HTTP/S-Based Provisioning using the Automatic Update Feature

The Automatic Update feature can be used for automatic provisioning of the device through HTTP/S. Automatic provisioning is useful for large-scale deployment of devices. In some cases, the devices are shipped to the end customer directly from the manufacturer. In other cases, they may pass through a staging warehouse. Configuration may occur at the staging warehouse or at the end-customer premises.

The device may be preconfigured during the manufacturing process (commonly known as private labeling). Typically, a two-stage configuration process is implemented whereby initial configuration includes only basic configuration, while the final configuration is done only when the device is deployed in the live network. However, the device may also be deployed without any initial configuration and then automatically provisioned by triggering the Automatic Update feature using the Zero Configuration feature, discussed in detail in Zero Configuration.

For a description of all the Automatic Update parameters, see Automatic Update Parameters or refer to the CLI Reference Guide.
For additional security, use HTTPS or FTPS. The device supports HTTPS (RFC 2818) and FTPS using the AUTH TLS method <draft-murray-auth-ftp-ssl-16>.