Netgate Firmware Upgrade Package

The Netgate Firmware Upgrade package provides a mechanism to update firmware on certain Netgate hardware models.

The mechanism used by the package varies by hardware and may be Coreboot, Blinkboot, or other types of firmware.

When installed, the package is located at System > Netgate Firmware Upgrade.

Checking for Upgrade

To see if a Netgate device has a firmware update available:

  • Navigate to System > Netgate Firmware Upgrade

  • Compare the Current Firmware Version and Latest Firmware Version

If the latest version is newer than the current version, the package will offer the option to upgrade.

Upgrading Firmware

When a firmware upgrade is available, upgrade as follows:

  • Navigate to System > Netgate Firmware Upgrade

  • Click Upgrade and Reboot

  • Click OK to confirm the upgrade

  • Read the output on the screen for any device-specific or version-specific instructions.

  • Wait for the device to complete the upgrade and reboot

Device-Specific Notes

The following sections contain information relevant only to specific models of Netgate hardware.

Netgate 6100

Upgrades to the firmware (Blinkboot) on the Netgate 6100 which also upgrade the microcontroller code require a power cycle after firmware upgrade. This is due to the microcontroller always being on while the device has power. Thus, new microcontroller code will activate until after the device goes through a cold boot (power cycle, not reboot):

  • Connect to the device console

  • Run the firmware upgrade

  • Wait for the firmware upgrade and automatic reboot to complete

  • Halt the device gracefully using either the GUI or console menu (Halting and Powering Off the Firewall)

  • Monitor the console and wait until the device has halted

    Alternately, wait until a few moments after all of the lights on the device (front and back) go out.

  • Remove power from the device (e.g. unplug or remove power from PDU port)

  • Wait a few seconds

  • Reapply power to the device (e.g. plug in or apply power to PDU port)

  • Monitor the console during the boot sequence for any errors

  • Wait for the device to complete its boot sequence

Note

While it is possible to manually remove power after the initial firmware upgrade completes in one pass, it can be problematic to time it properly. Thus, it is safer to follow the procedure as stated to ensure success.

Netgate 7100

Updating the firmware (Coreboot) on the Netgate 7100 causes the device to lose customizations to its default boot order.

In the default boot order if the device has multiple disks (e.g. On-board eMMC plus an add-on SATA device), the device will prefer to boot from the add-on disk rather than the on-board eMMC.

For most users this behavior is correct and expected, but if someone with this configuration has manually opted to boot from eMMC instead of an add-on disk, this boot order preference change must be reconfigured after updating the firmware.