PowerEdge: Understanding the Risks of Downgrading Drive Firmware

Summary: Dell Technologies advises against downgrading Hard Drive or SSD firmware, except in validated scenarios, due to unpredictable results and version reporting issues.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

Due to requirements such as change management or version control, it may be necessary to downgrade Hard Drive or SSD firmware after a disk replacement. After the downgrade, the Hard Drive or SSD firmware may not display the correct version among other issues.

Note: Dell Technologies strongly recommends against downgrading Hard Drive or SSD firmware. Downgrading Hard Drive or SSD firmware is not recommended by Dell Technologies, unless approved in certain specific and validated scenarios.

Downgrading Hard Drive or SSD firmware may produce unpredictable results. 

Hard Drive or SSD reporting behavior after a firmware downgrade can be unpredictable with, for example, the Hard Drive or SSD reporting with the pre-upgrade firmware version or becoming inaccessible. 

 

Cause

This issue is typically related to downgrading Hard Drive or SSD firmware after a disk replacement, which may lead to incorrect firmware version display and other issues.

Dell Technologies recommends against downgrading drive firmware, as the process may involve system power cycles to recover drive or management features, except in specific and validated scenarios. Some firmware downgrades are actively blocked in the DUP package due to security and critical firmware changes. 

Common factors contributing to this problem include unpredictable results from downgrading Hard Drive or SSD firmware, which may cause the Hard Drive or SSD to report with the pre-upgrade firmware version or become inaccessible.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Before downgrading, ensure that there is a valid reason for doing so, such as change management or version control requirements.
  2. Understand that downgrading Hard Drive or SSD firmware is not recommended by Dell Technologies and may produce unpredictable results.
  3. If a downgrade must be performed, carefully review the Dell Technologies firmware release notes.
  4. After downgrading, verify the firmware version and ensure it matches the expected version.

Note: Dell Technologies strongly recommends against downgrading Hard Drive or SSD firmware.

Affected Products

OEMR R240, OEMR R250, OEMR R260, OEMR R340, OEMR R350, OEMR R360, OEMR R440, PowerEdge XR2, OEMR R450, OEMR R540, OEMR R550, OEMR R640, OEMR R6415, OEMR R650, OEMR R650xs, OEMR R6515, OEMR R6525, OEMR R660, OEMR R660xs, OEMR R6615, OEMR R6625 , OEMR R740, OEMR R740xd, OEMR R740xd2, OEMR R7415, OEMR R7425, OEMR R750, OEMR R750xa, OEMR R750xs, OEMR R7515, OEMR R7525, OEMR R760, OEMR R760xa, OEMR R760XD2, OEMR R760xs, OEMR R7615, OEMR R7625, OEMR R840, OEMR R860, OEMR R940, OEMR R940xa, OEMR T140, OEMR T150, OEMR T340, OEMR T350, OEMR T360, OEMR T440, OEMR T550, OEMR T560, OEMR T640, Poweredge C4140, PowerEdge C6400, PowerEdge C6420, PowerEdge C6520, PowerEdge C6525, PowerEdge C6600, PowerEdge C6615, PowerEdge C6620, PowerEdge FC640, PowerEdge HS5610, PowerEdge HS5620, PowerEdge M640, PowerEdge M640 (for PE VRTX), PowerEdge MX5016s, PowerEdge MX7000, PowerEdge MX740C, PowerEdge MX750c, PowerEdge MX760c, PowerEdge MX840C, PowerEdge R240, PowerEdge R250, PowerEdge R260, PowerEdge R340, PowerEdge R350, PowerEdge R360, PowerEdge R440, PowerEdge R450, PowerEdge R470, PowerEdge R540, PowerEdge R550, PowerEdge R570, PowerEdge R640, PowerEdge R6415, PowerEdge R650, PowerEdge R650xs, PowerEdge R6515, PowerEdge R6525, PowerEdge R660, PowerEdge R660xs, PowerEdge R6615, PowerEdge R6625, PowerEdge R670, PowerEdge R740, PowerEdge R740XD, PowerEdge R740XD2, PowerEdge R7415, PowerEdge R7425, PowerEdge R750, PowerEdge R750XA, PowerEdge R750xs, PowerEdge R7515, PowerEdge R7525, PowerEdge R760, PowerEdge R760XA, PowerEdge R760xd2, PowerEdge R760xs, PowerEdge R7615, PowerEdge R7625, PowerEdge R770, PowerEdge R7715, PowerEdge R7725, PowerEdge R840, PowerEdge R860, PowerEdge R940, PowerEdge R940xa, PowerEdge R960, PowerEdge T140, PowerEdge T150, PowerEdge T160, PowerEdge T340, PowerEdge T350, PowerEdge T360, PowerEdge T40, PowerEdge T440, PowerEdge T550, PowerEdge T560, PowerEdge T640, PowerEdge XE2420, PowerEdge XE7100, PowerEdge XE7420, PowerEdge XE7440, PowerEdge XE7745, PowerEdge XE8545, PowerEdge XE8640, PowerEdge XE9640, PowerEdge XE9680, PowerEdge XE9680L, PowerEdge XR11, PowerEdge XR12, PowerEdge XR4000r, PowerEdge XR4000w, PowerEdge XR4000z, PowerEdge XR4510c, PowerEdge XR4520c, PowerEdge XR5610, PowerEdge XR7620, PowerEdge XR8000r, PowerEdge XR8610t, PowerEdge XR8620t, Dell EMC PowerVault ME4012, Dell EMC PowerVault ME4024, Dell EMC PowerVault ME4084, Dell EMC PowerVault ME412 Expansion, Dell EMC PowerVault ME424 Expansion, Dell EMC PowerVault ME484, PowerVault ME5012, PowerVault ME5024, PowerVault ME5084 ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000311902
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 23 May 2026
Version:  3
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