The Eos team has made the difficult decision to remove Eos v3.3.7 from the ETC website, due to a critical issue discovered in a firmware update which can result in the console losing its license (output count).
Affected Products: products that use the “Intelligent Power Board IMX RT” circuit boards can be affected. These are used in Element 2, Ion Xe, Ion Xe 20, Ion Xe RPU, Gio @5, Apex Processor, Eos Expansion Processor, and Eos Remote Interface (Apex Consoles, Programming Wings, and Pucks are not affected. Legacy hardware may be affected if repairs have been applied which utilize the Intelligent Power Board IMX RT).
If a console is affected, DO NOT attempt to update firmware on the “Intelligent Power Board IMX RT” module in the shell - a failed update will result in the console needing to return to an ETC Service Provider to be restored to operational condition. If a console is not affected or you do not attempt to upgrade the Intelligent Power Board, Eos v3.3.7 is fully functional and stable.
ETC will release Eos v3.3.8 on Wednesday, June 3rd, which will remove the firmware distribution until it can be fixed and validated. If you have not yet moved to Eos v3.3.7, we recommend you wait and install Eos v3.3.8. If you have moved to v3.3.7, do not update firmware on the “Intelligent Power Board IMX RT” module in the shell.
If you have run into issues, have further questions, or have a specific need for the fixes included in Eos v3.3.7, please contact your local ETC service department: https://www.etcconnect.com/Contact/Technical-Support.aspx.
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Who is affected?
This issue only affects the listed Eos Family Consoles and Processors shipped before July 2023, and specifically the module called the “Intelligent Power Board IMX RT” included within these devices.
Currently, there are differing results that can occur based on which firmware the module was initially built with, and which field upgrades have been applied. As such, ETC recommends that if the “Intelligent Power Board IMX RT” is functioning as expected (IE - the device has the expected license output), that users not update its firmware until directed by ETC in a future Eos Family software release. This risk is only present during a firmware update and does not affect functioning modules.
What’s going on?
This issue stems from how we store data on the module, with changes starting in firmware v2.0.0. When Eos v3.2.1 was released, which included firmware v2.0.1 for this module, we discovered an issue which erased parts of that data during a firmware update. We quickly released Eos v3.2.2 that included firmware v2.0.2, which included provisions to protect that data. In Eos v3.3.7, which included firmware v2.0.3, we have encountered an unexpected path during the firmware upgrade where some data is once again being erased.
Modules that were built in July 2023 or later have different storage mechanisms, and we do not expect they will experience this data clearing during a firmware update. This means that some users may have completed the upgrade and not experienced any issues.
We are working diligently to fully implement resolutions for this issue. Again, in the meantime, ETC recommends ignoring any prompts to update the “Intelligent Power Board IMX RT” firmware if the console is working as expected. If you have issues or questions, please contact ETC Technical Support.
Nick Gonsman
Eos Family Product Manager