“Cold Upgrade” is a device feature which allows upgrading device firmware via the network even if incorrect firmware was previously loaded or if the firmware somehow became corrupted.
This is easy to explain with an example:
With a device not supporting Cold Upgrade:
Someone uploads incorrect firmware via the network.
The device “dies” and drops off the network (not visible in DS Manager, Device Explorer, etc).
You realize what happened, but now it's too late to fix it via the network.
You now need to go to the device, connect it to the RS232 port of a computer and upload the correct firmware serially.
With a device supporting Cold Upgrade:
Someone uploads incorrect firmware via the network.
The device “doesn't work right”, but you can still see it in DS Manager or Device Explorer.
You upload the correct firmware via the network.
Problem solved!
