AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001 (#3): Clarification: Firmware may not need to be updated

We continue to report on user confusion over last week's AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001.

To reiterate, this release will only update the following applications (note the distinction between AirPort Utility and AirPort Admin Utility): AirPort Utility to version 5.1, AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow Base stations only to 4.2.5, and AirPort Disk Utility to version 1.1. Despite the presence of these applications on some users' systems, the update may still refuse to install. In these cases, you can force installation with our previously published instructions.

It should also be noted that your Base station firmware may not need to be updated after installing the new versions of AirPort Utility or AirPort Admin Utility. With most AirPort Base Station updates, the process works like this:

• The user downloads and installs the latest AirPort Base Station Update
• AirPort Utility or AirPort Admin Utility is updated
• The user runs the newer copy of the AirPort Utility or AirPort Admin Utility and selects "Check for updates" from the "AirPort Utility" menu to install updated Base station firmware.

In the case of AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001, however, the firmware for AirPort Extreme 802.11n Base stations remains at version 7.0, which most users already have installed.

You can discover an AirPort Base Station's firmware by opening the AirPort Utility or AirPort Admin Utility, selecting the desired Base station in the sidebar and looking at the "Version" field.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Previous coverage:

• AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001 (#2): Confusion over Apple's install mechanism, forcing the update; files modified
• AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001 released; updating Base station firmware

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