OPENSEACHEST_FIRMWARE(1)

📦
version 26.03.2 · 4 versions
, in nixpkgs unstable, ubuntu stonking

💖 OPENSEACHEST_FIRMWARE 💖

hi bestie!! so this is openSeaChest_Firmware — yes it's lowkey a manual page for openSeaChest_Firmware, and yes it's iconic. it's part of openSeaChest drive utilities, and it's the ✨firmware✨ one. sit down, grab a snack, we're doing this together 💅

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

okay so first thing first, when you run it you get this whole banner situation:

openSeaChest_Firmware - openSeaChest drive utilities - NVMe
Enabled Copyright (c) 2014-2026 Seagate Technology LLC and/or its
Affiliates, All Rights Reserved openSeaChest_Firmware Version:
26.03.2 X86_64 Build Date: May 18 2026 Today: 20260605T144115
User: current user

that's NVMe Enabled, Copyright (c) 2014-2026 Seagate Technology LLC and/or its Affiliates, All Rights Reserved, Version 26.03.2, X86_64, Build Date: May 18 2026, and then Today: 20260605T144115, User: current user. slay.

✨ Usage ✨

the whole vibe in one line:

openSeaChest_Firmware [-d <sg_device>] {arguments} {options}

🦋 Examples 🦋

okay here's how people actually use this thing:

openSeaChest_Firmware --scan
openSeaChest_Firmware -d /dev/sg<#> -i
openSeaChest_Firmware -d /dev/sg<#> --SATInfo
openSeaChest_Firmware -d /dev/sg<#> --llInfo
openSeaChest_Firmware -d /dev/sg<#> --fwdlInfo

Updating firmware:

openSeaChest_Firmware -d /dev/sg<#> --downloadFW file.bin

Updating firmware with deferred download and activating:

openSeaChest_Firmware -d /dev/sg<#> --downloadFW file.bin --downloadMode deferred --activateFW

Updating firmware and specifying a firmware slot (NVMe)

openSeaChest_Firmware -d /dev/sg<#> --downloadFW file.bin --downloadMode deferred

+

openSeaChest_Firmware -d /dev/sg<#> --activateFW --firmwareSlot 2

🎀 Return codes 🎀

these are the lil numbers it hands back to you when it's done, and they're actually so useful, don't ignore them fr fr.

Generic/Common exit codes

  1. 0 = No Error Found
  2. 1 = Error in command line options
  3. 2 = Invalid Device Handle or Missing Device Handle
  4. 3 = Operation Failure
  5. 4 = Operation not supported
  6. 5 = Operation Aborted
  7. 6 = File Path Not Found
  8. 7 = Cannot Open File
  9. 8 = File Already Exists
  10. 9 = Need Elevated Privileges
  11. 10 = Not enough resources
  12. 11 = Error Writing File
  13. 12 = Device not found when opening handle.
  14. 13 = Device not opened. Handle is busy.
  15. 14 = Insecure Directory to read or write file

---openSeaChest_Firmware specific exit codes---

  1. 32 = Firmware Download Complete
  2. 33 = Deferred Firmware Download Complete
  3. 34 = Deferred Code Activated
  4. 35 = No Drive or Firmware match found
  5. 36 = Model number matched, but Firmware mismatched
  6. 37 = Firmware File Hash Error
  7. 38 = Firmware Already up to date
  8. 39 = Firmware Match Found for update
  9. 40 = Firmware Match Found for update - deferred update supported

and then these ones, which are just… sitting there being empty (we don't ask):

41 =
42 =
43 =
44 =
45 =
46 =

Anything else = unknown error. yeah. 😭

👑 Utility Options 👑

the fun buttons. here we go.

