Can Zenworks auto update the bios version

[PhoneTeck]

We just ran into a problem today at work, where creating this super image that we've done alot of customizing to, the problem is that where using Dell Optiplex GX520 machines for the image but we just noticed today that the older GX520 we ordered earlier in the year are like using Bios version A02 and the new GX520 is using bios version A05. Now we got 300 new GX520 machines ariving next week that have bios revision A07 on them. Because we tested this out by updating the machine with the older bios to the A05 bios and added the image to it that was created on the computer with the A05 bios, that machine then did what we wanted it to do. My question is can you use Zenworks some where to have it update all of the GX520 Bios out there to the newest build A07. These machines are all enabled with PXE.

 

[summoner]

Not too sure about your machines, but i've updated dell machine bios' from windows. When you go to download the file, you should have 2 options. The classic copy the file to a floppy and boot to update the bios or a windows executable. You execute a file and it reads the machine bios and applies the update, making you reboot after. You can basically distribute this update file to your machine with zen. If you've locked down the machine bios with a password, the install program will ask you for that password before allowing you to proceed.

 

[maxthedork]

The GX-520 does indeed use a Windows-based BIOS update, you can download it from

http://support.dell.com

I've not distributed BIOS updates via ZEN but I would imagine that summoner is correct. I would create a simple application associated with your GX520s and set it to force-run/run once, and point it to the BIOS file which you can put in a network-accessible location. It's a single executable, so it shouldn't be too complicated.