Upgrading Software; Overview; Software Types; Comware Image Redundancy And Loading Procedure - HP 12500 Configuration Manual

Upgrading software

This chapter describes types of software and how to upgrade software from the CLI in the non-ISSU
approach. For a comparison of all software upgrade methods, see

Overview

Software upgrade enables you to have new features and fix bugs. Before performing an upgrade, use
the release notes for the new software version to verify software and hardware compatibility and
evaluate upgrade impacts.

Software types

The following software types are available:
BootWare image—A .bin file that comprises a basic section and an extended section. The basic
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section is the minimum code that bootstraps the system. The extended section enables hardware
initialization and provides system management menus. You can use these menus to load
application software and the startup configuration file or manage files when the device cannot
correctly start up.
Comware image—Includes the following image subcategories:
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Boot image—A .bin file that contains the Linux operating system kernel. It provides process
management, memory management, file system management, and the emergency shell.
System image—A .bin file that contains the minimum feature modules required for device
operation and some basic features, including device management, interface management,
configuration management, and routing. To have advanced features, you must purchase
feature packages.
Feature package—Includes a set of advanced software features. Users purchase feature
packages as needed.
Patch packages—Irregularly released packages for fixing bugs without rebooting the device. A
patch package does not add new features or functions.
Comware software images that have been loaded are called "current software images."
Comware images specified to load at the next startup are called "startup software images."
BootWare image, boot image, and system image are required for the system to work. These images
might be released separately or as a whole in one .ipe package file. If an .ipe file is used, the system
automatically decompresses the file, loads the .bin boot and system images and sets them as startup
software images. Typically, the BootWare and startup software images for the device are released in
an .ipe file named main.ipe.

Comware image redundancy and loading procedure

You can specify two sets of Comware software images: one main and one backup.
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"Upgrade methods."