Do you have access to a laptop computer or a PC that you can move close to the equipment rack? If so, you might just leave an RS-232 cable plugged in to the 970 and hanging out where you can reach it later (this is what I've done with my 990's USB connection to facilitate firmware updates). You'd need to be able to reach the rear panel to press in the small "reset" button before doing the firmware update, which may or may not be a problem depending on your cabinet, but otherwise you wouldn't have to take anything apart.