To downgrade your HP Integrated Lights-Out 4 (iLO 4) firmware to an older version, follow this comprehensive guide. Downgrading may be necessary if a newer version causes unexpected fan noise or breaks compatibility with specific hardware. ⚠️ Important Precautions Before You Begin
John learned a few valuable lessons:
iLO 4 controllers suffer from a notorious hardware issue where the onboard NAND flash memory degrades over time.
Download the Smart Component executable ( .exe ) for your target version. Right-click and choose Run as Administrator , then follow the wizard to flash the firmware.
Here is why an older version can be better.
as recommended by support in specific troubleshooting cases. Legacy OS Compatibility
Downgrading the iLO 4 firmware can be a viable solution for administrators who are experiencing performance issues or compatibility problems with newer firmware versions. However, it's essential to carefully weigh the benefits and risks and consider the potential implications for security, features, and support. Before making a decision, administrators should:
As a fail-safe, iLO ramps the server fans up to 70% to 100% capacity. This creates deafening noise and wastes massive amounts of power.
Applying a direct upgrade from a very old iLO 4 version to the latest firmware can fail if the system’s internal certificate validation times out. A common workaround is to perform a by disabling the iLO security switch and booting into a Linux environment. Downgrading first to an intermediate version (e.g., 2.50 ) can help resolve "dependency failed" errors encountered when skipping too many generations. For those who have accidentally set the " Permanently disallow downgrades " policy, reverting to an earlier version via direct USB or SPP recovery media is the only way to fix bricked update attempts.
For administrators of HPE ProLiant Gen8 and Gen9 servers, the Integrated Lights-Out 4 (iLO 4) is the backbone of remote management. While HPE regularly releases firmware updates to patch security vulnerabilities and add features, the "latest" version is not always the best, particularly for older, out-of-warranty hardware.
Download the .rpm or .scexe component. Run rpm -ivh [filename] or execute the shell script components via terminal as root to force the downgrade. Important Risks and Considerations
: Versions after v2.77 removed certain fan control tools. Many users downgrade to v2.73 or v2.77 to use custom scripts or "unlocked" firmware to silence loud servers in home environments.
Note: HPE’s flashing tool usually allows downgrades without complaint, but if it blocks you, you can use the hponcfg CLI tool from the host OS to force the downgrade.
To downgrade your HP Integrated Lights-Out 4 (iLO 4) firmware to an older version, follow this comprehensive guide. Downgrading may be necessary if a newer version causes unexpected fan noise or breaks compatibility with specific hardware. ⚠️ Important Precautions Before You Begin
John learned a few valuable lessons:
iLO 4 controllers suffer from a notorious hardware issue where the onboard NAND flash memory degrades over time.
Download the Smart Component executable ( .exe ) for your target version. Right-click and choose Run as Administrator , then follow the wizard to flash the firmware. downgrade ilo 4 firmware better
Here is why an older version can be better.
as recommended by support in specific troubleshooting cases. Legacy OS Compatibility
Downgrading the iLO 4 firmware can be a viable solution for administrators who are experiencing performance issues or compatibility problems with newer firmware versions. However, it's essential to carefully weigh the benefits and risks and consider the potential implications for security, features, and support. Before making a decision, administrators should: To downgrade your HP Integrated Lights-Out 4 (iLO
As a fail-safe, iLO ramps the server fans up to 70% to 100% capacity. This creates deafening noise and wastes massive amounts of power.
Applying a direct upgrade from a very old iLO 4 version to the latest firmware can fail if the system’s internal certificate validation times out. A common workaround is to perform a by disabling the iLO security switch and booting into a Linux environment. Downgrading first to an intermediate version (e.g., 2.50 ) can help resolve "dependency failed" errors encountered when skipping too many generations. For those who have accidentally set the " Permanently disallow downgrades " policy, reverting to an earlier version via direct USB or SPP recovery media is the only way to fix bricked update attempts.
For administrators of HPE ProLiant Gen8 and Gen9 servers, the Integrated Lights-Out 4 (iLO 4) is the backbone of remote management. While HPE regularly releases firmware updates to patch security vulnerabilities and add features, the "latest" version is not always the best, particularly for older, out-of-warranty hardware. Download the Smart Component executable (
Download the .rpm or .scexe component. Run rpm -ivh [filename] or execute the shell script components via terminal as root to force the downgrade. Important Risks and Considerations
: Versions after v2.77 removed certain fan control tools. Many users downgrade to v2.73 or v2.77 to use custom scripts or "unlocked" firmware to silence loud servers in home environments.
Note: HPE’s flashing tool usually allows downgrades without complaint, but if it blocks you, you can use the hponcfg CLI tool from the host OS to force the downgrade.