---
title: "Reinstall Software on a Nasuni Hardware Appliance (Field Reinstallation)"
slug: "field-reinstallation"
tags: ["Configuration", "Disaster Recovery", "Installation", "Nasuni Edge Appliance", "Troubleshooting"]
updated: 2026-08-25T17:53:50Z
published: 2026-08-25T17:53:50Z
canonical: "docs.nasuni.com/field-reinstallation"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nasuni.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Reinstall Software on a Nasuni Hardware Appliance (Field Reinstallation)

## **Overview**

It occasionally becomes necessary to re-install the software on a Nasuni Edge Hardware Appliance. (Note that the Nasuni Edge Appliance (NEA) is sometimes referred to by its former name, Nasuni Filer.)

This procedure is intended to be performed by the customer without the need for Nasuni Technical Support. However, you might choose to consult Nasuni Technical Support for issues you might have during the procedure. The procedure takes 30-60 minutes.

## **Reasons to re-install the software on a Nasuni Edge Hardware Appliance**

Reasons to re-install the software on Nasuni Edge Appliance hardware include the following:

- The Edge Appliance has experienced a catastrophic non-hardware event and requires disaster recovery.
- To prepare the Edge Appliance for a different purpose, such as re-purposing as a new Edge Appliance. For example, the Edge Appliance might have been decommissioned for some reason and is now being reconfigured for use as a different Edge Appliance, possibly at a different location.

**Field re-installation considerations and prerequisites**

There are several considerations and prerequisites before performing a field re-installation.

**iDRAC:** iDRAC access is required for this procedure. The procedure can be performed remotely from the iDRAC Virtual Console. The iDRAC network configuration is NOT changed during the process.

> [!CAUTION]
> ***Warning****: This procedure resets the Edge Appliance to factory settings. As a result, all* ***cache data*** *and* ***network configurations*** *on this Edge Appliance are lost.*

> [!CAUTION]
> ***Warning****: Network settings of the Nasuni Edge Appliance are not retained during the field re-installation process. However, the iDRAC network config IS NOT changed during this process.*
> 
> *The resulting Edge Appliance is then ready to be reconfigured, repurposed, or used for a disaster recovery procedure.*
> 
> *If this process is part of a disaster recovery, before proceeding, if possible, record important network settings for use after the re-installation process. After completing the field re-installation, the Edge Appliance is ready for the disaster recovery procedure, or to be repurposed immediately.*

> [!CAUTION]
> ***Caution****: If you are performing a disaster recovery procedure for the Edge Appliance after the field reinstallation, ensure that you have the serial number, authorization code, and all of your encryption keys or passphrase for that Edge Appliance.*

> ***Note****: The RAID structure of the Nasuni Edge Appliance hardware is not built completely during the re-installation process, but takes some time to complete after the re-installation. This runs seamlessly in the background. A completion progress bar displays the status of the rebuild on the Edge Appliance user interface Home page. During this time, the Nasuni Edge Appliance could experience a slight degradation in performance, depending on the Edge Appliance usage, but the RAID is fully functional and can properly handle a failed disk.*

## **Prerequisites**

Before performing a field re-installation, ensure that the following requirements are satisfied:

- Downloading the Nasuni Edge Appliance re-image ISO file.

1. This entire procedure works faster if you access the iDRAC via a remote desktop client that is in the same or close physical location as the NEA.
2. From your Portal account, click **Downloads.**
3. Click **Download ISO Format.**
4. The current version is displayed. Click the current version to download the ISO file to your local hard drive.

> ***Note****: The current version is the required release to start with for repurpose or disaster recovery on a Hardware Appliance.*
> 
> *If you are recovering the NEA and if the current Nasuni release on the NEA was below 10.x before re-imaging, then you must use the earlier ISO version 9.12.5. This is because several release versions are required before proceeding to the latest Nasuni release above 10.x. You must request version 9.12.5 from Nasuni Support.*
> 
> *However, if this field re-installation is for repurposing the NEA, you do not need to use version 9.12.5. You can use the latest version available.*

1. If this is a disaster recovery, ensure that you have all of your encryption keys, passphrase, Serial number, and authorization code for the Edge Appliance.

## Field re-installation procedure

This procedure can be run remotely from the iDRAC virtual console.

