The disclosed technology relates to solutions for improving a firmware update mechanism and in particular, for improving a firmware update mechanism of a power distribution board by utilizing different boot procedures. A process of the disclosed technology can include steps for receiving, at a microcontroller, a firmware update, wherein the firmware update is transmitted by a computer powered by a power distribution board associated with the microcontroller, initiating, by the microcontroller, a warm boot procedure using the firmware update, and marking the warm boot procedure as successful if a message received from the computer indicates that the firmware update is successful. In some aspects, the process can further include steps for determining a power reset of the computer, initiating, by the microcontroller, a cold boot procedure using the firmware update, and marking the firmware update as proven if the message from the computer indicates that the firmware update is successful. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.