules (ASCE, ASCF, FCTJ, etc.)
MD5 Checksum	File integrity checksum
Download URL	Full URL for base station downloads

Metadata is automatically extracted from the firmware package on upload and cached for fast access.

Action Buttons

Button	Description
Info	View detailed firmware metadata in a modal
Copy URL	Copy the firmware download URL to clipboard
Download	Download the firmware file directly
Delete	Remove the firmware file from storage

Download URL Row

Below each firmware entry, the full download URL is displayed:

http://<ran-monitor-ip>:4000/firmware/nokia/<filename>.zip

This URL is entered into WebEM's "Remote server" URL field.

MD5 Checksums

Automatic Calculation

MD5 checksums are calculated automatically when firmware files are listed. The checksum is cached in a .md5 file alongside the firmware package for fast subsequent lookups.

Checksum Files

For each firmware package, a corresponding .md5 file is created:

/var/firmware/nokia/
├── SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip
└── SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip.md5

The .md5 file contains the lowercase hexadecimal checksum:

a1b2c3d4e5f6789012345678abcdef01

Verification

Use the MD5 checksum to verify firmware integrity after download:

Linux/macOS:

md5sum SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip

Windows (PowerShell):

Get-FileHash -Algorithm MD5 SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip

Installing Firmware onto a Base Station

RAN Monitor can install an uploaded firmware package directly onto a base station — there is no need to log into each site's WebEM by hand. RAN Monitor connects to the base station's software management interface and carries out the software download, activation, and reboot on your behalf, then confirms the base station came back up on the expected software build.

The same operation can be driven two ways:

From the Firmware page in the web UI — point and click. See Via the Web UI.
From the JSON API — for automation and bulk rollouts. See Via the API.

Install Stages

An install mirrors the base station's own two-bank software model:

Stage	What happens	Site impact
Download	The new software is transferred into the base station's passive (standby) software bank.	None — the site stays in service on its current software.
Activate	The base station switches to the newly downloaded software and resets onto it.	The site is offline for approximately 10–15 minutes during the reset.

You can run the two stages together (download and activate in one operation) or separately — for example, download ahead of a maintenance window and activate later.

Rollback

A rollback activates the base station's passive software bank (the previously running software) and resets onto it. Use it to back out a problematic upgrade. Rollback does not involve a firmware file — it simply switches back to the software already present in the standby bank.

Post-Reboot Validation

Whenever an operation resets the base station (an activate or a rollback), RAN Monitor waits for the base station to return and confirms the active software bank matches the expected build. The operation is only reported as succeeded once this is confirmed. If the base station comes up on a different build, or does not return within the allowed time, the operation is reported as failed — so a green result always means the target software is genuinely running.

Operation Lifecycle

Because an install can take many minutes (download, activation, reset, and validation), the operation runs in the background. The web UI shows live progress; the API returns a job identifier that you poll for status.

Status	Meaning
`running`	The operation is in progress (downloading and/or activating).
`validating`	The base station has reset and RAN Monitor is confirming the running build.
`succeeded`	The operation completed and (if it reset the base station) the expected build was confirmed.
`failed`	The operation failed. See the `error` field for the reason (e.g. transfer error, build mismatch, validation timeout).

Via the Web UI

From the Firmware page:

Locate the firmware package in the list and click Push.
Select the target base station from the device list (only registered base stations are shown).
Choose the action:
- Download to BTS — stage the software into the passive bank only (no reset; site stays in service).
- Activate on BTS — download, switch to the new software, and reset (site goes offline for the reset).
- Rollback to previous software — reactivate the passive bank and reset.
Progress is shown live — the current step, a transfer progress bar, and, after a reset, a "validating" indicator while RAN Monitor confirms the base station has returned on the target build.
On completion, the result reports the confirmed running software build (or the reason for failure).

The Push dialog installs an uploaded package onto a selected base station and reports live progress.

Note: Activation and rollback reboot the base station. The site is out of service for approximately 10–15 minutes. Schedule these for a maintenance window.

Via the API

The /api/nokia/firmware operations are served over HTTPS on the RAN Monitor API (port 8443). The upload endpoint is served on the web UI (same origin as the Firmware page).

