Adaptec Storage Manager - Easy Firmware Updates

[Jerky_san]

I thought I'd post this since I've never read it on adaptec's site or here or really anywhere.. You don't know to use DOS to update the firmware of your drives or your raid card apparently. I realized today that Adaptec Storage Manager has a built in firmware updater for both hard drives and the raid cards. I noticed it after making a USB dos drive and updating it.. I always thought you'd have to disconnect the drives and manually hook them up to the mobo to flash their firmware but thats not true either anymore.

Sorry if its already been discussed but this just made my day.. Since I got 4 cards to update =) and a bunch of drives to flash..

 

[odditory]

The "update controller image" option has kind of always been there in the ASM GUI, I'm not sure how much success you're going to have with "update drive firmware images" though, since there's no industry-standard firmware image format for drives, and each vendor tends to employ their own technique and flashing tool. I'd proceed with caution about using ASM to update drive firmware images.

Personally I don't like the idea of flashing drive firmware inside windows anyway - harddisks are the one component in a system I treat like gold and for many reasons - and too many additional things can go wrong while you're flashing in Windows. Granted its unlikely, but there's always the threat of a BSOD at an inopportune moment, or Windows decides its time for its auto-reboot after automatic updates were applied. Just two examples, there are plenty more.

I'd take the long way around and flash harddisks under DOS, and only with the vendor supplied firmware flashing tool. Small insurance for avoiding time wasted having to return a bricked drive.