  • --csmiIgnorePort (Obsolete) — bestie this option is obsolete and will be removed in future versions. it's giving legacy. 🙈
  • --csmiUsePort (Obsolete) — also obsolete, also getting removed in future versions. same energy.
  • --csmiVerbose (Obsolete) — you guessed it, obsolete, will be removed in future versions.
  • --echoCommandLine — echoes the command line you entered into the utility right there on your screen. so you can see exactly what you typed. iconic for debugging.
  • --enableLegacyUSBPassthrough — ⚠️ only use this one on old USB or IEEE1394 (Firewire) products that don't otherwise work with the tool. it turns on a trial and error method that attempts sending various ATA Identify commands through vendor specific means. because of this, certain products may respond in unintended ways — they might interpret these commands differently than the bridge chip the command was designed for. so like, careful bestie.
  • --forceATA — forces the current drive to be treated as an ATA drive. only ATA commands will be used to talk to the drive. periodt.
  • --forceATADMA (SATA Only) — forces the tool to issue SAT commands to ATA device using the protocol set to DMA whenever possible (on DMA commands). and you can combine it with --forceATA 💫
  • --forceATAPIO (SATA Only) — forces the tool to issue PIO commands to ATA device when possible. also combinable with --forceATA.
  • --forceATAUDMA (SATA Only) — forces the tool to issue SAT commands to ATA device using the protocol set to UDMA whenever possible (on DMA commands). yep, also combinable with --forceATA.
  • --forceSCSI — forces the current drive to be treated as a SCSI drive. only SCSI commands will be used to talk to the drive.
  • -h, --help — shows utility options and example usage (literally this output you're reading right now). please report bugs/suggestions to seaboard@seagate.com. and include the output of --version information in the email okay?? they need it.
  • --license — displays the Seagate End User License Agreement (EULA). read your terms babes.
  • --modelMatch [model Number] — run on all drives matching the provided model number. it'll give you a closest match although an exact match is preferred. Ex: ST500 will match ST500LM0001
  • --newFW [firmware revision] — skips drives matching the provided firmware revision. this one only does an exact match. use it to skip performing an update if a drive already has this firmware revision loaded. no point redoing work, we're not doing that.
  • --noBanner — suppresses the text banner that displays each time openSeaChest is run. bye banner 🫶
  • --onlyFW [firmware revision] — run on all drives matching the provided firmware revision. exact match only, no fuzzy vibes here.
  • --onlySeagate — match only Seagate drives for the options provided. 👑
  • -q, --quiet — runs openSeaChest_Firmware in quiet mode. same thing as -v 0 or --verbose 0. shhh.
  • -v [0-4], --verbose [0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4] — shows verbose information. verbosity levels are:
    • 0 - quiet
    • 1 - default
    • 2 - command descriptions
    • 3 - command descriptions and values
    • 4 - command descriptions, values, and data buffers

Example: -v 3 or --verbose 3

  • -V, --version — shows openSeaChest_Firmware version and copyright information & exit. quick lil flex and dip.

🌈 Utility Arguments 🌈

  • -d, --device [deviceHandle | all] — use this with most commands to specify the device handle on which to perform an operation. Example: /dev/sg<#>. CSMI device handles can be specified as <error<#><#><#>>. to run across all devices detected in the system, use the "all" argument instead of a device handle. Example: -d all
NOTE: the "all" argument is handled by running the specified options on each drive detected in the OS sequentially. for parallel operations, please use a script opening a separate instance for each device handle. okay bestie, no cheating.
  • -F, --scanFlags [option list] — controls the output from scan with the options listed below. multiple options can be combined, mix and match queen:
    • ata - show only ATA (SATA) devices
    • usb - show only USB devices
    • scsi - show only SCSI (SAS) devices
    • nvme - show only NVMe devices
    • interfaceATA - show devices on an ATA interface
    • interfaceUSB - show devices on a USB interface
    • interfaceSCSI - show devices on a SCSI or SAS interface
    • interfaceNVME = show devices on an NVMe interface
    • sd - show sd device handles
    • sgtosd - show the sd and sg device handle mapping
    • ignoreCSMI - do not scan for any CSMI devices
    • allowDuplicates - allow drives with both CSMI and PD handles to show up multiple times in the list
  • -i, --deviceInfo — shows information and features for the storage device. the lil info dump we all love. ✨
  • --llInfo — dumps low-level information about the device to assist with debugging. nerd mode activated 🔥
  • -s, --scan — scans the system and lists all storage devices with logical /dev/sg<#> assignments. shows model, serial and firmware numbers. if your device is not listed on a scan immediately after booting, then wait 10 seconds and run it again. give it a sec bestie, it's waking up.
  • -S, --Scan — same as --scan or -s, however it will also perform a low level rescan to pick up other devices. this low level rescan may wake devices from low power states and may cause the OS to re-enumerate them. use this when a device is plugged in and not discovered in a normal scan.
NOTE: a low-level rescan may not be available on all interfaces or all OSs. the low-level rescan is not guaranteed to find additional devices in the system when the device is unable to come to a ready state. so like… it's a maybe. 😭
  • --SATInfo — displays SATA device information on any interface using both SCSI Inquiry / VPD / Log reported data (translated according to SAT) and the ATA Identify / Log reported data. both worlds, we love a dual report 🌸
  • --testUnitReady — issues a SCSI Test Unit Ready command and displays the status. if the drive is not ready, the sense key, asc, ascq, and fru will be displayed and a human readable translation from the SPC spec will be displayed if one is available. so basically it tells you why it's not ready, in human. bless.
  • --fastDiscovery — use this option to issue a fast scan on the specified drive. zoom zoom.
  • --activateFW — issues the command to activate code that was sent to the drive using a deferred download command. this will immediately activate the new code on the drive. you can use this along with a --downloadFW & --downloadMode to automatically issue the activate command after the download has completed. automatic, we love efficiency.
⚠️ WARNING: Firmware activation may affect all LUNs/namespaces for devices with multiple logical units or namespaces. not just your one lil namespace bestie, ALL of them. 💀
  • --downloadFW [firmware_filename] — downloads firmware to a Seagate storage product.
🚨 use only device manufacturer authorized firmware data files which are designated for the specific model drive. improper use of this option may harm a device and or its data. this is not a joke bestie, this is the real one.

you may specify the path (without spaces) if the firmware data file is in a different location. this option will use auto mode by default to choose the best method for updating the drive firmware. use the --downloadMode option to specify a different download mode.

