If activation for software is bad...

[NewsBot]

activation for hardware is worse...

 

Yesterday, our company decided to update the OS (or firmware I would say, as it said on the "settings" page) of a S-brand hardware firewall.

 

Before starting, we exported the settings to a file. And then we also downloaded "current firmware with backup settings" to the machine.

 

After upload the new firmware and reboot the box, it loses it's all current settings and reverted to factory defaults. When we try login using the default password and upload the exported settings, it said the settings file is corrupted.

 

Then we try to upload the "current firmware with backup settings" image to the box, but the upload page said we should have entered the registration code before update the firmware. (Before the hardware is first use, we have to go to the company's website and use the serial number plus authentication code to get the registration code) However, when we enter the code at the website, it said the serial number has already been registered. The worse thing is that, the staff who should have registered this box have leaved the company long ago - long enough that we had deleted his mailbox for ages...

 

Then I figured that I should take a look at the exported settings file, as by chance it could be saved in easily recognizable format. Fortunately it's format is not difficult to be recognized so I can write a little program to extract the registration code out.

 

We inputted the reg. code, uploaded the "current firmware with backup settings" file, everything restored, happy ending. However if we cannot figure the registration code out in the end, we'd waste a good piece of hardware for no acceptable reason, and we'd be in trouble.

 

Moral of the story: Don't take for granted that if you had backup before update, you'll be fine. Never update critical hardware unless it is absolutely necessary.

 

 

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