Overview

Let's be honest, nobody jumps for joy at the thought of maintaining firmware for docking stations. It's usually the task that sits at the bottom of the to-do list, neglected and overlooked. Yet, these updates aren't just about fixing pesky glitches; they also play a pivotal role in addressing various Dell Security Advisories.

Unfortunately, as of now, Dell hasn't rolled out a comprehensive solution for managing these updates across the entire environment. To keep everything running smoothly, I've taken matters into my own hands and developed a somewhat automated process for staying up-to-date. The tools and setup you use may differ, but in my case, I've turned to Tanium Deploy to handle the distribution seamlessly. So, let's dive into the details.

The Details

At first, I faced the challenge of identifying users with docking stations and checking their firmware versions. Normally, I'd use WMI for this task, but unfortunately, that data isn't readily accessible there. Instead, you'll have to depend on the Dell Client System Inventory Agent to collect this information.

Download: https://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER09818342M/1/DSIAPC_4.0.0.3.msi

Once installed, this service synchronizes inventory data between the WMI provider and the system's runtime status. It kicks off the Dell Client System Inventory Agent Collector during boot time and is quite lightweight, consuming only around 30MB of space.

Now, within WMI, you'll find a Dell namespace. It contains a wealth of information, but for our purposes, we're homing in on the docking station firmware. You'll notice the dock listed there along with its firmware version. Let's move on to part 2: applying the firmware.


To begin, head over to Dell's support page and download the latest firmware version for the dock. Then, utilizing Tanium, upload the installation media and create a package within the console. Since my focus is solely on updates, that's all I'll need to define.


For device discovery and verification to ensure they meet the update criteria, I'm leveraging the following.


And there you have it. Once everything's said and done, after conducting your tests and deploying the update, your dock's firmware will be updated to the version you've deployed. A couple of things to keep in mind: the firmware push requires the device to remain connected throughout the process. Additionally, note that the dock firmware won't be refreshed in WMI until the next reboot. While not ideal, it's a step closer to ensuring all the docks in your environment are up to date. 

Lastly, for those considering this approach for Dell's D6000, it's important to note that it does not work. Manual intervention is still required for updating the firmware on D6000 docks. I can vouch that this approach is effective for the following models: TB16, WD19TB, WD19TBS, and WD22TB4.