RPDU Firmware Upgrade Impact

[jamesha]

Hello,

I have three different models of RPDU that I need to upgrade the firmware on. The models are:

• AP7950B
• AP8958
• AP8858

I have read through the upgrade process but it seems unclear whether upgrading the firmware will cause power interruptions to the devices connected to the RPDU outlet sockets. Is anyone able to answer this and also point me towards any APC documentation that details what happens to the output sockets during the firmware upgrade.

Thanks 

James

[Teken]

Generally speaking the network card is separate and independent of the switching hardware. Upgrading the NMC firmware normally doesn’t impact the outlet power.

Having said this, it’s imperative that you have a solid exit plan. That you have a hot spare at the ready should the firmware upgrade process fail. ☝️

You can search this forum / Internet to read the thousands of failed upgrades. 😢 Firmware should only be done to address bugs, security, feature enhancements.

This process should be done live while on the phone with APC Technical Support if the unit is still under warranty!

The PDU should be connected to a UPS to ensure stable power. The supplied APC Serial cable must be used or one you’ve made and confirmed and (validated) as working.

Read, understand, and practice using the CLI and the recovery process if required. A properly equipped and configured laptop should be used during the upgrade process. As this will reduce the impact of firewall, VLAN, security issues.

All power saving, sleep, hibernation modes must be disabled on the laptop including screen savers. You’ll want to insure the HDD / SSD, USB, Serial, power, CPU, never go to sleep / hibernate.

If the information provided here is helpful and on point - mark this as solved. 👍