Schneider APC Smart-UPS Firmware Upgrade Wizard v4.2.1 User Guide
- June 6, 2024
- Schneider
Table of Contents
Schneider APC Smart-UPS Firmware Upgrade Wizard v4.2.1
Introduction
The Firmware Upgrade Wizard provides the following features:
- It supports upgrading the firmware on designated devices, see Supported Devices.
- It can upgrade your device using serial or USB, the exact method depending on the device itself.
- It supports automatic filtering of compatible firmware images from a directory of images.
- It bundles the latest compatible firmware files for supported devices with the tool.
- It includes bug fixes, and has added compatibility with more devices.
Note : For UPS devices with a SmartSlot, UPS firmware upgrades can also be carried out using a UPS Network Management Card. The detailed process is provided in the “Upgrading Firmware” section of the UPS Network Management Card 2 User Guide. The document is located in the documentation tab here.
System Requirements
The system requirements are as follows:
- Operating systems: Microsoft® Windows® 7, Windows 2016, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, andWindows 2019.
- Computer screen graphics: Resolution of 800×600 with 16-bit colors (65536 colors) or higher.
Serial Connection
Use the serial cable provided along with the UPS to connect the computer to
the device being updated, via a DE-9/DB-9 serial communications port.
USB Connection
Use the USB cable provided along with the UPS to connect the computer to the
device being updated.
Note : You should not use serial to USB converters or other devices to
connect your computer to the device being updated.
Supported Devices
All Smart-UPS devices with the SRT, SMC, XU, XP, SMX, SMT, SCL, SRC, CHS, and
EER prefixes are supported. Unsupported SKUs No SU, SUA, SUM, SURT, SURTD, or
SURTA Smart-UPS models are supported.
Note : For upgrading the below non-compatible SKUs, please refer to
Knowledge Base article FA279197 on the APC website. SMTL Family:
SMTL1500RM3UC, SMTL1000RM2UC, SMTL750RM2UC, SMTL1500RMI3UC, SMTL1000RMI2U,
SMTL1000RMI2UC, SMTL750RMI2U SMTL750RMIUC, SMTL1500RMI3U, SMTL750RMI2UC SCL
Family: SCL500RM1UC, SCL500RMI1UC, SCL500RMI1UNC, SCL500RMI1U SRC Family:
SRC10KUXI, SRC5KUXI
Usage
Upgrade Notes
- AC utility power should be supplied to the device and the internal battery should remain connected throughout the firmware upgrade.
- Do not remove the serial/USB cable from your device while the upgrade is in progress. If the upgrade is interrupted, the UPS may crash. In this case, contact APC Customer Support.
- It is recommended that the Wizard runs on a laptop or on a power-protected computer. If upgrading a UPS, do not have the UPS supply power to the computer.
- Ensure that the computer does not go to sleep, standby or hibernate due to user inactivity.
- While the Wizard allows a downgrade, this is neither recommended nor supported by Schneider Electric, unless directed by a representative of the company.
- Compatible firmware images for various devices are bundled with this software. Only use these compatible images or any approved firmware upgrade files that were supplied by Schneider Electric. Files received by other means may cause problems with the device, possibly resulting in permanent damage.
- Ensure that only one device is connected at a time to the computer for the firmware upgrade.
Notes for UPS Devices only
- SmartSlot cards should be removed from the UPS before a firmware upgrade of your UPS. It is also recommended that any equipment is disconnected from the UPS.
- The UPS should not be performing a runtime calibration during the upgrade.
- In the case of updating the firmware directly after plugging in a USB cable to a UPS, please ensure the USB driver installation is complete before proceeding with the upgrade.
Troubleshooting
-
No software that is communicating with the device being upgraded should be running while using this Firmware Upgrade Wizard. Some software runs as a service on Windows and should be stopped (example: PowerChute Business Edition).
To access Windows services, launch “Services” from the Windows Control Panel in Administrative Tools or type “Services.msc” in the command prompt.
The PowerChute Business Edition service is called ‘APC PBE Agent’. Stop this service before running the Wizard, and start it again afterward. -
If you have Bluetooth or virtual COM ports, and you want to do the upgrade using your serial port, you should manually select the COM port you want to perform the upgrade with. (This does not apply for a firmware upgrade using the USB port).
-
The Firmware Upgrade Wizard will display an error message if the UPS is not capable of performing a firmware upgrade using the USB port. This will cause no harm to the device.
-
The Firmware Upgrade Wizard uses its own 32-bit Java environment. Some operating systems might ask for confirmation to run this Java version.
Firmware Upgrade Process: Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Step One
Download the Firmware Upgrade Wizard from the Software / Firmware page on the
APC website (select “Software Upgrades – Wizards and Configurators” from the
drop-down list) or Knowledge Base article FA279197. Double-click the
downloaded file, and launch the application.
Click “Next” to begin.
Step Two
Select the “I agree to terms in the License Agreement” checkbox, and click
“Next”. Step Three
The Firmware Upgrade Wizard will now search the communication ports for the
UPS. The UPS is referred to on-screen as the “device”. If you have set up
virtual ports, it is important to manually select the correct port, the UPS is
connected to, here. If the device is connected via USB, the wizard will detect
the device.
Click “Next” and the Firmware Upgrade Wizard will display the current firmware
version installed on the device.
Step Four
Click “Browse” to select your firmware file.
The Wizard will display the Firmware File appropriate for your device. If you
want to manually select a different file, you can browse to the appropriate
location. Select it, and click “Open”.
The Firmware Upgrade Wizard is now ready to begin the upgrade process. The
Revision Note will give detailed information on the version of the
firmware.
Click “Next”.
Step Five
The first step is sending the upgrade file to the UPS. For some UPS devices,
the wizard may ask you to turn off the UPS before proceeding with the upgrade,
so ensure the attached load is correctly shut down. For most UPS device, the
Wizard supports “Firmware Upgrade With Output On”, and the UPS and its
connected load do not need to be turned off.\
Click “Next”.
The Firmware
Upgrade Wizard will now begin transferring the file to the device. This
process will take approximately 5 minutes. Do not turn off power or remove the
battery during this process.
The wizard begins applying the upgrade to
the UPS. This process may take a few minutes to complete. 
Click “Finish” to exit the upgrade wizard before completion, or wait for the confirmation screen.
Step Six
The firmware upgrade is now complete. You can verify the new updated revision
of your device firmware. Click “Finish” and you can put your UPS and attached
load back into production.
If the upgrade was unsuccessful
The Firmware Upgrade Wizard is a self-extracting executable file that gets
uncompressed to your chosen folder; the default folder is the Documents
directory, e.g. C:\User\Documents\FirmwareUpgradeWizard_v4.2.1. A log file
called FUW.log gets created when the tool is run in the
FirmwareUpgradeWizard_v4.2.1 folder. If you have problems with running the
wizard, go to the FirmwareUpgradeWizard_v4.2.1 folder to access the log file,
which gives information on what occurred when the Wizard executed. For
security reasons, this log file is encrypted. If problems occurred while
running the Firmware Upgrade Wizard, please contact Customer Support and
provide this encrypted log file to them for processing.
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