---
title: Updating Node Firmware
slug: updating-node-firmware
description: How to obtain firmware packages from the server vendor — chiefly Dell — and the support-ticket workflow for getting direct download links.
tags:
  - node-provider
  - maintenance
  - runbook
  - firmware
date: 2026-05-04
related:
  - node-provider-maintenance
  - idrac-access-and-tsr-logs
  - checking-node-cpu-and-memory
  - node-provider-troubleshooting
---

Firmware updates are sometimes required to clear hardware-level
problems — a CPLD revision that throttles memory bandwidth, an
iDRAC bug, a NIC microcode regression. The general rule is the
straightforward one: follow the server manufacturer's published
guidance for the model in front of you, and never apply unsigned or
out-of-band firmware to a production node.

This entry collects the Dell-specific workflow because most Gen-1 and
Gen-2 nodes are Dell PowerEdge servers. Other vendors have similar
flows; their support portals usually accept a service tag or chassis
serial as the primary key.

> [!WARNING]
> Do not flash firmware on a node that is currently active in a
> subnet. Power the node down through the BMC first, or at minimum
> remove it from its subnet via NNS proposal before starting.

## Dell PowerEdge

### Step 1 — Generate a TSR

Pull a Technical Support Report (TSR) so Dell support can see the
firmware revisions currently installed. Follow
[iDRAC Access and TSR Logs](/wiki/idrac-access-and-tsr-logs/) for the
options — iDRAC over the network, iDRAC Direct, or Lifecycle
Controller export.

### Step 2 — Open a Dell support ticket

Open a ticket with Dell support. Attach the TSR. State which fault
you are troubleshooting and ask for direct download links to the
firmware packages they recommend.

> [!TIP]
> Asking for direct download links is faster and more reliable than
> trying to identify the correct package yourself from the public
> Drivers & Downloads pages, especially for CPLD, iDRAC, and BIOS
> updates that interact with each other.

### Step 3 — Apply the firmware

Apply the firmware packages following the procedure in the Dell
**OpenManage Enterprise (OME)** documentation, or via the iDRAC
Lifecycle Controller's update interface.

### Reference resources

- **Driver downloads.** Available on the Dell Product Support
  website, keyed by service tag.
- **Service tag.** Printed on the pull-out tag at the front of the
  chassis. It is the serial number Dell uses to identify the
  machine.
- **OpenManage Enterprise (OME).** Dell's enterprise firmware-update
  tooling.

## Other vendors

For Supermicro, Gigabyte, ASUS, and similar platforms, follow the
vendor's published firmware-update procedure. Always cross-check
with the
[Node Provider Maintenance Guide](/wiki/node-provider-maintenance/)
*Permitted tools* note: nothing else may be running on the node
alongside the IC-OS replica, so firmware tooling has to run from a
USB-booted Linux distribution or from a separate auxiliary machine.

## Related

- [Node Provider Maintenance Guide](/wiki/node-provider-maintenance/) — the parent runbook.
- [iDRAC Access and TSR Logs](/wiki/idrac-access-and-tsr-logs/) — how to pull the TSR Dell support will ask for.
- [Checking Node CPU and Memory Speed](/wiki/checking-node-cpu-and-memory/) — the symptom that most often requires a firmware fix.
- [Node Provider Troubleshooting](/wiki/node-provider-troubleshooting/) — the troubleshooting index.