⚠️ WARNING: Firmware updates may affect all LUNs/namespaces for devices with multiple logical units or namespaces. again. all of them.
  • --downloadMode [ auto | full | segmented | deferred | deferred+activate ] — use this along with the --downloadFW option to set the firmware download mode. supported modes:

🦋 the --downloadMode values, bestie (pick your fighter)

  • auto — it literally just figures it out for you, automatically determining the best mode to use to perform the firmware update. main character energy, no decisions required 💅
  • full — performs a download in one large transfer to the device. one big glorious upload. ✨
  • segmented — downloads the firmware in multiple segments to the device. (Most compatible) — she's the people pleaser of download modes and honestly? iconic for it. 🫶
  • deferred — performs a segmented download to the device, but does not activate the new firmware until a powercycle or activate command is sent. she's waiting for her moment. patience, babes. 🧚
  • deferred+activate — performs a deferred download and automatically activates it for you. Similar to how a segmented download works but uses a separate activate command. This is the recommended mode that auto will select when possible for maximum compatibility with Windows 10 and later operating systems. ✨👑
⚠️ WARNING: Firmware Updates may affect all LUNs/namespaces for devices with multiple logical units or namespaces. like. all of them. every single one. do not play. 💀

✨ OPTIONS (the rest of 'em) ✨

  • --firmwareSlot/--fwBufferID slot# — use this one to specify a firmware slot (NVMe) or a buffer ID (SCSI) along with the --downloadMode (SCSI) or --activateFW (NVMe & SCSI) options. If you don't use it, a value of zero gets used instead, which means the drive will automatically select the slot number. so like, it picks for you. 🔥
  • --fwdlInfo — shows you the firmware download support information for a drive. it's giving "let me check the vibes before I commit." 👀
  • --fwdlIgnoreFinalSegment — ok so this one is only for firmware updates on legacy products. What it does is ignore a failing error code from the OS on the final segment of a firmware update, when that update is actually successful. It's needed to workaround hardware or firmware limitations that were present in some old products. old hardware said "error" but meant "it's fine bestie" 🙈
  • --fwdlSegSize [segment size in 512B blocks] — specify a segment size in 512B blocks to use for a segmented or deferred download. This option will not affect an immediate download (full buffer at once). The default segment size used is 64. Larger segment sizes may be faster, however they may also be incompatible with controllers or drivers in the system. Smaller values are more likely to be compatible, but also slower. Use this option if the default used by the tool is not working correctly for firmware updates. it's a whole speed-vs-compatibility tradeoff, lowkey. ⚖️
  • --switchFW (NVMe Only) — use this to switch to a different firmware slot on an NVMe drive. You must specify a slot with the --firmwareSlot option or this will fail. The specified slot must already have a valid firmware image in it as well. no image, no switch, no cap. 😤
⚠️ WARNING: Switching firmware may affect all LUNs/namespaces for devices with multiple logical units or namespaces. again. all of them. fr fr. 💀

🌸 THE VERSION / INFO BLOCK 🌸

here's the whole run-down the tool prints, bestie, every last crumb:

openSeaChest_Firmware - openSeaChest drive utilities - NVMe Enabled
Copyright (c) 2014-2026 Seagate Technology LLC and/or its Affiliates, All Rights Reserved
openSeaChest_Firmware Version: 26.03.2 X86_64
Build Date: May 18 2026
Today: 20260605T144115
User: current user

==========================================================================================
Version Info for openSeaChest_Firmware:

Utility Version: 26.03.2
opensea-common Version: 6.1.0
opensea-transport Version: 10.3.0
opensea-operations Version: 9.4.0
Build Date: May 18 2026
Compiled Architecture: X86_64
Detected Endianness: Little Endian
Compiler Used: GCC
Compiler Version: 14.2.0
Operating System Type: Linux
Operating System Version: 6.6.114-1
Operating System Name: Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

The full documentation for openSeaChest_Firmware is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and openSeaChest_Firmware programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info openSeaChest_Firmware

should give you access to the complete manual. bestie the WHOLE manual is in there. go read it. 📖✨

kisses, that's the whole page 💖 this was the openSeaChest_Firmware manual page, dated June 2026, from the openSeaChest family of drive utilities. take care of your firmware and your firmware will take care of you. mwah. 💅🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from