pfSense

Under System > Update there are two tabs with the following settings and behaviors:

System Update

Allows setting the firmware branch and disabling dashboard auto-update check.

• Changing the Branch setting takes effect immediately without any confirmation or save option.
• Clicking the Select Update button begins an update without any further confirmation.
• When changing branches, the display changes to show "Retrieving" and the Confirm button disappears. When that finishes, the Confirm button re-appears. Clicking the confirm button will start the update rather than simply saving the Branch change.

Update Settings

• Allows setting the firmware branch and starting a firmware update.
• Does not commit any changes until the Save button is clicked.

Issues:¶

1. Two places to change the Branch but they behave differently (immediate effect vs requiring save).
2. The appearance of System Update changes when the branch is changed (rows and button disappear and then re-appear).
3. The Confirm button can be mistaken for a Save button since this is how buttons behave in all other areas of the GUI.
4. No secondary confirmation before starting the disruptive upgrade process.

Suggested changes:¶

1. Change the default tab to Update Settings , as it requires a Save action before committing changes.
2. Rename the System Update tab to " Perform Update " to more clearly identify its function. This also better aligns with the meaning of the tab names ( Update Settings is for settings, Perform Update is for installing an update).
3. Change the Confirm button text to " Start Update " so as to more clearly identify the action performed by the button.
4. Add a second confirmation prompt/step before beginning an update.
5. Remove the Branch selection option from System Update to eliminate the duplication and behavioural differences of this setting.
6. Keep the layout of the System Update screen consistent instead of removing rows/button and then re-adding them. This would be unnecessary if the Branch setting is removed.