Upload a Firmware Package

Store a package in the repository before installing it. The request body is the raw .zip file.

Endpoint: POST /api/firmware/upload?filename=<name>.zip

curl -k -X POST \
  --data-binary @SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip \
  "https://<ran-monitor-ip>:9443/api/firmware/upload?filename=SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip"

Response (200):

{
  "ok": true,
  "path": "/var/firmware/nokia/SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip",
  "bytes": 9602426993
}

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`filename`	String (query)	Yes	-	Target filename to store. Must be a `.zip` and follow the Nokia naming convention. Returns `409 already_exists` if a file of that name is already present.

Trigger an Install

Endpoint: POST /api/nokia/firmware/install

curl -k -X POST "https://<ran-monitor-ip>:8443/api/nokia/firmware/install" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "device": "2057_Guymon_TOY",
    "filename": "SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip",
    "activate": true
  }'

Response (202 Accepted):

{
  "data": {
    "id": "6f1c8b2a-9d0e-4f3a-8c11-2b7e5a9d4c30",
    "status": "running",
    "device": "2057_Guymon_TOY",
    "filename": "SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip",
    "activate": true,
    "status_url": "/api/nokia/firmware/install/6f1c8b2a-9d0e-4f3a-8c11-2b7e5a9d4c30"
  }
}

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`device`	String	Yes	-	Base station name as registered in RAN Monitor.
`filename`	String	Yes	-	Firmware `.zip` filename already uploaded to the repository.
`activate`	Boolean	No	`true`	When `true`, the base station switches to the new software and resets. When `false`, the software is only staged in the passive bank (no reset, site stays in service).

The install runs in the background; poll the status_url for progress. Error responses use { "error": { "code", "message" } } — for example 404 FIRMWARE_NOT_FOUND or 404 DEVICE_NOT_FOUND.

Trigger a Rollback

Endpoint: POST /api/nokia/firmware/rollback

curl -k -X POST "https://<ran-monitor-ip>:8443/api/nokia/firmware/rollback" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "device": "2057_Guymon_TOY" }'

Response (202 Accepted): same shape as install, with "operation": "rollback".

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`device`	String	Yes	-	Base station name to roll back to its passive (previous) software bank.

Poll Operation Status

Endpoint: GET /api/nokia/firmware/install/<id>

curl -k "https://<ran-monitor-ip>:8443/api/nokia/firmware/install/6f1c8b2a-9d0e-4f3a-8c11-2b7e5a9d4c30"

Response (200):

{
  "data": {
    "id": "6f1c8b2a-9d0e-4f3a-8c11-2b7e5a9d4c30",
    "operation": "install",
    "status": "validating",
    "device": "2057_Guymon_TOY",
    "filename": "SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip",
    "activate": true,
    "step": "validating",
    "progress": 100,
    "status_line": "waiting for BTS to reboot onto SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000",
    "validated": { "active": "SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000", "expected": "SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000", "ok": true },
    "error": null
  }
}

Field	Description
`operation`	`install` or `rollback`.
`status`	Overall state: `running`, `validating`, `succeeded`, or `failed`.
`step`	Current phase (e.g. `transfer`, `validating`).
`progress`	Transfer progress as a percentage (0–100).
`status_line`	Human-readable description of the current activity.
`validated`	Post-reboot check: `active` (build the base station came up on), `expected` (target build), and `ok` (whether they match).
`error`	Failure reason when `status` is `failed`; `null` otherwise.

Base Station Software Update Workflow

This is the manual, base-station-driven alternative to the direct install above. Use it when you prefer to drive WebEM yourself, or when the base station must pull the package rather than being installed to.

