QSC Q-SYS NS Series Specification sheet

This document serves as a user guide to update the firmware and configurations on the
Q-SYS NS Series network switches.
Technical Notes
Q-SYS NS Series Network Switches
Firmware and Configuration Guide
1. Introduction and Reference
QSC NS Series network switches ship with a specifically qualified firmware version and QSC-developed
configuration to support turn-key deployment of stand-alone QSC Q-SYS systems supporting Q-LAN, AES67,
and Dante audio, video, and control networking protocols. The firmware version qualified by QSC will not always
be the most recent release found on the Dell website for the N1100 product line.
IMPORTANT: Do not load any firmware or configuration versions other than those approved by QSC.
At the time of this writing, and distributed alongside this document, the approved versions are:
• Firmware: v6.6.0.24 (N1100v6.6.0.24.stk)
• Configuration: v1.6.0 (NS11##P_Config_160.text)
Overview
Firmware and Configuration Versions
QSC NS Series 09/01/2020 1
Model IP Address Subnet Mask
NS1108P 192.168.0.130 255.255.255.0
NS1124P 192.168.0.140 255.255.255.0
NS1148P 192.168.0.150 255.255.255.0
2. Identifying Your Firmware Version
a. Connect your PC’s Ethernet interface to an open
port on the NS Series switch.
b. If necessary, configure your PC’s Ethernet interface
using a static IP address within the 192.168.0.x
scope. Use any free address that does not duplicate
the switch’s address, or an address of any other
device attached to the switch.
c. Open a web browser and type in the IP address
of the switch.
d. While you have access to the switch, click
About in the upper right corner of the UI.
• Username: admin
• Password: qscsystems
NS Series Default Credentials

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Technical Notes:
QSC NS Series Firmware and Technical Guide
3. Updating Firmware
a. Open a web browser and type in the IP address of
the switch.
b. Use the default login credentials (if still applicable).
c. Navigate to SYSTEM > FILE MANAGEMENT > FILE
DOWNLOAD.
d. Set the “File Type” to Firmware.
e. Set the “Transfer Mode” to HTTP.
f. Select the firmware file (.stk) you want to download
to the switch.
g. Press Apply.
h. A confirmation will pop up notifying that the file
download to the switch can take several minutes.
Press OK to start the download and wait:
i. When transfer has completed, navigate to SYSTEM
> FILE MANAGEMENT > ACTIVE IMAGES to
confirm:
j. Manually power cycle the switch.
d.
e.
f.
g.
e. The current RUNNING firmware version is located
on the “ABOUT OPENMANGE” popup window.
f. If your firmware version is prior to, or later than,
v6.6.0.24, proceed to Updating Firmware. If
your firmware is equal to v6.6.0.24, proceed to
Updating the Configuration.
h.
i.

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Technical Notes:
QSC NS Series Firmware and Technical Guide
4. Configuration
a. Open a web browser and type in the IP address
of the switch.
b. Use the default login credentials (if still applicable).
c. Navigate to SYSTEM > FILE MANAGEMENT >
FILE DOWNLOAD.
d. Set the “File Type” to Configuration.
e. Set the “Transfer Mode” to HTTP.
f. Select the firmware file (.text) for your switch
model.
g. Press Apply.
Updating to v1.6.0 Configuration
d.
e.
f.
g.
IMPORTANT: Updating the configuration will return the switch to its factory default IP configuration shown
above. If the switch is connected to a larger IT infrastructure, it is recommended that you:
a. Make note of the switch’s IP configuration.
b. Isolate the switch from the network.
c. Update the switch’s configuration.
d. Connect directly to the switch at the default IP and restore your desired scope.
While the Q-SYS NS Series is intended for stand-alone AV networks consisting of only one switch, it is
important that the core or central switch be made the IGMP querier if they must be interconnected. This is
typically the largest switch at the center of a star or “Hub & Spoke” topology. In this situation, two conditions
must be met:
a. Each switch should have a distinct IP address.
b. The desired IGMP querier switch (the core or central switch) should have the lowest IP address amongst
those distinct addresses.
Please keep these items in mind when restoring switch IP addresses. Follow the instructions for changing the
IP address completely (Section 5).

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Technical Notes:
QSC NS Series Firmware and Technical Guide
a. Open a web browser and type in the IP address
of the switch.
b. Use the default login credentials (if still applicable).
c. Navigate to SYSTEM > GENERAL > CLI Banner.
d. Scroll down to the MESSAGE OF THE DAY
CONFIGURATION section and verify that “switch”
configuration version is v1.6.0. appears in the
BANNER field:
Verifying the v1.6.0 Configuration
d.
h. Confirm the file transfer operation completed
successfully under Transfer Status:
i. Click Save in the upper right and click “OK’ on the
resulting prompt:
j. Manually power cycle the switch.
h.
i.

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Technical Notes:
QSC NS Series Firmware and Technical Guide
If you have changed IP scope from the factory
default to avoid conflicts or fit your topology, use the
following steps to verify and/or change the switch’s IP
configuration:
a. Open a web browser and type in the IP address
of the switch.
b. Use the default login credentials (if still applicable).
c. Navigate to SWITCHING > IP_MANAGEMENT >
IP INTERFACE CONFIGURATION.
d. From the “Interface” drop-down menu, select
VLAN 1675.
e. Enter the desired IP Address and/or Subnet
Mask.
f. Click Apply. The switch will log you off as it
changes its IP configuration, however your
web browser may not show that anything has
happened.
g. Type the new IP address of the switch into your
web browser and log in again.
h. Click Save in the upper right.
h.
c. d.
e.
f.
5. Changing or verifying the switch’s IP
configuration
IMPORTANT: After changing the IP address, you must also change the VLAN Querier address.

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Technical Notes:
QSC NS Series Firmware and Technical Guide
If you have changed IP address of the switch from
the factory default, you must also change the VLAN
Querier address. Use the following steps to do so:
a. Open a web browser and type in the IP address
of the switch.
b. Use the default login credentials (if still applicable).
c. Navigate to SWITCHING > MULTICAST
SUPPORT > IGMP SNOOPING > VLAN
QUERIER.
d. From the “VLAN ID” drop-down menu, select
1675.
e. Enter the switches new IP Address in the
“Snooping Querier VLAN Address” field.
f. Click Apply.
g. Click Save in the upper right.
6. Changing the VLAN Querier address
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

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Technical Notes:
QSC NS Series Firmware and Technical Guide
To ensure the VLAN querier is configured correctly or to view the status of an NS Series switch:
a. Open a web browser and type in the IP address of the switch.
b. Use the default login credentials (if still applicable).
c. Navigate to SWITCHING > MULTICAST SUPPORT > IGMP SNOOPING > VLAN QUERIER STATUS.
d. Reference the line for VLAN ID 1675.
In the example screenshot shown, we can see that the VLAN Querier is configured correctly for a switch with an
IP address of 192.168.0.40, but it is not currently the querier because there is another switch on the network set
as querier with a lower IP address. In order to make 192.168.0.40 the querier, you would need to either set the
switch at 192.168.0.15 to a higher IP address or set this switch to an IP address of 192.168.0.14 or lower. Don’t
forget the set the VLAN Querier address to match when changing the IP address.
c. d.
7. Verifying VLAN Querier Status