PRODUCT RELEASE NOTES Rev AS

V9.6.15
RELEASE NOTE For: MDS ORBIT MCR/ECR Firmware Version 9.6.15
RELEASE DATE: January 27, 2025 FIRMWARE

©2025 GE MDS LLC, 175 Science Parkway, Rochester, NY 14620 USA

Phone +1 (585) 242-9600, FAX +1 (585) 242-9620
https://www.gevernova.com/grid-solutions/communications

MDS™ Orbit MCR/ECR

COVERING FIRMWARE – REV 9.6.15
Overview
This section describes Software/Firmware updates for the MDS Orbit MCR/ECR platform, noting changes since
REV 9.6.11.

Products: MDS Orbit MCR/ECR

Firmware Version: 9.6.15

New Features

N/A – this is a maintenance release only.

Changes to Existing Features

1. Added advanced LN controls for user to check LN radio on start-up and disable it if the system voltage is too
low. Coupled with additional improvements for flash robustness this advanced setting offers a more
definitive fix for solar power systems that typically experience frequent battery depletion.
2. 4GC now supports updates to later versions of Telit cell module Firmware. (This had been broken due to an
incompatible change introduced by Telit in their 8xx FW releases.
3. 4GC has added support for Bell Mobility in Canada.

Resolved Issues (Fixed)

1. LN Flash Robustness further improved. Further protects against rare cases of LN Flash Corruption seen in
some low voltage brown-out conditions [n0020]
2. Issues regarding use of “_” in 2 digit versions have been resolved. [7937]. Manifest file works with or without
“_” [7931]. CLI copy works properly and does not add a leading “_” [7905]. Remote Manager Service works
correctly without requiring the “_” [7901]

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Special Notes

1. Reverting to earlier configurations

● Orbit software releases include updated configuration data models that are not backwards compatible
with older releases. When a unit running an older release is upgraded to this release, a snapshot of its
configuration is made and stored on the unit. The unit’s configuration is automatically migrated to newer
data model. The user can downgrade back to the older firmware version only by choosing to revert to the
legacy configuration snapshot.

2. Upgrades from pre-7.0.0 Firmware

● When upgrading from earlier firmware versions (before 7.0.0) it is necessary to overwrite the previous
GE MDS firmware certificate with the SHA256 version before loading new the new firmware.
➢ SHA256 certificates can be found at the GE Industrial Communications website at
http://www.gegridsolutions.com/Communications/MDS/software.asp?directory=Orbit_MCR/Support_Items
➢ Certificates can be loaded individually (see Certificate Management, at the bottom of the navigation pane)
➢ Certificates can be broadcast to a network using remote management.

3. Firewall Robustness
● The Orbit Firewall is a powerful tool for restricting unintended traffic. As a protective measure, if the
Orbit Firewall ever experiences an unexpected error, all traffic is dropped with the exception of HTTPS
and SSH protocols. These protocols can be used to recover the device to a functional state.

Known Errata

o When using GPS with the 4GY cell module, once the GPS obtains a fix it will continue to report erroneous
data after the fix is lost. Reboot the device to effect a recovery. [7798]
o WebUI of PEM Private Keys may fail with some files. If this occurs, import the key via the CLI (for
example using a TFTP server). [7489]
o For configurations using 3-port LN operation, changes to modulation may require a reboot. Use caution
when changing remotely. [6243]
o Do not delete certificates or keys that are actively in use. Deleting active keys may produce many errors
including display issues on the web interface. [6241]
o For Terminal Server settings, when Vmin is set to 0 on a physical COM port (like COM1), the Vtime setting
is treated like 0 which will cause packet fragmentation. Workaround is to set Vmin to 16384 to allow the
Vtime value to be used as intended. [6091]
o When using OpenVPN, if data is not able to pass over the VPN or the status page indicates that the
service is in error, then the unit must be rebooted to recover. [5857]
o For MPRS, when updating Firmware a reboot may sometimes be required. [5853]
o For W51 WiFi, when changing device mode, make sure device is disabled first, then re-enable device in
new mode [5850]
o In some newer ECR devices, the ingress rate limiting user interface will not include an Ingress Burst value.
Ingress Rate is also restricted to specific values (64-40000, 45000, 50000, 67000, and 75000kbps). [5847]
o The W53 Wi-Fi module in 802.11g mode may experience low upstream throughput. [5827]
o When changing the TX power of the W53 Wi-Fi, the device needs to be either disabled and re-enabled, or
the entire system rebooted for the change in power to take effect. [5803]
o Firewall filters that have a layer 2 rule can only be applied to a bridge or VLAN interface. They will not be
displayed in the tab complete or pulldown menus for other types of interfaces. [5644]
o When using MPRS to broadcast reprogram SD radios, if remote detection is enabled, then we recommend
increasing the reprogram repeat value from 3 to 6. [5643]
o Avoid binding a service to a radio interface. This may cause erratic behavior. [5422]
o When using OpenVPN, verify that the clients are connecting properly. An errant client can prevent a valid
client from connecting correctly. [5295]
o Binding the SSH, SNMP, or NETCONF service to an IPv4 or IPv6 address can cause boot errors if that
address's interface is not up at the time of boot. This can happen if the unit is rebooted with the interface

