Planning The Update Procedure; Outline For Online Update Procedure - HP StorageWorks MSA 2/8 - SAN Switch User Manual

Planning the Update Procedure

Whether it is best to perform an offline or online update depends on the uptime
requirements of the site.
Note:
Switch PID Format enabled, so it is not necessary to perform the PID format change on
these switches.
Migrating from manual PID binding (such as persistent binding on an HBA) to
manual WWN binding and/or upgrading drivers to versions that do not bind by
PID can often be done before setting the core PID format. This reduces the
number of variables in the update process.

Outline for Online Update Procedure

The following steps are intended to provide SAN administrators a starting point
for creating site-specific procedures.
1. Back up all data and verify backups.
2. Verify that the multi-pathing software can automatically switchover between
3. Verify that I/O continues over the other fabric.
4. Disable all switches in the fabric to be updated, one switch at a time, and
Fabric OS Procedures Version 3.1.x/4.1.x User Guide
An offline update requires less advance planning than an online update.
However, it requires that all devices attached to the fabric be offline.
With careful planning, testing, and general due-diligence, it should be safe to
update the core PID format parameter in a live, production environment. This
requires dual fabrics with multi-pathing software. Avoid running backups
during the update process, as tape drives tend to be very sensitive to I/O
interruption. The online update process is only intended for use in
uptime-critical dual-fabric environments, with multi-pathing software
(high-uptime environments should always use a redundant fabric SAN
architecture). Schedule a time for the update when the least critical traffic is
running.
All switches running any version of Fabric OS 4.x are shipped with the Core
fabrics seamlessly. If there is doubt, use the software's administrative tools to
manually disassociate or mark offline all storage devices on the first fabric to
be updated.
verify that I/O continues over the other fabric after each switch disable.
Updating Switches to the Core PID Addressing
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