The Global Positioning System (GPS) signal provides the positioning and timing information which Sierra Wireless AirLink devices use for location reporting and as the time-source for setting the system time. The GPS system resets or ‘rolls over’ the date every 1024 weeks or 19.7 years. This is a global system issue.
April 6, 2019, was the last GPS rollover date; however, each receiver can have an offset to this date, which is why the effective rollover date for affected Sierra Wireless gateway products is November 3, 2019.
The following action and recommended fixes need to be implemented before November 3rd to ensure your organization is not impacted.
Only devices that are GPS-enabled—those that have GPS turned on for positioning and/or time—will be affected. You can check your device configuration via AirLink Management Service (ALMS) or ACEmanager to determine if your devices are GPS-enabled. The default GPS settings for impacted devices are:
- GX400/440/450 – ON by default
- LS300 – ON by default
- RV50 – OFF by default
If you don’t take action by November 3, you may experience positioning issues and/or system issues, including:
Positioning Issues:
- Incorrect GPS timestamps
- Loss of GPS fix in CDMA networks
- Irregular tracking
System Issues:
- Invalidation of on-board certificates can lead to issues with applications/services requiring certificate-based secure communications (e.g. secure (HTTPS) ACEmanager access, VPN, Wi-Fi WAN, E-mail (SMTP), LDAP authentication, remote logging, etc.)
- Inability to connect to management systems (ALMS and AMM)
- Unpredictable operational issues
Recommended Fixes
Sierra Wireless reviewed all of our devices and identified the following recommended actions for all impacted devices.
Step One:
| Option 1: If you need GPS functionality: |
Option 2: If you don’t need GPS for positioning: |
Upgrade firmware, or upgrade device(s) (see Step Two below)
|
Turn off GPS or enable SNTP Time Server |
Step Two: If you determine that you require the use of GPS, the following table outlines the recommended actions for the impacted devices:
Questions?
Review the
Product Bulletin (Released in March 2019) and, if you have any questions, contact Sierra Wireless Technical support at 1.877.687.7795.