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 disabled or in the case of WiFi, if a connection is not made shortly after boot. To mitigate this issue,
firewall can be set to control what traffic passes on each interface. [5289]
o When using Orbit Wi-Fi AP, typically using CCMP, high data rate may cause temporary Wi-Fi disconnects.
We do not recommend upgrading to code 9.0.3 or later if using as a Wi-Fi AP with the standard Wi-Fi
module (W51). [5059]
o When using OpenVPN server, if multiple clients connect with the same client certificate, the assigned IP
address will be in conflict. Ensure unique certificates are used among all clients and restart the OpenVPN
server. [5043]
o VRF interface packet statistics may not match the member interfaces. Use the member interface
statistics instead. [5034]
o When enabling tamper detection, the UI will become unresponsive for a few minutes. Reboot to effect
faster recovery. [5030]
o For a system with LW radios, if degraded performance is observed immediately following a radio
configuration change, effect recovery by disabling then re-enabling the LwRadio interface. [4712]
o If TACACS+ user authentication is used, and the server is routable, but not reachable, the system may lock
up and reboot while attempting to authenticate a user. [4611]
o When performing bulk changes to the SNMP service if the commit operations fails, it may be necessary to
break the changes up into a set of smaller commits. You must discard current changes (or reboot) and
enter the changes in smaller sets. [4520]
o On a Web-based file transfer (From Local File) through remote proxy, if the WebUI gets stuck in the file
transfer state, performing the operation via CLI can restore operation. The CLI file transfer request need
not be successful. [4395]
o If polling an LN remote in backward compatible mode via DLINK, the timeout of the poller, must be longer
than the timeout configured in the radio. [4356]
o If broadcast reprogramming does not complete, restart the transfer to continue reprogramming. [4283]
o Do not use MPRS to broadcast an update to the DLINK encryption phrase. [4259]
o Exports of large serial captures might fail. Retry the operation capturing data for a smaller interval of time.
[4198]
o Destination NAT is not currently supported for IPv6. [4196]
o In a very large LN network with multiple polling threads, it may be necessary to reduce the traffic entering
the LN AP prior to initiating broadcast reprogramming. [4180]
o Payload buffer delay is only applicable in x710 mode. [3972]
o When changing between single LN configuration and LN profiles the error message "could not load config"
may be displayed. This is a false error.
Validation will still be performed correctly following a commit. [3756]
o The LNMS Retry Percentage alarm is non-functional. [3689]
o If a unit repeatedly fails to receive an over the air broadcast reprogram, connect to the unit and copy the
active image over the inactive image to attempt to recover the state. Restart the broadcast
reprogramming if it has stopped. [3681]
o Alarm threshold parameters "rssi-upper-threshold" and "rssi-lower-threshold" in the ln-config, nx-config,
and lw-config had inverted meaning in earlier code.
If you upgrade to this version then return back to an earlier version, values may need to be manually
adjusted. [3661]
o The Orbit MCR 6 Ethernet port offering does not include physical serial ports. Serial over USB is provided
and is configured as COM1 in the Orbit user interface. [3613]
o The CLI must be used to switch between LN Operating modes Profile and Single Config. [3555]
o Broadcast reprogramming of the firmware certificate may not correctly show the status at the broadcast
sender. [3281]
o For Orbit LN using 7FSK modems, operation with a repeater is not recommended. [3182]
o Transporting Mirrored Bits (TM) protocol is only supported on NX interfaces. [3164]
o If running Mirrored Bits (TM) protocol on an NX network, we recommend using Orbit FW version 7.1.1 or
earlier. [3159]
o If running Mirrored Bits (TM) protocol on an NX network, we recommend using Orbit FW version 7.1.1 or
earlier. [3132]
o The remote web proxy will not function if the device disables firmware push. [2581]
o Carefully review the summary of changes at the end of the firewall wizard to ensure all the changes are
expected. [2401]
o There may be occasions where alerts are erroneously displayed on the web interface. [2400]

