If you are running refurbished HP Proliant servers or if they're simply out of warranty or support contract, update your firmware before February 19, 2014! According to a blog post by HP on Friday Feb 7, 2014 , HP Proliant servers without an active warranty or support contract will be blocked from future firmware updates, effective February 19, 2014. They confirmed it would only include Proliant servers and clarified in a subsequent post made on Feb 11, 2014 that they would not be putting entitlement requirements on iLO, I/O, or controller firmware; they are only entitling ProLiant system ROM and complex programming logic devices (CPLD) firmware. They also confirmed that users without warranty or support contracts will still be able to get security and safety related patches. Firmware updates will not be available for purchase, they can only be obtained as a feature of an extended service contract or care pack. There is something to be said for users paying for continual development and improvements which HP is continuosly investing in, but we were spoiled in the years when these updates were freely available. It hits refurbished hardware resellers like us especially hard, as we're contantly flashing firmware to accept newer procs, memory etc when building servers. Of course the best option is to purchase a HP Care Pack to ensure you're covered. If you'd like to go the direction of care packs, let us know and we can quote them for your specific system. We dont have them all listed on the site but we are working on getting them listed asap. Typically we pass those on at our cost as a value add to our customers. Please contact us directly if you questions on how this might directly effect you. Bronsonbronson@core4solutions.com952-548-5720
