This guide briefly describes how to update the firmware.
Ensure you can retrieve the firmware from a tftp server beforehand.

Check the current version

Router(config)# show version
NEC Portable Internetwork Core Operating System Software
IX Series IX2010 (DS) Software, Version 5.1.18, RELEASE SOFTWARE
Compiled Jul 18-Fri-2003 13:32:49 JST #2, coregen-5.1

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 5.5
System Diagnostic, Version 4.3

uptime is 1 minute
System image file is "ix2010-ds-5.1.18.ldc"
IX2010 (MPC8250) processor with 57344K bytes of memory.
Processor board ID <1>
3 FastEthernet/IEEE 802.3 interfaces
512K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.
8192K bytes of processor board System flash (Read/Write)

Assign an IP address for tftp download

• Assign an IP address to LAN1

Router# enable-config
Router(config)# interface FastEthernet0/0.0
Router(config-FastEthernet0/0.0)# no shutdown
Router(config-FastEthernet0/0.0)# ip address 192.168.1.254/24
Router(config-FastEthernet0/0.0)# exit

• Verify connectivity to the tftp server

Router(config)# ping 192.168.1.2
PING 192.168.10.1 > 192.168.10.1 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.1.2: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.071 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.2: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.067 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.2: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.068 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.2: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.062 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.2: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=0.067 ms

--- 192.168.1.2 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip (ms)  min/avg/max = 0.062/0.067/0.07

Backup the old firmware

• Identify the firmware file to back up

Router(config)# show flash
Length     Name/status
2097160    ix2010-ds-5.1.18.ldc runnable

[2097160 bytes used, 4908490 available, 7005650 total]
6912 Kbytes of processor board System flash (Read/Write)

Upload to the tftp server.

Router(config)# tftp put ix2010-ds-5.1.18.ldc 192.168.1.2:ix2010-ds-5.1.18.ldc
.....................................................................
........................................................
TFTP transfer complete

Switch to the new firmware

• Download the new firmware from tftp

Router(config)# tftp get 192.168.20.66:fw/ix2010-boot-22.2-gate-ms-8.3.8.rap ix2010-boot-22.2-gate-ms-8.3.8.rap
......................................................................
......................................................................
......................................................................
.................................................
TFTP transfer complete

• Verify the downloaded firmware

Router(config)# show flash
Length     Name/status
2097160    ix2010-ds-5.1.18.ldc runnable
4311933    ix2010-boot-22.2-gate-ms-8.3.8.rap runnable

[6409093 bytes used, 588922 available, 6998015 total]
6912 Kbytes of processor board System flash (Read/Write)

• Delete the old firmware

Router(config)# erase ix2010-ds-5.1.18.ldc
Now erasing ix2010-ds-5.1.18.ldc please wait...

Verify deletion

Router(config)# show flash
Length     Name/status
4311933    ix2010-boot-22.2-gate-ms-8.3.8.rap runnable

[4311933 bytes used, 2748706 available, 7060639 total]
6912 Kbytes of processor board System flash (Read/Write)

• Reboot

Router(config)# exit
Router# reload
% Warning: current running-configuration is not saved yet.
Notice: The router will be RELOADED. This is to ensure that
        the peripheral devices are properly initialized.
Are you sure you want to reload the router? (Yes or [No]):yes

Verify the update process

Router# show version
NEC Portable Internetwork Core Operating System Software
IX Series IX2010 (magellan-sec) Software, Version 8.3.8, RELEASE SOFTWARE
Compiled Nov 07-Fri-2008 10:58:12 JST #1 by sw-build, coregen-8.3(8)

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 22.2
System Diagnostic, Version 20.2

System uptime is 2 minutes
System woke up by reload, caused by command execution
System started at Oct 20-Tue-2009 09:46:02 JST
System image file is "ix2010-ms-8.3.8.ldc"

Processor board ID <1>
IX2010 (MPC8250A) processor with 65536K bytes of memory.
3 FastEthernet/IEEE 802.3 interfaces
512K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.
8192K bytes of processor board System flash (Read/Write)

This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project
for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/).