Dell PowerEdge R610/R710 Firmware - "The updates you are trying to apply are not Dell-authorized updates"

The other day I was performing some much needed firmware updates on a Dell PowerEdge R610 using the built in UEFI GUI. This usually goes pretty smoothly, but this time I received the following message:

"The updates you are trying to apply are not Dell-authorized updates."

After searching around I finally came up with a solution. The firmware updates have the signing certificates checked by iDRAC and the Lifecycle Controller. Dell changed/expired their cert so it is no longer considered valid by the old firmware. To get the new certs to be considered valid the iDRAC and Lifecycle Controller need to be updated, but since they are considered invalid this can't be done from the UEFI GUI. The answer is to update from the iDRAC web GUI.

Quick note: I documented this after updating, so some screenshots and instructions may not be 100% exact, but should be close enough to get through. Also, if you FUBAR your server its on you. This worked for me, but verify that the files mentioned and process shown match your hardware.

On reboot enter the iDrac by hittering CTRL-E when prompted:

Now enable iDrac. Set "iDRAC6 LAN" to "On":

Under "LAN Parameters" scroll down to IPv4 Settings and set IPv4 to "Enabled" and set valid LAN parameters (static would likely be easiest):

Now would also be a good time to set your iDrac credentials to something you know. Set the password in "LAN User Configuration":

Save changes and exit.

The server will start to boot normally. Would be best to halt the boot process here as you'll just have to reboot again soon (Windows - F8, VMWare - CTRL+O, Linux - Arrow keys, etc).

Now you need to wait for the iDrac to start its networking services. This could happen in 30 secs, or maybe a few minutes. I usually just run a continuous ping of the IP I just set it to until I start seeing a response.

Log into the iDRAC web GUI - https://<IP-you-set-the-idrac-to> (root and whatever you set the password to)

Click the "iDRAC Settings" on the left then choose the "Update" tab at the top:

Download this file (Life Cycle Controller Repair): http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER00502596M/1/BDF_1.5.5_BIN-12.usc

Click on the "Choose File" button and point it at the BDF_1.5.5_BIN-12.usc file. Click "Upload".

The file will be uploaded and after a few minutes it will prompt you if you want to update. Choose Yes. It should quickly come back saying the update has been applied successfully.

Download this file (iDRAC firmware updater): http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER01270825M/1/iDRAC6_1.95_A00_FW_IMG.exe

This contains a .d6 file you need (firmimg.d6). I just extracted the file from the exe using 7zip.

Navigate back to the update page (I had to navigate to a different page first) and upload the .d6 file.

The file will be uploaded and after a few minutes (could take up to 20) again it will prompt you if you want to update. Choose Yes. Eventually it should come back saying the update has been applied successfully and the iDRAC will now restart.

You now have to wait for the iDRAC to restart. I just run a continuous ping again and wait to see a few timing out - this happens when iDRAC restarts. Once it starts responding it's successfully restarted.

Restart your server and enter the UEFI - "F10 = System Services"

Run your update again and it should now complete successfully (usually takes several reboots). When its done it will drop you at the main UEFI screen. I usually run the update one more time and it should show everything at the current version:

Reboot and disable iDRAC again unless you have appropriate security measures in place to protect it.

I was able to apply the same process to both R610 and R710 servers of the same generation. YMMV.

Credit to the original thread where I found this solution: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/servers/f/177/t/19475476.aspx

iPad 2 + iOS 7 = Weak WiFi Signal

A few weeks ago my SO upgraded her iPad 2 to iOS 7. No issues other then the the iPad would show an extremely weak WiFi signal throughout the house, where previously the signal was good. Other devices showed no problem in these locations so it was clearly the iPad that was at fault.

Went through all the recommended things: reset networking in iOS, changed channel on AP, tried a different AP, and still had the same problem.

I had recently picked up a dual band AP but hadn't gotten around to migrating over from the old one yet, so on a hunch a powered it on. Low and behold the 5 GHz SSID is immediately seen by the iPad, while the 2.4 GHz one is no where to be seen. This of course contradicts the usual observation that 2.4 GHz networks should have better coverage due to poor wall penetration by 5 GHz signals.

This at least provided a band-aid while I figured things out.

While looking around for more solutions I came across several forum posts stating setting their network to N-only had helped with little additional explanation. So on a whim I set my AP to N-only and with that change the iPad suddenly showed the network it previously couldn't find when it was more then a few feet from the AP.

