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NVMe Firmware Update (Dell Rebranded NVMe)

This guide demonstrates how to manually flash firmware version 1.3.1 on a Dell DC NVMe 7500 U.2 ISE SSD (rebranded Micron 7500 Pro) using non-Dell server hardware under Linux.

When using non-Dell hardware, the official Dell BIN updater cannot be executed directly: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ed/drivers/DriversDetails?driverID=N78NP

Instead, the actual firmware image must be extracted manually.

Changelog for this firmware version: https://dl.dell.com/FOLDER14259345M/1/Express-Flash-PCIe-SSD_Firmware_N78NP_1.3.1_A03.txt

Requirements

nvme-cli installed
7z (p7zip) available
Dell firmware package (*.BIN) downloaded

1. Check Current State

Before flashing, record the current firmware state:

nvme fw-log /dev/nvme0

Example output:

Firmware Log for device:nvme0
afi  : 0x2
frs1 : 0x202020302e302e31 (1.0.0...)
frs2 : 0x202020302e312e31 (1.1.0...)
frs3 : 0x202020302e302e31 (1.0.0...)

nvme id-ctrl /dev/nvme0 | grep -E "^fr|^mn|^sn"

Example output:

sn        : 25064E152B9A
mn        : Dell DC NVMe 7500 U.2 ISE RI 3.84TB
fr        : 1.1.0
frmw      : 0x17

2. Extract Firmware Image

The Dell package contains the actual firmware binary. Extract it using 7z:

7z x Express-Flash-PCIe-SSD_Firmware_N78NP_LN64_1.3.1_A03.BIN -odellfw

The firmware file will be located at:

dellfw/payload/Micron_7500_U.2_ISE_1.3.1.bin

3. Copy Firmware to Target System

scp dellfw/payload/Micron_7500_U.2_ISE_1.3.1.bin n3vk:/root/

4. Flash Firmware

nvme fw-download /dev/nvme0 -f Micron_7500_U.2_ISE_1.3.1.bin

Expected output:

Firmware download success

Then commit the firmware to slot 2:

nvme fw-commit /dev/nvme0 -s 2 -a 3

Expected output:

Success committing firmware action:3 slot:2

Check kernel messages:

dmesg -T | tail

Example:

[Tue Apr 21 11:15:03 2026] nvme nvme0: controller capabilities changed, reset may be required to take effect.

5. Reboot and Verify

Reboot the system:

reboot

After boot, verify the firmware version:

nvme fw-log /dev/nvme0

Firmware Log for device:nvme0
afi  : 0x2
frs1 : 0x202020302e302e31 (1.0.0...)
frs2 : 0x202020312e332e31 (1.3.1...)
frs3 : 0x202020302e302e31 (1.0.0...)

nvme id-ctrl /dev/nvme0 | grep -E "^fr|^mn|^sn"

sn        : 25064E152B9A
mn        : Dell DC NVMe 7500 U.2 ISE RI 3.84TB
fr        : 1.3.1
frmw      : 0x17

frs2 and fr should now show 1.3.1 — the update was successful.

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