Almost all computer components (and the computers themselves) have firmware, which is simply a series of code, or software programs that are responsible for the optimum operation of the particular component, and which makes the component “visible” and usable by the host.Firmware updates are usually downloaded and installed by the user. For certain components, updates are not generally necessary (especially so for computer motherboards) but for some computer devices, they are the only way of ensuring that your system is compatible with new hardware and software released into the marketplace.
Top of the list for firmware updates are NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. Top of the list of firmware update failures are NAS devices.
These firmware update failures can cause loss of access to the system. They can corrupt the RAID parameters. They can corrupt the file system. They can reinitialise the ARRAY. A little obscure, then?
Not necessarily – although we do belive the manufacturers should actually test their updates, instead of having to issue strong warnings that data stored on the NAS has to be backed up to another medium before performing the update. NAS devices have to work with countless types of hardware and software. Given the nature of their operation (attached to a network, to which can be connected Windows users, Apple Mac fans, Linux and users of a plethora of operating systems using a multitude of computer types. Then there are all the printers in the world, any one of which will need to work with the NAS.
Hence the need for firmware updates, to maintain the compatibility of the device with all manner of items it needs to talk to.
