IDFM

• 1: Install
• 2: Discover and IP
• 3: Firmware
• 4: Troubleshoot

1 - Install

Goal / when to use

Get IDFM running on the PC you will use for commissioning so amplifiers can be discovered and configured.

Download

1. Open the Innosonix downloads page.
2. Select the IDFM tab.
3. Download the build for your OS:

IDFM may offer an in-app update when a newer tool version is published on the download service.

First launch

1. Start IDFM.
2. Open the DEVICES page (default).
3. Check UDP STATUS (top right).
4. Confirm devices appear, or that the status does not show UDP blocked / port unavailable.

Expected result

The device table loads. Online count updates as amps answer discovery. If nothing appears yet, continue with Discover and IP (same L2 segment, or add/scan).

Firewall and UDP status

Automatic discovery uses UDP 9453. The PC firewall must allow IDFM to send and receive that traffic on your control network.

• Use UDP STATUS to see whether discovery sockets are healthy on local interfaces.
• If another IDFM instance is already running, you may see a port already in use message — quit the other instance.
• Windows: if devices never appear, open HELP in IDFM. The FAQ can re-apply Windows firewall allow rules for the app, or (last resort) temporarily disable the firewall profile while diagnosing. Prefer fixing rules over leaving the firewall off.

Related links

• IDFM overview
• Discover and IP
• Firmware
• Troubleshoot

2 - Discover and IP

Goal / when to use

Put every amplifier on the site IP plan: discover (or add) devices, set STATIC-IP or DHCP, name them, and confirm which physical unit is which.

Prerequisites

• IDFM installed with healthy UDP STATUS when you expect automatic discovery
• PC on the same L2 segment as the amps for UDP broadcast, or known amp IPs / reachable routed subnet for add/scan

UDP discovery (preferred)

On the same switch / VLAN, IDFM discovers amps with UDP broadcast on port 9453 (255.255.255.255).

1. Open DEVICES.
2. Wait for rows to appear (hostname, model, firmware, IP, status).
3. Filter or sort the table if you have many units.

UDP discovery still works when the amp’s configured IP is on a different subnet than the PC — as long as they share the same broadcast domain. That is how you recover “wrong IP” units without serial console access.

Example (wrong subnet, same switch)

PC:         192.168.0.33 / 255.255.255.0
Amplifier:  192.168.99.2 / 255.255.255.0

Unicast HTTP may fail, but UDP discovery can still list the amp and accept a new IP configuration.

Expected result

Amps show as online in the list. You can open IP / hostname dialogs from the row.

Set IP (STATIC or DHCP)

1. Click the IP cell for the device.
2. Choose TYPE:
   • STATIC-IP — enter IP, subnet, gateway
   • DHCP — device takes an address from the DHCP server
3. Click SET.
4. Optional on DHCP: NEW DHCP LEASE to renew.

After a STATIC change, wait a few seconds for the list to refresh. After DHCP, the old address may go offline until the amp reappears with the new lease.

Hostname and identify

Add by IP or subnet scan (routed networks)

Routers do not forward UDP broadcast. If the PC and amps are on different routed VLANs, use + above the device list:

1. Add by IP — enter a known amplifier IP (device must answer ping / HTTP).
2. Subnet scan — enter the first three octets of the target /24 (for example 192.168.99) and scan. IDFM probes live hosts via the device HTTP REST API.

Example (routed VLANs)

VLAN1: PC          192.168.0.33 / 24
         |
       ROUTER
         |
VLAN2: Amplifier   192.168.99.2 / 24

Scan or add in 192.168.99.0–255. After add, configure IP/hostname as needed (unicast path must reach the amp).

Expected result

Added devices appear in the list (often marked as manually added). Save the list if you want them remembered on next launch.

List tools

On DEVICES you can save, clear, or export the current device list. Saving helps when you rely on manually added units across sessions.

Related links

• Install
• Firmware
• Troubleshoot
• Maxx Remote · Prerequisites

3 - Firmware

Goal / when to use

Bring amplifiers to a known, current firmware before commissioning with Maxx Control or Maxx Remote.

