The Scalar IC Firmware Cannot be Updated in Ubuntu on an OptiPlex All-in-One

Affected Platforms:

• OptiPlex All-in-One 7420
• OptiPlex All-in-One Plus 7420

Affected Operating Systems:

• Ubuntu 22.04

Table Of Contents:

• How to update Ubuntu fwupd by command-line
• How to update Ubuntu fwupd by User Interface
• How to check fwupd version
• Update Scalar IC FW using new fwupd tool steps (with internet connected)
• More Info

Fwupd which is incorporated into the factory installed Ubuntu operating system, cannot upgrade the scalar IC firmware on the OptiPlex AIO 7420 or OptiPlex AIO Plus 7420.

Ubuntu 22.04 does not support Scalar IC firmware updates.

User can update the fwupd to latest version online, and then upgrade the scalar IC firmware on OptiPlex AIO.

How to update Ubuntu fwupd by command line:

1. Open a terminal on Ubuntu and connect internet.

Figure 1: (English Only) Ubuntu Terminal

2. Type sudo apt update

Figure 2: (English Only) Type sudo apt update

3. Type sudo apt upgrade

Figure 3: (English Only) Type sudo apt upgrade

4. Reboot the computer

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How to update Ubuntu fwupd by User Interface:

1. Open Software Updater.

Figure 4: (English Only) Ubuntu Software Updater

2. The new patch is pushed automatically if there is a network;
3. Click Install Now

Figure 5: (English Only) Click Install Now

4. Reboot the computer

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How to check fwupd version:

• Type fwupdmgr --version |grep fwupd in Terminal.
  • If the version is v1.9.12 or later, then it is ok to update Scalar IC FW by using the new fwupd version.
  • If the version is v1.9.12 or earlier, use Personal Package Archives to upgrade fwupd:

Figure 6: (English Only) Type fwupdmgr --version |grep fwupd in Terminal

1. Type sudo apt purge fwupd in Terminal, to remove old fwupd from image.

Figure 7: (English Only) Type sudo apt purge fwupd in Terminal

2. Type sudo add-apt-repository ppa:oem-solutions-group/fwupd

Figure 8: (English Only) Type sudo add-apt-repository ppa:oem-solutions-group/fwupd

3. Type sudo apt update

Figure 9: (English Only) Type sudo apt update

4. Type sudo apt install fwupd

Figure 10: (English Only) Type sudo apt install fwupd

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Update Scalar IC FW using new fwupd tool steps (with internet connected):

1. Display all devices detected by fwupd:

fwupdmgr get-devices

Figure 11: (English Only) Type fwupdmgr get-devices

2. List the updates available for Scalar IC:

fwupdmgr get-updates {Scalar IC Device ID}

Figure 12: (English Only) Type fwupdmgr get-updates {Scalar IC Device ID}

3. Install Scalar IC firmware update:

fwupdmgr update {Scalar IC Device ID}

Figure 13: (English Only) Type fwupdmgr update {Scalar IC Device ID}

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More Info:

• The Scalar IC is an LCD controller that has an integrated LVDS interface for LCD displays and an integrated HDMI 1.4 compliant receiver for HDMI-in. It supports panel resolution up to FHD @60 Hz (1920x1080@60Hz) and has On-screen display functionality on the Dell All-in-One 7420 computers.
• From this generation (OptiPlex 7420), Scalar IC firmware update is supported on Ubuntu 22.04 after upgrading fwupd to a new version. fwupd is an open-source daemon for managing the installation of firmware updates on Linux-based computers.

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