Prerequisites

Firmware package uploaded to RAN Monitor
Network connectivity from base station to RAN Monitor
Access to base station WebEM interface

Step-by-Step Process

Detailed Steps

1. Upload Firmware to RAN Monitor

Navigate to the Firmware Management page and upload the software package:

Go to https://<ran-monitor-ip>:9443/nokia/firmware
Upload the .zip firmware package
Verify the file appears in the firmware list with correct MD5

2. Copy the Download URL

Click Copy URL next to the firmware package. The URL format is:

http://<ran-monitor-ip>:4000/firmware/nokia/<filename>.zip

3. Access WebEM Software Management

Open the base station's WebEM interface:

Navigate to Software Management > Software Update
View current BTS software versions (Active and Passive)

4. Configure Remote Server

In WebEM's "Download and activate software from" section:

Select Remote server
Paste the copied URL into the URL field
Click Connect and Refresh

WebEM connects to RAN Monitor and retrieves the file listing.

5. Select Firmware and Start Update

Select the firmware file from the Software file dropdown
Optionally run Start SW Reboot Precheck to verify compatibility
Check Activate software after download if immediate activation is desired
Click Start to begin the software update

Post-Update Verification

After the update completes:

Verify the new software version appears as Active in WebEM
Check RAN Monitor for any new alarms from the base station
Confirm cell service restoration via KPIs

Remote Software Update via Configuration Push

Instead of manually accessing WebEM on each base station, you can trigger software updates remotely by uploading a configuration snippet through RAN Monitor's configuration management feature.

How It Works

Configuration Snippet

Create an XML file containing the software download parameters. The base station will fetch the firmware from the specified URL when the configuration is activated.

Example: sw_update.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<raml xmlns="raml21.xsd" version="2.1">
<cmData type="plan" scope="changes">
<managedObject class="com.nokia.srbts.btsswm:BTSSWM" distName="MRBTS-{site_id}/BTSSWM-1" operation="update">
  <p name="swPkgUrl">http://{ran-monitor-ip}:4000/firmware/nokia/SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip</p>
  <p name="swPkgActivate">true</p>
</managedObject>
</cmData>
</raml>

Replace:

{site_id} - The MRBTS ID of the target base station (e.g., 256, 2057)
{ran-monitor-ip} - The IP address or hostname of RAN Monitor accessible from the base station

Pushing the Configuration

Navigate to the base station's detail page in RAN Monitor
Click Config Ops to open configuration operations
Upload the sw_update.xml snippet
Click Validate to verify the configuration
Click Activate to apply the configuration

The base station will download and install the firmware automatically.

Bulk Updates

To update multiple sites, create a separate XML snippet for each site (with the correct MRBTS ID) and push them sequentially through RAN Monitor, or use the API to automate the process.

Parameters Reference

Parameter	Description
`swPkgUrl`	HTTP URL of the firmware package to download
`swPkgActivate`	Set to `true` to automatically activate after download

Download Tracking

RAN Monitor tracks firmware downloads to help identify which base stations have retrieved software packages.

Tracked Information

For each download, the following information is recorded:

Field	Description
IP Address	Remote IP address of the downloader
Hostname	Resolved hostname or matched AirScale name
Timestamp	Date and time of the download

Viewing Download History

The Downloads column in the firmware list shows the total download count. Hover over the count to see recent download details including IP addresses and timestamps.

Download tracking data is persisted to disk and survives application restarts.

API Access

List Firmware Files

Retrieve firmware inventory via REST API:

Endpoint: GET /api/firmware/nokia

Response:

{
  "firmware": [
    {
      "filename": "SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip",
      "size": 1073741824,
      "size_formatted": "1.0 GB",
      "modified": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
      "download_url": "http://ran-monitor:4000/firmware/nokia/SBTS25R1_ENB_0000_001046_000000_release_BTSSM_downloadable_A54.zip",
      "metadata": {
        "release": "SBTS25R1",
        "build": "0000_001046_000000",
        "variant": "release",
        "suffix": "A54",
        "type": "BTS Software"
      }
    }
  ],
  "stats": {
    "file_count": 3,
    "total_size": 3221225472,
    "total_size_formatted": "3.0 GB",
    "storage_path": "/var/firmware/nokia"
  }
}

Download Firmware File

Endpoint: GET /firmware/nokia/<filename>

Response: Binary file download with Content-Type: application/zip

Configuration Reference

Download URL Base

Configure the externally accessible base URL for firmware downloads:

config :ran_monitor,
  firmware_base_url: "http://ran-monitor.example.com:4000"

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`firmware_base_url`	String	No	`http://localhost:4000`	Base URL used when generating download URLs. Set this to the externally accessible hostname/IP of the RAN Monitor server.