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 o With multiple RADIUS servers configured for user authentication and none are reachable, it is possible
that it will take a long time for the fallback authentication (if enabled) to be evaluated as each RADIUS
server communication times out. [2399]
o Attempting to send invalid firmware over broadcast reprogramming may cause a services manager
failure. [2398]
o Showing status on a disconnected interface may cause a netmgr failure. This internal failure will be logged
as an event and the device will recover on its own. [2397]
o When a Commit operation is aborted the device may misrepresent the current configuration. We
recommend confirming that the configuration is correct and reissuing the Commit. [2396]
o The standard Wi-Fi (W51) may experience interruptions in the presence of high RF interference. If a
service interruption occurs, the ORBIT MCR will detect and reset the Wi-Fi interface to restore service.
[2395]
o When changing terminal server modes and you experience an error committing, refresh and review the
settings. [2375]
o Operation as a Store-and-Forward device is not recommended in 7 level FSK modems. Operation with
system ID is not recommended with 7 level FSK modems. [2361]
o QOS does not handle the DSCP field correctly. To ensure proper QOS priority use the TOS equivalent.
[2304]
o Updating the firmware via web interface using a local file may fail and get into a bad state. The device will
function properly, but updating firmware will fail until the device is rebooted. [2260]
o When configuring the Static Routes Next Hop parameter, leave the Outgoing Interface blank. Otherwise,
the routing table will not be properly configured, and data passing may stop. [2139]
o When making changes to QOS settings, changes will not occur after committing if traffic flow is already in
progress. Reset the interface (or reboot the device) to ensure that changes will be in effect. [1876]
o In rare cases, allowing a confirmed commit to timeout (i.e., no user confirm) and rollback the configuration
may cause the device to reboot. After the device reboots, it will be running the previous configuration.
[1714]
o While MDS Orbit supports management and routing via IPv6, not all services have support for IPv6. [1672]
o In some cases, changes to IPSec configurations (VPN) will require a reboot to take effect. It is good
practice to reboot the device after making changes to the VPN configuration. [1575]
o Setting peer-endpoint to any in DMVPN will cause all traffic on all interfaces attempt to use the VPN.
[1574]
o Changing a WiFi interface from an enabled Station with an IP address and filters to a disabled, bridged,
Access Point without an IP address and filter may cause a netmgr failure. This internal failure will be
logged as an event and the device will recover on its own. [1570]
o When performing 802.1x port authentication, if the radius server is not reachable when the Ethernet
cable is inserted, then it may need to be reinserted to re-initiate authentication. [1545]
o When using QoS, you cannot have a shaping policy as the next-policy of priority policy. [1544]
o A QoS modify policy is not tied to an interface and must be deleted to disable it. [1542]
o VLAN priority is not preserved if passed from one VLAN trunk to another. [1533]
o In some cases, changes to the GRE interface configuration (VPN) will require a reboot to take effect. It is
good practice to reboot the device after making changes to the VPN configuration. [1481]
o Entering control-C during ping may cause the display of overall ping statistics to be suppressed. [1378]
o When using RADIUS user authentication with multiple servers, incorrect routes will cause authentication
to fail. [1377]
o If there are more than 50 routes in a radio's routing table, the routes will not be correctly displayed via the
CLI. [1266]
o Syslog is not fully compliant with RFC5424. [1028]
o When doing requests on the CLI with many arguments, ensure that the nested arguments (ones with {} )
are provided last. [0727]
o When a WiFi Station is in the bridge, the STP status information for the WiFi device is not available. [0434]
o Rebooting a device functioning as a WiFi Station Bridge may cause a service outage to other WiFi
connected devices. The other WiFi devices will resume connections on their own after a short time.
(approx. 30 seconds) [0139]