Going through all the possible setting for the WiFi mode with the iPad in a single location:

Mode	Signal
802.11 b/g/n	None
802.11 b/g	None
802.11 g/n	2 Bars
802.11b	None
802.11g	None
802.11n	2 Bars

Tried this with a different brand AP and saw the same results. That's good enough evidence for me. There is clearly an issue with iOS 7 and how it handles mixed mode wireless standards - specifically non-N or modes including B. Since it isn't all iOS 7 devices there has to be some other factor - likely firmware loaded at run-time by iOS for the wireless chipset in the iPad.

Changing the setting fixes things while the iPad is home, but does little everywhere else since almost all routers/APs will be set to some mixed mode out of the box for maximum compatibility. 

I'm waiting for a fix Apple.

TRENDnet TEW-711BR Review

So I needed to get a router for my grandmother-in-law after finding out her PC was directly connected to her cable modem. She only has one device (her computer) which is only used for email and web browsing. She doesn't need wireless, but obviously needs something that can be set and forget. I went for a gamble and picked up a TRENDnet TEW-711BR, it was on sale at Newegg for $15.99 with free shipping and I had yet to have bad luck with TRENDnet products so far.

The router was held securely in the box in a cardboard tray. Almost everything it was shipped in was recyclable which is nice. Received hardware version 1.0R. Shipped with firmware version 1.00b31, updated and tested with 1.01b09.

For my testing I applied a "load" using iperf. Power measurements taken with a Kill-a-Watt. I used the web GUI to disable the WiFi radio.

Router Status	Power Usage
Idle (Wifi on)	1.6W
Load LAN-WAN (Wifi on)	2.0W
Load WLAN-WAN (Wifi on)	2.0W
Load WLAN-LAN and LAN-WAN (Wifi on)	2.2W
Idle (Wifi off)	1.1W
Load LAN-WAN (Wifi off)	1.6W

Routing

Iperf testing shows that this router is limited only by its 100 Mbps WAN port. Using two client and two server processes I was able to sustain just under symmetrical 100 Mbps speeds between LAN to WAN(~94.3 Mbps, just under 190 Mbps bi-directional). Refreshing Steam servers multiple times while playing Team Fortress 2 showed no impact and no issue with browsing on a different system. Ping times remained low throughout this as well. I measured the max simultaneous connections at 3973 - so this is likely around 4096 total connections. Overall this router offered impressive performance for its low-end price point.

Wireless

Wireless coverage is average for a low-cost, single-antenna device. Performance is acceptable - iperf testing showed real world throughput of around 38 Mbps at a distance of a few feet - Windows showed a connection speed of 130 Mbps. Separating myself by about 2 stories I had much poorer signal, but could still browse the web and stream video without issue. 40 MHz channel width testing was not possible due to the crowded 2.4 MHz spectrum in my location. Wireless performance was certainly acceptable.

GUI

The Web GUI is fast, simple, and intuitive. All the usual features found in modern routers are present. One very neat feature is the ability to capture packets from either the WAN and LAN interfaces. When you stop a capture, the packets can be downloaded in a standard Wireshark .pcap file. I'm not sure what the limit is as to how long you can capture for, but this was a pretty neat feature for such a cheap device. The normally common feature of a Guest wireless network was not present.

Other

Device is light, but has rubber feet to keep it sliding around. 5 year warranty is admirable, but I hope I never have to use it. Through all the testing/loading the max temperature reached was around 92F at the top of the enclosure measured by an infrared thermoeter (~77F ambient). Normal operating temp was much lower at around 80F. I never had to reboot or power-off the router during testing

Conclusion

Highly recommend for the light user or someone not needing the latest and greatest WiFi coverage. Fantastic bang-for-your-buck at the price point I paid. At a normal price of around $25 there are likely better options out there.

Intro

So after wrestling with the concept for a few months I've committed to finally starting a blog. I have obviously ended up using Blogger vs Wordpress after weighing the pros and cons. The future chance of simple monetizing is a plus along with some of the less Wordpress'y junk. I've also decided to use my real name since my end hope will be to (hopefully) build some professional credibility.

Primary focus of this will likely be all things technology with a focus on IT, InfoSec, engineering, hardware and anything else I find interesting.

Here we go.