This setting affects the URLs displayed in the web UI and returned by the API. The actual file serving uses the application's configured HTTP port.

Troubleshooting

Upload Fails

Symptoms: File upload shows error or never completes

Possible causes:

File exceeds 15 GB maximum size
File is not a .zip file
Insufficient disk space in storage path
Permission denied on storage directory

Resolution:

Verify file size is under 15 GB
Confirm file extension is .zip
Check available disk space: df -h /var/firmware/nokia
Verify directory permissions: ls -la /var/firmware

Base Station Cannot Download

Symptoms: WebEM "Connect and Refresh" fails or download times out

Possible causes:

Network connectivity issue between base station and RAN Monitor
Firewall blocking HTTP port 4000
Incorrect URL (wrong IP or hostname)

Resolution:

Verify network path: ping RAN Monitor from base station network
Check firewall allows port 4000 inbound
Confirm URL uses correct IP/hostname accessible from base station
Test URL in browser from same network segment

MD5 Shows "calculating..."

Symptoms: MD5 column shows "calculating..." and never updates

Possible causes:

Very large file still being processed
File system permission issue preventing .md5 file creation

Resolution:

Wait for calculation to complete (large files take longer)
Click Refresh to reload the page
Check storage directory permissions allow file creation

File Already Exists Error

Symptoms: Upload fails with "already exists" error

Resolution:

Delete the existing file if replacing is intended
Rename the new file if both versions are needed
Verify you're not accidentally re-uploading the same file

Overview​

Key Features​

Workflow Overview​

Accessing the Page​

Storage Configuration​

Default Storage Path​

Custom Storage Path​

Fallback Behavior​

Web UI Reference​

Storage Overview​

Upload Section​

Firmware List​

Firmware Metadata​

Action Buttons​

Download URL Row​

MD5 Checksums​

Automatic Calculation​

Checksum Files​

Verification​

Installing Firmware onto a Base Station​

Install Stages​

Rollback​

Post-Reboot Validation​

Operation Lifecycle​

Via the Web UI​

Via the API​

Upload a Firmware Package​

Trigger an Install​

Trigger a Rollback​

Poll Operation Status​

Base Station Software Update Workflow​

Prerequisites​

Step-by-Step Process​

Detailed Steps​

Post-Update Verification​

Remote Software Update via Configuration Push​

How It Works​

Configuration Snippet​

Pushing the Configuration​

Bulk Updates​

Parameters Reference​

Download Tracking​

Tracked Information​

Viewing Download History​

API Access​

List Firmware Files​

Download Firmware File​

Configuration Reference​

Download URL Base​

Troubleshooting​

Upload Fails​

Base Station Cannot Download​

MD5 Shows "calculating..."​

File Already Exists Error​

Overview

Key Features

Workflow Overview

Accessing the Page

Storage Configuration

Default Storage Path

Custom Storage Path

Fallback Behavior

Web UI Reference

Storage Overview

Upload Section

Firmware List

Firmware Metadata

Action Buttons

Download URL Row

MD5 Checksums

Automatic Calculation

Checksum Files

Verification

Installing Firmware onto a Base Station

Install Stages

Rollback

Post-Reboot Validation

Operation Lifecycle

Via the Web UI

Via the API

Upload a Firmware Package

Trigger an Install

Trigger a Rollback

Poll Operation Status

Base Station Software Update Workflow

Prerequisites

Step-by-Step Process

Detailed Steps

Post-Update Verification

Remote Software Update via Configuration Push

How It Works

Configuration Snippet

Pushing the Configuration

Bulk Updates

Parameters Reference

Download Tracking

Tracked Information

Viewing Download History

API Access

List Firmware Files

Download Firmware File

Configuration Reference

Download URL Base

Troubleshooting

Upload Fails

Base Station Cannot Download

MD5 Shows "calculating..."

File Already Exists Error