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Operational Notes and Limitations
o For Cell operation, when configuring IP Passthrough, reboot the unit to ensure all settings are properly
initialized. [7936]
o When using 3-port LN configured as a remote, in standard mode, with FEC ON, we recommend rebooting
after any configuration change. [7885]
o LN 3-port operation is only supported for standard, advanced, and advanced-polling radio modes. [7832]
o For systems using automatic firmware update, the legacy GE site is no longer supported. We recommend
using a private server and customizing the server URL to point to it. [7797]
o Bond interface can not be used for layer 2 failover. As a workaround we recommend implementing layer 3
failover instead. [5960]
o The 4GF modem is only guaranteed to be operational between -40C and +65C. [5893]
o The tamper detect alarm is persistent across reboots. To clear it, issue an explicit clear from the tamper
detect menu. [5300]
o When configuring L7W (Licensed 700MHz Wide), do not set NIC-id. It is not supported in this release and
will prevent link establishment. [3747]
o If there is an error downloading firmware from an HTTP server, the unit may require a reboot. [3580]
o In the event of Web display issues, try clearing the browser cache. [3505]
o STP is not functional over interfaces belonging to a VLAN. [3324]
o UDP Iperf server does not return a report. Use TCP mode to see bandwidth. [3223]
o MPR VSWR support for LN 100MHz and 200MHz is not supported. [3082]
o MTU settings on the Cell interface have the following restrictions:
-When IPv4 MTU is NOT configured explicitly by the user, the IPv4 MTU provided by the cellular network
(during LTE attach) is configured on the cellular interface. This is the expected behaviour for cellular
devices and ensures that traffic sent to the network from the device conforms to the MTU value expected
by the network.
- When IPv4 MTU is configured explicitly by the user AND the configured MTU is LOWER than currently
active MTU value, then new IPv4 MTU value is applied to the cellular interface. NOTE: The user should
never configure MTU value higher than one supported by the cellular network.
- When IPv4 MTU is configured explicitly by the user AND the configured MTU is GREATER than currently
active MTU value, then new IPv4 MTU value is NOT applied to the cellular interface. In this case, the user
must disable and re-enable cellular interface. [2589]
o To limit the possibility of a cell connected unit not being accessible after a factory reset, we explicitly no
longer block HTTPs and SSH ports from being initiated from over the cell link. As a part of provisioning,
these ports should be disabled by modifying the IN_UNTRUSTED rules if they are not required. [2422]
o When operating Orbit LN in backward-compatible mode, degraded performance may sometimes occur in
certain complex configurations that include MPRS. [2421]
o Preconfigured servers are not applicable to broadcast reprogramming. [2420]
o On the web interface, when pop up lists are used, entries cannot be deleted. To delete an entry simply
highlight the text in the box and delete the text. [2418]
o An Orbit Wi-Fi Access Point may not pass data to an Orbit Wi-Fi Station-Bridge [after configuration
changes are committed]. To ensure proper operation a reboot is recommended. [2417]
o QoS may not affect the Ethernet interfaces or bridging of Ethernet traffic between a Wi-Fi Access Point
and a Wi-Fi Station in a bridge. [2416]
o The configuration parameter to enable a specific Wi-Fi Access Point, overrides the higher level
configuration to enable the Wi-Fi interface. [2415]
o Displaying the active routes will not show all configured routes, when connectivity to an affected subnet
cannot be established. [2414]
o Some CLI command sequences, particularly those involving device configuration or repeat status
monitoring, may rarely cause an internal error known as a netmgr failure. The system will effect recovery,
but to ensure proper operation a reboot is recommended. [2413]
o Date/Time settings on ORBIT MCR are expressed in GMT format. [2412]
o Any member of a disabled bridge will be disabled. Members must first be removed from the bridge in
order to regain access to the interface. [2411]
o In WebUI, there are no preconfigured file servers. This facility is only accessible from the CLI. [2410]
o On a Microsoft CA server, the SCEP template used should not include Extended Key Usage. [2409]
o SCEP operations require certificate information to contain a Common Name, otherwise the operation will
fail. No direct indication of failure is provided. [2408]

