Using The Firmware Upgrade Utility - Silicon Graphics InfiniteStorage 4000 Series System Upgrade Manual

Using the Firmware Upgrade Utility

Chapter 3: Using the Firmware Upgrade Utility
The firmware upgrade utility helps you to upgrade your firmware quickly and easily.
You can upgrade to controller firmware version 7.15 from any controller firmware
version 6.14 or later. The firmware upgrade utility not only upgrades the controller
firmware and NVSRAM, but it also migrates the drive configuration databases
(DACstores) to the new format and size.
This utility also makes sure that these conditions are met for any storage array
selected for upgrade:
The storage array is at the supported levels of hardware firmware and controller
firmware.
The storage array has no existing conditions that prevent the upgrade from
completing successfully.
The storage array has the configuration and Major Event Log (MEL) saved
before the upgrade, in case this information is needed for later use.
The storage array is offline for the least amount of time possible.
For most failover drivers to take effect, a host reboot is required, which means
stopping user applications. Keep system quiescence or reboot time to a
minimum.
If you are upgrading from controller firmware 6.14 or earlier to version 7.15, you
must perform the activation portion of the upgrade offline. This restriction allows for
the rewrite of the configuration database and keeps the down time to a minimum. For
most failover drivers to take effect, you must reboot the host.
If you are upgrading from controller firmware version 7.10 to version 7.15, you can
use the storage management software to perform this upgrade; the use of the firmware
upgrade utility is not required. You can use the firmware upgrade utility to check the
health of the storage array and to see if the storage array uses RAIDCore 2.
All devices should have Optimal status before you download the firmware. You can
also check the current firmware level.
NOTE The readme.txt file, accessed by a link in the firmware upgrade utility,
contains restrictions, limitations, recommendations, and instructions for using the
firmware upgrade utility.
NOTE RAID Level 6 is a premium feature for the CDE3992 controller and the
CDE3994 controller. You must enable RAID Level 6 with the feature key file before
you can use the Dynamic RAID-Level Migration feature in storage management
software. For more information on how to use the Dynamic RAID-Level Migration
Feature, refer to the Command Line Interface and Script Commands Programming
Guide.
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