Fortville NICs firmware upgrade on NetScaler MPX appliances

Last published : Oct 01, 2026
Note
Firmware version 8.70 is supported on software version 13.1 and later. The default firmware version is 7.00. To upgrade to firmware version 8.70, run the following commands:
shell
cd /netscaler
sh upgrade_fortville_nics.sh 8.70
Upgrade the firmware on NetScaler MPX appliances containing Fortville NICs to remediate <https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX263807>.

Prerequisites

  1. Before upgrading the NIC firmware to version 7.00, you must upgrade the NetScaler MPX appliance to a software version that supports the new firmware. The following versions support firmware version 7.00.
    • 11.1 build 64.x and later
    • 12.1 build 56.x and later
    • 13.0 build 58.x and later
    Important: Do not downgrade the software version to a build earlier to these builds.
  2. The following script must be present in the /netscaler directory:
    upgrade_fortville_nics.sh
    If the script is not present, the installed ADC software image does not support the firmware upgrade.
  3. The following scripts must be present in the /var/tmp/Fortville_Silicom_Intel/scripts directory:
  • fortville_fw_update
  • fortville_fw_update_intel_1
  • fortville_fw_update_silicom_1
  • fortville_fw_update_state_machine
  • fortville_fw_update_subr
    If these scripts are not present, at the command prompt, run installns to install these files. The files are included with all ADC software that supports this firmware upgrade.

Supported Platforms

The firmware upgrade scripts are supported on all NetScaler MPX platforms containing Fortville NICs. The scripts verify if the appliance contains Fortville NICs and exit if none is found.
Note: These firmware upgrade scripts are not supported on the NetScaler SDX platform.
The following MPX appliances and corresponding zero-capacity appliances contain Fortville NICs:
  • MPX 8900
  • MPX 8900 FIPS certified appliance
  • MPX 9100
  • MPX 14000-40C
  • MPX 14000-40S
  • MPX 14000-40G
  • MPX 15000
  • MPX 15000-50G
  • MPX 15000-50G FIPS certified appliance
  • MPX 16000
  • MPX 25000-40G
  • MPX 25000T
  • MPX 25000TA
  • MPX 25000-40G
  • MPX 26000
  • MPX 26000-50S
  • T1300
  • T1310

Upgrade the firmware

Important:
  • The upgrade script takes the appliance off the network. The time taken to complete the offline NIC firmware upgrade varies by platform. For example, on an MPX 14000 platform with 6 Fortville NICs, the total time to upgrade is around 30 min.
  • After updating the firmware, ensure that the software version on the appliance supports the new firmware.
The firmware upgrade scripts upgrade the NIC firmware to version 7.00. This upgrade is performed on Fortville 10G and 40G NICs manufactured by Silicom or Intel, and Fortville 25G NICs manufactured by Silicom.
Notes:
  • After updating the firmware version on the NIC to 7.00 you cannot downgrade the NIC to an earlier version.
  • Upgrading some Fortville NICs might take multiple attempts. For example, updating some NICs to firmware version 7.00 might take up to three attempts.
To upgrade the firmware, at the command prompt type:
> shell
root@ns# cd /netscaler
root@ns# sh upgrade_fortville_nics.sh
By default, the firmware is upgraded to version 7.00.

Post upgrade

After fortville_fw_update_state_machine has run, it deletes the /nsconfig/.developer and /nsconfig/rc.local files and exits.
  • By deleting the /nsconfig/.developer file, the NetScaler software comes up on reboot.
  • By deleting the /nsconfig/rc.local file the fortville_fw_update_state_machine script is not invoked on reboot.
After reboot, NetScaler software is up and the firmware upgrade process is complete.
After firmware upgrade, the log file upgrade_fortville_nic_fw.log in the /var/log directory, contains a detailed record of the firmware upgrade activities. Among other information, it records the duration of the firmware update process.
Also, the file .fortville_firmware_upgrade_parm_file, in the directory /var/tmp/Fortville_Silicom_Intel/scripts, is not deleted. You can examine it for information about the firmware upgrade.
The fortville_nic_info script can be invoked to print an informational summary about the Fortville NICs in the host ADC appliance. The information is recorded in the log file.
To run the script, at the command prompt, type:
> shell
root@ns# cd /var/tmp/Fortville_Silicom_Intel/scripts
root@ns# sh fortville_nic_info