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 o When the Wi-Fi interface is enabled with Dual SSIDs, Station Bridging operation is restricted to the first
alphanumeric SSID. [2407]
o Wi-Fi Station Bridging is not interoperable with other vendor’s Wi-Fi devices. [2405]
o To delete all IPv4 addresses from an interface use the following command:
% delete interfaces interface myInterface ipv4
[2404]
o Internet Explorer version 8 is no longer supported. Please upgrade this application to version 11, or use
Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Microsoft Edge. [2403]
o The Terminal Server may fail if polling with VMIN = 1. Disable then re-enable the Terminal Server to regain
functionality. [2402]
o When running VRRP on a Bridge interface we recommend disabling STP (spanning tree protocol). [2384]
o When changing COM port usage from terminal server to passthrough we recommend a 2-stage process.
Remove the terminal server followed by its own commit first; then create the passthrough instance using
a separate commit. [2341]
o When using Orbit as a DHCPv6 server with IPv6 subnet constructed from the interface specified in
constructor-interface parameter, specify the v6subnet prefix as ::/0. [2323]
o Timeout of MODBUS transactions can cause dropped TCP connections. Workaround is to increase poll
rate or increase transaction timeout. [2312]
o If you are experiencing unexpected fragmentation of data on your LN virtual radio channel or transparent
serial, try increasing the vmin and vtime on the virtual serial port. [2225]
o When issuing a repeat command on the CLI, add the additional syntax "| nomore" (without quotes).
[2113]
o Basic webui only supports units with an NX, LN, or LW radio (with an optional Wi-Fi module). Standalone
Wi-Fi, Cell, and Cell with Wi-Fi are not currently supported. [1988]
o For Wi-Fi, in some cases the configured power may not be used; instead a lower capped value may be
applied to ensure proper regulatory constraints. [1891]
o For LN in transparent mode, if the over-the-air rate is greater than your serial port rate, we recommend
increasing either SCD (soft carrier dekey) on x790 or data key hold time on MPRS to at least 5ms to
eliminate potential gaps in the transmission. [1888]
o In rare cases where an NX or LN access point does not associate new remotes, disabling and then
reenabling the access point may resolve the issue. [1806]
o Station bridged WiFi clients behave differently from normal (i.e., non-bridged) clients. Station bridged
clients can communicate directly to each other, while normal clients are isolated and IP traffic will not
pass between them. [1805]
o When using terminal server in TCP polled mode, configure the serial port's vmin value to be greater than
the largest possible response in bytes. [1783]
o If you are experiencing unexpected fragmentation of data on your LN virtual radio channel or transparent
serial, try increasing the vmin and vtime on the virtual serial port. [1756]
o While MDS Orbit supports management and routing via IPv6, not all services have support for IPv6. [1672]
o When NX is in store and forward mode, continuous downlink saturation may cause some nodes to be
starved and not given upstream time. [1585]
o Nx NICs may need be configured with dwell times above 30ms if running at 125kbps. [1584]
o When using QoS, you cannot have a shaping policy as the next-policy of priority policy. [1544]
o A QoS modify policy is not tied to an interface and must be deleted to disable it. [1542]
o When importing a configuration file that contains references to certificates, first ensure those certificates
are loaded onto the unit. [1527]
o The backslash character is an escape character for the CLI. If you want to enter a “\” into a text field (such
as a user password), you will need to use “\\”. [1437]
o In a LN system, if modulation is forced to 64 QAM we recommend enabling FEC (forward error correction).
[1405]
o Performing an ICMPv6 ping to a link local address requires one to specify the src-address of the outgoing
interface. [1385]
o When running a COM port at 300 baud we recommend that vtime be set to a value greater than 35 ms.
[1367]
o When configuring custom layer-2 protocol filters use 0x as a prefix when entering the value as Hex,
otherwise enter the decimal value. Example for ARP: Enter 0x0806 or 2054. [1246]
o COM port attributes (data bits, parity, stop bits) are only applicable to data mode. When operating in
Console COM ports will only supports 8N1. [1238]

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 o The Web UI rejects a password change with the backslash character if repeated two times in a row
example: Y1 \ \ n%*". The CLI and SSH reject a password change with a single backslash character,
example: Tech\123. [1121]
o Re-authentication is not supported on an established 802.1X Port based session. The service may require
cycling upon a reboot to initiate port authentication. [1031]
o Syslog is not fully compliant with RFC5424. [1028]
o The Web UI rejects a password change with the backslash character if repeated two times in a row
example: Y1 \ \ n%*". The CLI and SSH reject a password change with a single backslash character,
example: Tech\123. [0983]
o The HTTP Protocol is not supported for exporting files. [0753]
o When changing a Wi-Fi Access point to put it into a VLAN, you may need to reboot the device for traffic to
flow over the Wi-Fi interface. [0442]
o Interfaces that user can name (bridges, vlans, etc.) should not have spaces in them. [0411]
o When using a Public Dynamic IP Addressed SIM card, On-Demand IPsec Mode is not supported. Always-
On mode must be used instead. [0227]
o The USB port is currently intended for console access only
· Note: If the USB port is in use as a Terminal Server and the ORBIT is rebooted (or connection
interrupted) the USB cable must be disconnected and reconnected and the Terminal Session on the
connected device must be restarted. [0194]
o When changing a Wi-Fi Access point to put it into a VLAN, you may need to reboot the device for traffic to
flow over the Wi-Fi interface. [0146]
o In the CLI, deleting a single entry in a leaf-list with bracket notation will delete the entire list. Do not use
brackets in the command when deleting an element in the list. [0093]

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