Guidance Update Wizard

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NOTE: The Guidance Update Wizard is part of the Precise Utilities Installer package. It must be installed separately from GDS.

To propagate the software from another controller, the Guidance Update Wizard can initialize any or all of the software on a new controller or group of controllers to duplicate your previous controller's software state. This wizard primarily copies files from the host PC to the target controller's flash disk, both to the public /flash areas and protected system areas. Software or system parameters currently running in the target controller(s) are generally not affected until the controller is rebooted.

Using files stored on the PC's hard drive, this wizard can perform any of the following operations on a target controller(s):

Create a backup copy on the PC's hard drive of the controller's initial configuration files and all or selected GPL Projects
Format the user area of the /flash disk to delete all defined files
Set the controller's date and time clock to the same value as the PC
Copy GPL Projects to the /flash/Projects folder
Copy system configuration (*.PAC) files to the /flash/config folder
Upgrade the GPL operating software
Upgrade the FPGA firmware
Copy any special files or folders to the /flash disk
Execute a series of console commands on the controller.

Once an update operation has been defined, it can be saved to the PC's hard drive. Once saved, the update operation can be repeated by reloading the definition file or double-clicking on the definition file on the PC's hard drive.

For many operations, such as updating the controller's operating software, the controller must be rebooted to put the changes into effect.

Operating Instructions

To execute the Update Wizard, the following is required:

A copy of all of the software to be transferred to the target controller(s) must be loaded onto the PC's hard drive. The files need not be in the same folder or file path.
A copy of the Guidance Development Studio (GDS) version 3.1 or later installed on your PC. To execute this wizard, it is not necessary to purchase a licensed copy of GDS since the Update Wizard will operate without a license.
An adequate amount of free space in the controller's flash disk to store the GPL Projects and other files that are to be transferred.

To update one or more controllers, perform the following procedure:

Step

Action

Launch the wizard by clicking Start > Programs > Precise Automation > GDS x.x > Guidance Update Wizard.

Click the Next button to advance to the Setup page.

Fill in the first tab of the Setup page, Controller List with the IP addresses of the controllers to be updated. If more than one IP address is specified, multiple controllers will be sequentially updated. At least one IP address must always be specified.

The Projects tab copies entire GPL Projects to the /flash/Projects folder of the controller's flash drive.

The Configuration(PAC) tab can replace selected or all of the *.PAC files in the /flash/config folder. These files define the operating configuration of the controller.

The GPL tab can update the controller's GPL operating system with a different version of code. The GPL system is typically distributed in a file with a ".bin" extension.

The FPGA tab can update the controller's FPGA firmware. The FPGA firmware is typically distributed in a file with a ".bin" extension.

The Backup tab can save a backup copy on the PC's hard drive of the controller's initial configuration files and all or selected GPL Projects. To define specific Projects to save, click the Options button. This tab also provides various options for naming the backup save set.

The Misc. tab enables the user to perform miscellaneous operations, such as formatting the user flash area to clean it out before writing other files and to set the controller's date and time clock to the same value as that of the PC.



Changing the controller's date and time clock when running GPL versions before 4.0 can cause erratic motion control behavior. For these GPL systems, motor power should be disabled when the date and time clock is modified, and the controller should be rebooted after the update process is completed.

10.

The Console tab enbles you to define special console commands that you wish to execute during the update process.

11.

The Copy To Flash tab enables you to copy files into the flash disk that are not supported by the other built-in methods. For example, you can select this tab to copy a web application into the /flash/appweb folder.

12.

In the Copy to Flash window, when you click the Add button, another window will pop-up into which you can specify the source and destination for the Copy to Flash operation.

To save the Update Wizard operations to be repeated in the future, perform the following procedure:

Step	Action
1.	Select File > Save Data Set. This creates a "*.pau" file on the PC's hard drive.
2.	Click the Next button to advance to the Perform Update.
3.	To execute the update process, click on Perform Update.
4.	Once the wizard steps are completed, restart the controller(s) to have the changes put into effect.

Automatic Operation

The Guidance Update can be executed from the Windows Command Prompt, a script, or a shortcut and have it automatically load a data set and run it. [***Cyle, how is this different from the Update Wizard? Can you explain what the section is about and why it's here? Thanks Perform the following procedure:

Step	Action
1.	Locate the folder that contains GuidanceUpdate.exe. The full path for this executable is typically "C:\Program Files (x86)\Precise Automation\Guidance Development Studio x.x\GU\GuidanceUpdate.exe."
2.	Issue a command that has the form "<full path>\GuidanceUpdate.exe" "<full path for dataset>" -autorun. The double-quotes ("") are necessary in the command specification if any of the paths contain space characters. The -autorun switch indicates that the data set is to be automatically executed. If you omit this switch, the data set will be loaded but the window for manually initiating its execution will be displayed.

Step

Action

Locate the folder that contains GuidanceUpdate.exe. The full path for this executable is typically "C:\Program Files (x86)\Precise Automation\Guidance Development Studio x.x\GU\GuidanceUpdate.exe."

Issue a command that has the form "<full path>\GuidanceUpdate.exe" "<full path for dataset>" -autorun. The double-quotes ("") are necessary in the command specification if any of the paths contain space characters. The -autorun switch indicates that the data set is to be automatically executed. If you omit this switch, the data set will be loaded but the window for manually initiating its execution will be displayed.