RICOH Firmware Update Tool allows users to install firmware updates themselves.

[paulg]

A great idea until something goes wrong and the finger pointing starts.

Well you supplied the tool and little information on how to use. I am not paying for a new control board or whatever you called it.

How did I know our cleaners unplugged the copiers to vacuum clean the office?

[KenB]

When you have a couple of hundred copiers in which the customer's (a government contract with about four hundred units in total on one secured reservation) Streampunch app just stops working...and you don't know why at that point (until Ricoh posts a service bulletin over a week later) you begin to mistrust your manufacturer. They did this about three times in a row WITH THE SAME SERIES OF MACHINES! At least our techs can update firmware after it's been proven stable and can do it as part of their regular service calls as part of their minimum call procedure. It's rarely done as a response to a firmware-generated problem...
bottom line is we don't trust Ricoh to thoroughly test the firmware. We update all new copiers with the latest version of firmware we ourselves deemed stable within our existing fleet. By doing this, we are in control.

I have 2 large customers which I administer Streamline (SLNX v3) for.

While we use the device management function (formerly DMNX) to push firmware to the machines, we thoroughly test new versions and wait a while until we know they are safe.

What's nice is that they can all be set on a timer to run at any time of the day or night, and we get reports back as to whether each machine was a success or not.

Very seldom do we get 100% success, but usually about 90% or so.

One of the BIG reasons we have to keep firmware up to speed is to keep up with Streamline, as full integration requires the most current versions.

I can just imagine needing to tell a bunch of service managers that I need 200 machines updated within the next 2-3 weeks. Not happening.

I read and re-read the firmware history for every new release, and even go as far as downloading the package file, and checking the text file each one comes with.

I agree completely…Ricoh needs to do a MUCH better job of checking firmware before releasing it to the wild.

[sandmanmac]

Has Ricoh published any bulletins on what models the tool supports? I've tried connecting to the old MP 171 in our office and it doesn't see it, even after updating the SNMP settings to our custom community names.

MP171 should be supported according to this list......
RICOH Firmware update tool : Model List | Global | Ricoh

And just to add my 2 cents.....I wasn't even aware of this tool until I saw this thread, and while I have no intention in having customers run it on their own, it's just excellent to have it available to me (a guy without access to the updates otherwise), so I (hopefully) won't have to rely on the generosity of others quite as much as I have in the past

I only found the tool using a google search, and I'm not even sure of the geographic location, but I'm assuming it's a UK thing? I can't seem to find it on either Ricoh Canada, or U.S public sites - unless I'm missing something

One thing that happened as I tested it today on 3 units at my office.....2 out of 3 machines I updated, the progress froze at 99% for a very long time before I decided to risk it, and cancel the process. I actually had to CTL/ ALT/Delete to shut it down, then reboot the copier(s).
Everything seems ok with them, and when I compared the module versions, several were updated, and the status is now current when I retrieve the latest updates, but one machine I had to run the update 3 times in order to get all updates to install, and it still froze at 99% each time.
Anyone experienced this?

Props to Dave W for bringing this tool to my attention!
For anyone that's not familiar with it, I'll save you the effort of searching:
RICOH Firmware Update Tool download page

EDIT: I just connected an MP C401 that I have here and it's not recognized - just like rthonpm stated about his MP171 in his thread that I quoted above.
Any ideas about that?

[DRichard]

Ricoh don’t enable this auto update firmware for a month after it has been released & tested.

IMC has been out for a few years now so far no issues with this system.

To be clear, I am not questioning the tool(s) used to update firmware. It is the RELIABILITY of the firmware that gets downloaded to the equipment. If you suddenly begin getting service calls from clients because their copiers "quit working", spending time in front of each of those machines, troubleshooting and scratching your head, gets expensive. Recently, Ricoh has had problems issuing firmware updates that should have been better vetted before putting it on their site.

[KenB]

To be clear, I am not questioning the tool(s) used to update firmware. It is the RELIABILITY of the firmware that gets downloaded to the equipment. If you suddenly begin getting service calls from clients because their copiers "quit working", spending time in front of each of those machines, troubleshooting and scratching your head, gets expensive. Recently, Ricoh has had problems issuing firmware updates that should have been better vetted before putting it on their site.

I think the engineers need to come out of their bubbles and experience what's happening in the REAL world.

[DRichard]

I think the engineers need to come out of their bubbles and experience what's happening in the REAL world.

Bubbles, hell... many of them won't even get out of their CHAIRS...

[anothertech]

If a machine has Streamline or and other Java apps running I do not touch the firmware. As long as it's running I leave it alone. All other Ricoh machines I work on, I turn on auto update SP5886-111 and turn off java SP5730. If the machine does not have auto update, I update it with ARMS if it's on @remote or I use the SD card method if it's not. Once the machine is up to date, it's easy to keep it updated as you go.

I've not had a problem with buggy firmware except for a few times with Streamline, so I don't do those units anymore.

[KenB]

If a machine has Streamline or and other Java apps running I do not touch the firmware. As long as it's running I leave it alone. All other Ricoh machines I work on, I turn on auto update SP5886-111 and turn off java SP5730. If the machine does not have auto update, I update it with ARMS if it's on @remote or I use the SD card method if it's not. Once the machine is up to date, it's easy to keep it updated as you go.

I've not had a problem with buggy firmware except for a few times with Streamline, so I don't do those units anymore.

It used to be that if there were any Java apps installed that they needed to be removed before updating Java, and reinstalled afterward. It was a colossal pain, to say the least.

That has not been the case for a few years now. You should be able to update Java and not break any apps. A few years ago, I updated Java on several hundred MP 4002s at one account, all were running eCopy ShareScan Embedded. It did not break any of them.

Streamline now only requires Java on non-SOP machines. Not sure of the exact model cutoff/breakdown...that always seems to get complicated. Since Java is going bye-bye, no MFP apps should require it anymore.

Although rare, there have been a few cases where newer firmware messes Streamline up, but that normally only comes into play when different updates are mixed and matched, not updating all of the effected ones at the same time.

There is definitely something to be said for package firmware...it gets 'em all.

[Gift]

It works a treat.

But allowing the customer to have the ability to do the FW updates themselves!

Would you trust them?

Im not sure I would trust my customers.

Nice one, just did a test in-house and an update on a MPC3001 went well. I do have some more Ricoh MFPs in our network but I can't discover or specify most of our units even if I can ping them and enter the web interface.

Is there any admin setting needed to make all units wrk with that tool?

Edit: my fault - seems we have some different log in credentials

[sandmanmac]

Nice one, just did a test in-house and an update on a MPC3001 went well. I do have some more Ricoh MFPs in our network but I can't discover or specify most of our units even if I can ping them and enter the web interface.

Is there any admin setting needed to make all units wrk with that tool?

Edit: my fault - seems we have some different log in credentials

I also discovered the solution to the issue I had (and posted about here the other day) in discovering a particular model.
I had not really gone through the settings on that machine as I would before delivery, and it turns out, several settings in the network Security section were inactive. As soon as I activated them (other than WSD), I was able to discover and update the F/W with the tool.
I haven't bothered to try and isolate the exact module, so I can't say which one specifically cause the issue

Screenshot.jpg