HP Web Jetadmin - Upgrading Firmware Using HP Web Jetadmin
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OVERVIEW
HP Web Jetadmin has the ability to upgrade the firmware for both HP Jetdirect devices and printers
over the network for multiple devices simultaneously. Upgrades to firmware can correct problems with
devices and add new features to devices without replacing hardware. The ability to upgrade
HP Jetdirect firmware over the network has always been available through a separate utility called
HP Download Manager. However, this requires a separate utility to be loaded for each operating
system. The integrated firmware downloader in HP Web Jetadmin can upgrade firmware on any
platform, without the aid of a separate download utility, and can automatically locate the latest
firmware revision on the Web.
FIRMWARE REPOSITORY
The firmware repository is the
storage area in HP Web
Jetadmin for both printer and
HP Jetdirect firmware. Firmware
images must reside in the
firmware repository before
HP Web Jetadmin can attempt to
upgrade firmware on devices.
The repository can be accessed
several ways, most commonly by
selecting Firmware > Repository
in the navigation tree (Figure 1).
Actions that can be performed
directly from the repository
include:
Downloading firmware
images from the Web
Importing firmware images from a file folder into the repository
Deleting images from the repository
Editing the properties (Description, Qualified status) of images
Upgrading firmware on devices
DOWNLOADING FIRMWARE FROM THE WEB
HP Web Jetadmin allows for downloading firmware images directly from the Web rather than forcing
users to search on their own. When Get Images is selected from the repository, a list of firmware
images is made available to select which should be downloaded to the client (Figure 2). HP Web
Jetadmin downloads an index file of images from the following locations to determine which images
are available:
www.hp.com/go/wja_firmware—HP Jetdirect firmware (firmware.glf index file)
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/networking/software/pfirmware—Printer firmware (pfirmware.glf index
file)
When new firmware is introduced for a printer, the image is first placed on the printer’s Web page
for driver downloads. The image is also placed in the FTP location so that HP Web Jetadmin can
download it from one central location. The pfirmware.glf file is modified to include any new version
Figure 1—Firmware repository