Unannounced Sagecom FAST 5364 firmware upgrade - no connection through built-in switch

[crustyg]

Last April you delivered an unannounced firmware upgrade to my router/switch/WiFi-AP.  It connected on your side (so was considered a success) but failed to pass packets through so was useless.  Once I posted on the community someone said 'Oh there's a slightly later firmware, would you like it?' and as soon as it was installed my edge device worked again.

I'm just back from some weeks away and TT have done it again - another unannounced firmware upgrade and again my Sagecom edge device doesn't pass packets.  I had wondered why I couldn't connect to my CCTV security system.

It really is very unprofessional to just shove out firmware upgrades and assume everything will work ok - but last time I made this complaint the response was 'no-one else has been affected!'  And yet there was another f/w release already ready, strongly suggesting that someone knew of an issue.  I was on SG4K100136 and now at SG4K100158.  Not happy that a) you've done it again, b) that I'm paying for a service that I don't receive.

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi crustyg

I'm sorry to hear this.

I will feed this back to our Devices Team. We have a number of customers using/testing this firmware at the moment but they haven't reported any issues.

Thanks

Debbie

[crustyg]

Difficult to say, Debbie.  Some months ago I was chasing a lot of dropped connections (long RDP pauses, SSH sessions timing out during connection or sometimes from an established session) and eventually realised that it was excessively intrusive a/v software.  Replaced the a/v software and for a while it was all perfect.  For the last few weeks (i.e. I relaxed the f/w rules and more recently since f/w upgrade and firewall fully enabled again), it's been almost as bad as it was months ago.  RDP sessions going blank for 45-60s, SSH sessions dying or failing to connect - it's really frustrating and it slows me down a lot.

Short of setting up a permanent packet capture (disk space!) and a lot of aggressive synthetic traffic monitoring it's not easy to prove exactly where the issue is - and it might not be a single point of failure anyway.

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi crustyg

How's the connection been since your last post?

Thanks

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi crustyg

That's great news 🙂  (apart from the drop during your teams call sorry)

I will check in again with you later on in the week to make sure everything is still working ok.

Thanks again.

[crustyg]

Firmware upgraded to 100174, Firewall attitude reverted to High and all appears to be running well.  The f/w upgrade happened during a Teams call - lost connectivity for about 10s, so pretty good.

Many thanks.

You can be sure I'll let you know if this new f/w appears to cause any issues.  🙂

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

HI crustyg

The router firmware has now updated.

Thanks

Debbie

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

HI crustyg

Yes the firewall level should go back to the previous one. I will ask our Devices Team now to update the FW today.

Please can you keep the router powered up and I will post back to confirm once the firmware has updated.

Thanks

[crustyg]

Yes please.  Is it likely to be today?  Should I be ok to put firewall security back to High afterwards, please?

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi crustyg

We now have new firmware available, would you like me to ask our Devices Team to update your router?

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi crustyg

Thanks for your reply.

It should be this month (within the next 2 weeks) I will post back here first to confirm once the new firmware is available and to check when we can push the update to your router.

Debbie

[crustyg]

Thanks Debbie, yes please, and a check-in beforehand might prove useful.

What are your *expectations* of timescale, please?  This month, within this Q or later?

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi crustyg

I am really sorry about this.

Once the new firmware is ready will it be ok to update your router so you can test this? I will check with you first?

[crustyg]

OK, thanks for getting me working again.  Saves burning through my mobile data again.  My boss will be pleased...

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

HI crustyg

Our Devices Team are looking into this and should have new firmware coming soon, it's in final testing stages at the moment.

[crustyg]

Great, so your firmware upgrade breaks my f/w settings.  Amateur hour.  And now I have to either re-apply all of my rules, or live with a firewall that provides little protection.  I can ping my DNS service, which I could do before your firmware upgrade.

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi crustyg

Ok, please can you try changing the firewall level to medium for me? (in the router settings)

[crustyg]

Hi Debbie: No, I can't.  The situation is *exactly* as it was in April 2022, when the last f/w upgrade stopped the TT modem/switch-router/AP from passing packets at L3.  I've turned it off and back on again.  No difference.  I have no broadband.

Perhaps the alternative is to ship me a new edge device if you can't or won't roll back the firmware?

I'm not happy that you say you can't roll back?  Why not?  Everyone else in the IT world can revert a change, I know you have the ability to update/change single devices.

I had service, you pushed out a firmware upgrade and now I have no service.  It's that simple.  And you aren't helping by just stone-walling.

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi crustyg

Unfortunately we are unable to roll firmware back to older versions.

Your router has the most up to date firmware version. Can you now connect to your CCTV system?

[crustyg]

OK, Philosopher, let me share some of my wisdom with you.  One of the most foolish things that you can say to a patient who's suffered a rare side effect from a necessary drug treatment is 'It's a really rare side effect' - because the most likely response from the patient will be something like 'In my experience, it's a 100% side-effect rate'.  And who can argue with that?

TT did this exact thing to me April 2022, and their human support service desk pretended that they hadn't changed anything.  Anyone with significant IT experience knows that the Number ONE cause of failures is Change.

In professional IT, where I work now, if a change doesn't fix the issue or has an unexpected side effect, the correct response is ALWAYS to roll back the change.  Last April, Debbie was able to offer me a firmware version *later* than the change that caused the issue.  Odd or what?

All I want is someone from TT to say to me is 'Would you like us to put the previous firmware back' - as we both know that it worked then.  Now, post change, it doesn't.

Simples.

[martswain]

Firmware updates are never announced, so don't feel you've been personally targeted.