Upgrading your netBooter B series PDU device firmware involves two main steps: uploading a hex file via TFTP and uploading a bin file via the web interface. Follow the instructions below to complete the upgrade process.
What You’ll Need
Before starting the firmware upgrade, make sure you have the following:
- A computer with network access (Windows, Linux, etc.)
- A TFTP client installed on the computer
- You can check if your Windows installation has TFTP enabled by default by typing in the command 'tftp' in your cmd prompt
- If you receive a message saying 'tftp' is not recognized as an internal or external command, you may need to enable it in Windows (external link)
- Telnet or serial console access
Step-by-Step Firmware Upgrade
Step 1: Identify the Hardware Revision and Obtain the Correct Firmware File
Identify the hardware revision of your netBooter B unit. You will need to ensure the firmware Hardware Revision matches your devices'.
- Check the product sticker on your NetBooter device. Look for a field labeled HW.
- Common examples: 3.2, 3.2.1, etc.
- If no HW value is printed (common in PDUs manufactured before 2024), use the default value: 3.2.
Download the correct firmware file for your hardware revision by visiting the netBooter B Series support page.
Step 2: Connect your netBooter PDU to the network
The netBooter PDU is required to be connected to the network since the firmware file is uploaded to the unit over TFTP. Note the IP of the device - the device must be accessible over the network from the computer you'll be utilizing TFTP on.
Step 3: Upload the hex file via TFTP
This step loads the core application firmware into the device.
3.1: Set up the TFTP transfer
On your PC, place the hex file in a known location (such as C:\Documents). Then open a terminal or command prompt, cd over to the directory you placed the file in, and prepare the following command, but do not press Enter yet:
tftp 192.168.1.100 put xxx.hex
Replace the IP address above (192.168.1.100) with the current address of the netBooter device and xxx.hex with the actual filename of your firmware
3.2: Initiate upgrade mode on the netBooter PDU
Open a serial or Telnet terminal connected to the netBooter PDUand type:
upgrade 1
This will put the PDU in an upgrade mode for approximately 60 seconds, where the PDU will listen over TFTP for a firmware file. Immediately afterward, return to your PC and run the TFTP command you prepared earlier.
3.3 Verify the transfer
- The LINK LED should begin blinking once per second.
- During the transfer, you should see quick flashes embedded in the blinking pattern.
- Upload should complete in under 30 seconds.
- The device will automatically reboot within 60 seconds, or you can power-cycle it manually to restart sooner.
If you receive a timeout error, refer to the troubleshooting section below.
Step 4: Upload the bin file via the Web Interface
Once the device has rebooted and is active on the network:
- Open a web browser and go to: http://[device IP address]/synl, where [devce IP address] is the IP address of your PDU
- Locate and select the bin file.
- Click the Upload button.
The upload typically takes 40 to 60 seconds to complete.
Step 5: Verify the Firmware Update
Log into the web UI of the device, and scroll to the bottom of the home page. Look for the Version in the System Status table, and the "WF" value in the Copyright statement
Version should correspond to the version of the .hex file you TFTPed.
You'll also want to check that the "WF..." value in the Copyright statement matches the numbered part (88 in the above example) to the WF portion of the Version. If the "WF" part does not match, please check that you executed Step 4, which uploads the bin and is responsible for the WF version.
Troubleshooting
Hex file upload fails
If the hex upload fails (for example, due to power loss or a network issue), the unit may become unresponsive. If this happens, netBooter B series PDUs will go into Recovery Mode, where the PDU will listen ata static IP value of 192.168.2.220 for a hex file.
- Power cycle the unit. It should boot into recovery mode using the default IP address 192.168.2.220.
- Configure your PC to use an IP in the 192.168.2.x subnet.
- Connect your PDU directly to your PC using an Ethernet cable.
- Re-run the TFTP upload command: tftp 192.168.2.220 put xxx.hex
After the upload completes, the unit will reboot in 60 seconds or can be restarted manually.
Bin file upload fails
If the bin upload via web browser fails:
- Simply repeat the process described in Step 2.
- No additional recovery steps are needed if the hex upload was successful.
