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Firmware update

Introduction

This document describes the process for updating firmware on devices running Dasharo firmware. Some steps specific to each device will be described in their respective documentation, but the generic process outlined here will apply to all devices.

Firmware Update Mode

For enhanced firmware security, Dasharo uses a number of security mechanisms to prevent overwriting firmware. Depending on device, these may be some or all of the following:

  • SPI flash write-protection - prevents overwriting the initial bootblock and Verified Boot code
  • SMM BIOS write protection - prevents all writes to BIOS flash memory outside of privileged code running in System Management Mode
  • UEFI Secure Boot - in combination with Linux Kernel Lockdown, prevents direct access to the SPI flash controller from the OS

If you are interested, see the Dasharo System Features section for more details.

To allow updating firmware by the end user, these protections must be disabled first. To facilitate this, Dasharo has a Firmware Update Mode option that temporarily disables firmware security measures for the duration of one boot.

To enter Firmware Update Mode:

  1. Enter the Setup Menu and navigate to Dasharo System Features:
  2. Navigate to Dasharo Security Options:
  3. Select Firmware Update Mode:
  4. When prompted, press Enter to accept. The device will reboot in Firmware Update Mode.
  5. After reboot, when prompted, press the indicated key on the keyboard. Alternatively, to abort Firmware Update Mode, press Enter instead or simply wait for the timeout to expire.

Once in Firmware Update Mode, proceed with the firmware update steps outlined in device-specific documentation.

Firmware Update Mode flowchart