To perform the field re-installation procedure from the iDRAC virtual console, follow these steps:

1. Download the Edge Appliance ISO installation software and save it to your local laptop or desktop Downloads directory, as described in the prerequisites above.
2. Log in to iDRAC. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774986632.png)

1. From iDRAC, start the virtual console. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774986634.png)

1. On the virtual console, click **Virtual Media**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/image-92STKU9G.png)

1. Click “**Connect Virtual Media**”. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774986636.png)

1. Click “**Choose File**”, then choose the downloaded ISO file from the Downloads folder. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774986637.png)

1. Click **Map Device**. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774987439.png)

1. Click **Close**.

1. Click **Boot**. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774987567.png)

1. Change Boot Controls to **Virtual CD/DVD/ISO**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/image-6Y2S8Y7P.png)
2. Confirm boot action by clicking **Yes**. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774987766.png)

1. Click **Power**. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774988256.png)

1. From the **Power Controls**, click **Reset System (warm boot)**. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774988269.png)
2. Confirm power action by clicking **Yes** to boot into the installer.

> ***Note****: After booting into the installer, you might see the following displayed.* *![A screen shot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774988481.png)* *This is an indication that you need to reset the boot mode from BIOS to UEFI for the new version to work.* *If this happens, follow these instructions:*
> 
> 1. *Open the iDRAC web interface and launch the* ***Virtual Console****.*
> 2. *Restart the physical server.*
> 3. *Tap* ***F2*** *during the system startup to enter* ***System Setup****.*
> 4. *Go to* ***System BIOS*** ***→ Boot Settings*** *and change the boot mode option to* ***UEFI****.*
> 5. *Select* ***Back → Finish → Save changes → Yes → Confirm save changes → Exit****.*

1. The installer menu is displayed. *![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774988618.png)*

1. From the available options, select **Reinstall Nasuni Edge Appliance.**

1. To confirm the reinstallation option, click **Confirm reinstall** and press **Enter**.

> **NOTE THAT THE SCREEN GOES BLANK FOR ABOUT 60 SECONDS BEFORE DISPLAYING THE INSTALLER IMAGE CHECK.**

![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774988956.png)

1. The “**Checking installer**” image is displayed. This is optional and takes about 45 minutes to complete. To skip the test and begin the reinstall procedure immediately, press **Esc.** ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774989107.png)

1. Stopping the check image test displays the following image. ![A computer screen with text Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774989287.png)

1. Click **OK** to continue.
2. The Edge Appliance boots from the virtual media drive and starts to install code. The “**Preparing to auto-install**” screen appears. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774989362.png)

To abort the procedure, press **Esc** before the counter reaches 0. Otherwise, to proceed with the re-installation, do not press anything; wait until the counter reaches 0.

1. The re-installation process begins, and the progress screen appears. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774989860.png)

1. Some Nasuni hardware models support an adjustable COW (Copy on Write) device. On those models, during the “Creating and partitioning disk” step of the installation process, an extra screen appears to ask for the chosen COW size. The default (and minimum) value is the recommended value. DO NOT CHANGE the COW size, unless authorized by Nasuni Engineering and Support. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774989993.jpg)

> ***Note****: If authorized by Nasuni Engineering and Support to adjust the COW size, before adjusting the COW size, and for further advice on COW sizing, contact Nasuni Technical Support.*
> 
> *If you have been instructed to increase your COW size by Nasuni Support, the maximum value is 50 percent of the disk size.*

1. Accept the default value (which might be different on different models) by pressing **Enter**.

1. To confirm the COW size should be as displayed, click **Yes**. ![A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774990024.png)

1. The installer returns to the progress screen to complete the installation. ![A computer screen with text on it Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774990070.png)

> ***Note****: SOME OF THE STEPS CAN TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES.*
> 
> *For example, exploding the root filesystem can take 10 - 15 minutes.*

1. After the “Formatting EFI filesystem” step, other steps occur. The “Downloading Dependences” display can be 0 percent for several minutes and then change immediately to 100 percent. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/image-3IJMB8P5.png)
2. When the re-installation is finished, the time for the installation is displayed in hours:minutes:seconds. ![A screen shot of a computer Description automatically generated](https://cdn.document360.io/2adf6ce2-c120-4520-b135-0fc4463ddde3/Images/Documentation/base64-converted-image-1785774990531.png)

1. After the re-installation completes, restart the Nasuni Edge Appliance by pressing **Enter**.

1. The NEA might boot back into the installation procedure because the iDRAC is still set to boot from the virtual console. If this happens, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the virtual console.
2. Click **Virtual Media**.
3. Click **Un-map Device**.
4. Click **Unmap Drive**.
5. Click **Power**.
6. Click **Reboot**, either cold or warm: it does not matter.

1. If DHCP is available on the network, an IP address for the Edge Appliance UI is displayed at the top of the screen after booting up. Note this IP address. You can use it to initially access the NEA Web UI if necessary.

1. Use this IP address to log in to the Edge Appliance UI and complete the setup process.

> ***Note: If there is no DHCP available you must access the Service menu on the console window and configure a static IP.***