Set up the storage location and firmware repository

You can use NCM to upgrade the firmware on many devices in one operation. Because security fixes are distributed as new firmware revisions, upgrading firmware helps network administrators correct security vulnerabilities.

Before you perform a firmware upgrade operation, you must complete the initial setup. To do this, complete the following tasks as described below:

• Task 1: Designate a storage location to contain the firmware images. This feeds the firmware repository in NCM, from which you select images for devices when upgrading.

• Task 2: Populate the storage location with firmware images through the file system. When it is populated, you can manage firmware upgrade images in NCM with the Firmware Repository.

NCM currently supports only .bin files for firmware upgrades.

Task 1: Designate a storage location to contain the firmware images

1. Click Settings > All Settings.
2. Under Product Specific Settings, click NCM Settings.
3. In the Firmware Upgrade section, click Upgrade Settings.

4. Under Storage Location Settings, enter the path to the firmware upgrade storage location.

   The storage location cannot be the same as the TFTP or SFTP/SCP root folders.

   The storage location must be a shared network location. Make sure that:

   • All polling engines have access to this location, and they are in the same domain.
   • You have specified credentials to give NCM write access to the network share.

   For basic installations with only one polling engine (the main polling engine), you can use a location on the server where NCM is installed, but this folder must be shared and NCM must have write access to it.

5. Enter credentials to access the storage location, and click Submit.

Task 2: Populate the storage location with firmware images

Next, populate the storage location with firmware images through the file system. Now you can manage firmware upgrade images in NCM with the Firmware Repository:

1. Click Settings > All Settings.
2. Under Product Specific Settings, click NCM Settings.
3. In the Firmware Upgrade Storage section, click Firmware Repository.
4. Click Scan Firmware Repository to see the latest image files. By default, all files with the .bin extension are displayed.

If you select one or more entries and click Delete Firmware Images, the files are deleted from the folder you set as the storage location.

Integrity of firmware images

You can use the MD5 Hash column in the firmware repository to verify the integrity of your images. This value is calculated automatically when you add an image to the storage location. Compare the image hashes between the firmware repository and the website of the manufacturer of your device.

By default, NCM verifies the integrity of backed up and uploaded firmware images. You can toggle these settings under Upgrade Options in the Firmware Upgrade Operation wizard.