PowerEdge: Broadcom BCM5720 cannot downgrade to older firmware

Summary: Broadcom BCM5720 cannot downgrade to older firmware (22.00.6 and previous versions).

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.
Check out other resources

Symptoms

The current version of BCM5720 (Dell Part number: 8RFC9) is 22.31.6. BCM5720 cannot downgrade to older firmware (22.00.6 and previous versions).

Cause

This is expected, intentional behavior.

The firmware cannot be downgraded to older firmware (22.00.6 and lower). Older firmware components do not know how to correctly interoperate with the NVRAM device on the BCM5720 NIC. If older firmware were installed on it, it could lead to corruption, potentially unrecoverable.

Resolution

This works as designed.

If you have older (22.00.6 firmware and lower), you can downgrade to an even older firmware.

Affected Products

Broadcom NetXtreme Family of Adapters, PowerEdge R640, PowerEdge R650, PowerEdge R660, PowerEdge R740, PowerEdge R740XD, PowerEdge R740XD2, PowerEdge R750, PowerEdge R750XA, PowerEdge R750xs, PowerEdge R760
Article Properties
Article Number: 000214712
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 23 Oct 2025
Version:  4
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.