HP announced that, they will provide firmware updates through the HP Support Center only to customers with a valid warranty, Care Pack Service or support agreement. This will be effective from February 19, 2014.
Firmware is the combination of persistent memory and program code and data stored in it. Changing the firmware of a device may rarely or never be done during its economic lifetime; some firmware memory devices are permanently installed and cannot be changed after manufacture. Common reasons for updating firmware include fixing bugs or adding features to the device.
Businessmen running low-end servers have very keen interest in firmware since sometimes skipping an update can be fatal for their investment. But getting those firmware updates for Hewlett-Packard\’s servers are about to get a little more difficult.
HP says the firmware access changes they are making apply to HP ProLiant servers only. Specifically, within ProLiant, they are not putting entitlement requirements on iLO, I/O, or controller firmware; they also informed that they are only entitling ProLiant system ROM and complex programming logic devices (CPLD) firmware.
Mary McCoy VP technology, HP said that, “This decision reinforces our goal to provide access to the latest HP firmware, which is valuable intellectual property, for our customers who have chosen to maximize and protect their IT investments,” She also added saying “We are in no way trying to force customers into purchasing extended coverage, That is, and always will be, a customer\’s choice.\”
By Akshatha Karthik
