Did I back up an AP image correctly

[SurCullsALot]

Hello all, I recently purchased a 1702i AP from ebay, it came with C1700 Software (AP3G2-K9W7-M), Version 15.3(3)JD14.

I have attempted to back this image up to my computer using TFTP, but I am concerned I might not have a usable image if I need it in future.

I used the command archive upload-sw

Cisco lists the image file as "ap3g2-k9w7-tar.153-3.JD14.tar" at the following link  Cisco image link 

The AP uploaded a file to my directory named "ap3g2-k9w7-mx.153-3.JD14" that is 13,499kb

Will the image I saved to TFTP be usable if I need to reinstall it on the AP?

The output from the archive upload command was as follows

Cisco1702iAP#archive upload-sw tftp://10.1.30.52/ap3g2-k9w7-mx.153-3.JD14

Image info:

    Version Suffix: k9w7-.153-3.JD14

    Image Name: ap3g2-k9w7-mx.153-3.JD14

    Version Directory: ap3g2-k9w7-mx.153-3.JD14

    Ios Image Size: 10588672

    Total Image Size: 13732352

    Image Feature: WIRELESS LAN

    Image Family: AP3G2

    Wireless Switch Management Version: 8.3.141.0

Thanks in advance for any time spent helping

[balaji.bandi]

sure you can re-use if you do backup AP correctly follow below guide :

https://community.cisco.com/t5/wireless-mobility-knowledge-base/how-to-backup-ios-images-from-autonomous-access-points/ta-p/3113336

[SurCullsALot]

Thanks, thats actually the guide I followed. I am still unsure though, due to the naming conventions..

The AP uploaded a file that did not have the .tar extension and the file name is "ap3g2-k9w7-mx.153-3.JD14"

Where as Cisco have the file download listed as "ap3g2-k9w7-tar.153-3.JD14.tar"

Just wondering why the difference? I dont have the ability to download Cisco software, so need to make sure I have a workable image for when I make a mistake, which I definately will..

[balaji.bandi]

AP may have extracted version, if this using for LAB - ap3g2-k9w7-tar.153-3.JD14.tar - type this in google, you will find many downloads and use for lab.

[SurCullsALot]

Thanks, I read this Understanding Access Point OS Images  and I have a better understanding now. I alos found a few images that were useful.

[Rich R]

It will write to whatever filename you specified, and you specified a name without .tar.

Rename to .tar and try opening it with any tool like Winzip or WinRAR. You should see info and info.ver files at top level and in the folder below (same name as image) you'll find a whole lot of .bin .cert hash and other IOS image files with an html folder for all the GUI files.
As @balaji.bandi says with a search you're likely to find the original file which you can verify with the MD5 and SHA512 hash values from the cisco site.

[SurCullsALot]

Thanks, you are 100% correct. I added the .tar extension and it opened up in 7zip.

I renamed the file to exactly match the same Cisco .tar download and then checked the md5 checksum, they didnt match. Part of me is super curious about why the difference, the sensible part off me is saying to move on.

Thanks to everyone that responded

[Rich R]

Your self created tar file will never exactly match the original, so yes - move on.

[SurCullsALot]

I understand the differance a bit can make to the MD5 output. What I dont get is if I follow the original naming convention, why doesnt the AP recreate the original file. I mean to say, the file is required to satisfy a particular function, so where does the flexibility come into play as to how the file can be packaged.

Is it the case that two different AP using the same archive command on the same file with the same naming convention, will create files with different MD5?

[Rich R]

You're creating a tar file snapshot from a live file system that could have other or changed files compared to the original.

The hashes apply to the original supplied by Cisco only and that is all I would ever use to be safe.