Prerequisites

• Devices listed and reachable in Discover and IP
• For a successful update, the PC and amplifier should share a reachable unicast path on the same subnet (loader / update traffic is not the same as UDP discovery-only)
• Internet on the PC to fetch images from Innosonix, or .inx files copied from another machine

Check for updates

1. Start IDFM with network access.
2. Open the FIRMWARE tab. A red badge can indicate newer images are available to download.
3. The FIRMWARE UPDATES control (when shown) summarizes devices that have a newer release than they are running.

IDFM compares discovered device versions against the firmware catalog and images you have stored locally.

Download firmware (online)

1. Open FIRMWARE.
2. Download the images you need for the models on site.
3. Files are kept on the PC so you can update later without internet.

Local store (created by the app):

~/Innosonix/IDFM/firmwareStorageFolderIDFM/

(On Windows, under your user home directory with the same folder names.)

Import firmware (offline)

When the commissioning PC has no internet:

1. On a connected machine, download .inx files from the downloads page (or download them inside IDFM and copy from the store above).
2. Transfer via USB or similar.
3. In IDFM FIRMWARE, import the .inx file(s).

Update devices

1. On DEVICES, select the units to update (or open update from the toolbar).
2. Choose UPDATE DEVICES / the firmware update flow.
3. Confirm the target image per model.
4. Start the update and wait until each unit finishes and returns to a running state.

You can update multiple devices in one session when images are already local.

Expected result

Device firmware columns show the new version. Amps reboot as required and come back online in the list.

Manual bootloader fallback (MAXX²)

On MAXX² amplifiers with a front-panel display (for example MA32/D², MA32/LP², and similar models), you can force the device into bootloader mode from the front panel. Use this when you want more manual control over the update workflow, or as a recovery path when a normal update does not start.

Steps

1. Power the amplifier off.
2. Hold ESC + OK on the front panel.
3. Power the amplifier on while keeping ESC + OK held until it enters bootloader mode.
4. In IDFM, select the device and run the firmware update with the correct .inx image (see Update devices above).

Expected result

The amp appears ready for an IDFM update from bootloader / loader state. After the update finishes, it returns to a normal running status.

Related links

• Discover and IP
• Troubleshoot
• Maxx Remote · Prerequisites

4 - Troubleshoot

Goal / when to use

IDFM does not list a device, UDP looks broken, or a firmware update fails. Match the symptom below.

Device missing from the list

Symptoms

DEVICES stays empty or omits a known amp.

Steps

1. Confirm PC and amp share the same L2 segment if you expect UDP discovery.
2. Check UDP STATUS — see Install.
3. Windows: use HELP → FAQ actions to re-apply firewall allow rules for IDFM.
4. If you know the IP, use + → add by IP.
5. If the amp is on another routed subnet, use subnet scan — broadcast will not cross the router.
6. Confirm only one IDFM instance is running.

Expected result

The amp appears via UDP or as a manually added / scanned device.

Port already in use

Symptoms

Message that the required port is already in use.

Steps

1. Quit other IDFM windows / instances.
2. Restart IDFM.
3. If it persists, check whether another tool on the PC is bound to UDP 9453.

Expected result

Discovery starts; UDP STATUS is healthy.

Routed VLANs / no automatic discovery

Symptoms

Amps never appear until you type an IP; Maxx Remote discovery is also empty on the same PC.

Why

UDP broadcast (9453 to 255.255.255.255) stops at routers. That is expected.

Steps

1. Add by IP or scan the remote /24 — see Discover and IP.
2. Ensure the PC can ping and reach device HTTP (REST) on that VLAN.
3. After IP plan is correct, Maxx Remote can use manual add the same way — see Maxx Remote · Prerequisites.

Firmware update fails

Symptoms

Update warning about subnet / reachability; device stuck in loader; progress never finishes.

Steps

1. Put the PC on the same subnet as the amp management IP (unicast path for loader TCP 9454 / update). UDP discovery alone is not enough.
2. Download or import the correct .inx for that model first (FIRMWARE tab).
3. If the unit is already waiting in the loader and still unreachable from your current network, connect the PC directly to the amp (or fix routing) and retry.
4. Do not power-cycle during the update unless support instructs you to.
5. If you need a more manual recovery path on a MAXX² front-panel amp, force bootloader mode with ESC + OK at power-up, then update from IDFM — see Manual bootloader fallback.

Expected result

Update completes; device returns to a running status with the new version.

Related links

• Install
• Discover and IP
• Firmware
• Maxx Remote · Troubleshoot