Firmware Upgrades And Downgrades - HP 4400 Release Note

4
SCC policies supported only in conjunction with L2 Fabric Binding support.
5
Not supported in Fabric OS 6.0 or later.
6
Mode 3 qualified only with M-EOS switches.
7
Not on FCR.
8
Supported only locally within the Fabric OS switch.
9
All routers (EX_Ports) must reside in a backbone fabric running in interopmode 0 only. Only edge
fabrics with devices imported to the backbone fabric or other edge fabrics can operate in IM 2
or IM 3.
10
To support Frame Redirection to an edge M-EOS fabric, there must be at least one Fabric OS
switch in the edge fabric to configure Frame Redirection Zones.
1 1
Only Frame Redirection zones can be configured on Fabric OS platforms and sent to fabrics
operating in McDATA Open Fabric Mode (interopmode 3). M-EOS 9.9 is required to support FR
zones in McDATA Open Fabric Mode.
12
Supported through FCR only. All routers in the backbone must be running Fabric OS 6.2.x.
NOTE: FICON Cascaded CUP is qualified only on select platforms.

Firmware upgrades and downgrades

Upgrading to Fabric OS 6.2.2e is allowed only from Fabric OS 6.1.0a or later. The policy to
support only one-level migration, which began with Fabric OS 6.0.0, provides more reliable and
robust migrations for customers. By having fewer major changes in internal databases,
configurations, and subsystems, the system is able to perform the upgrade more efficiently, ensuring
a truly seamless and nondisruptive process for the fabric. The one-release migration policy also
reduces the large number of upgrade-downgrade permutations that must be tested, allowing for
the thorough test and verification of supported migration paths.
The DC04 SAN Director cannot be downgraded to a release earlier than Fabric OS 6.2.0a.
All downgrades from Fabric OS 6.2.x to Fabric OS 6.1.x require a restart and are disruptive to
traffic. Platforms supporting VF must have the feature disabled before downgrading to a release
earlier than 6.2.0a. When downgrading from Fabric OS 6.2.x to 6.1, configuration parameters
(such as the switch name) are not persisted in Fabric OS 6.2.
To ensure nondisruptive Hot Code Load (HCL), neighbor switches should be operating with Fabric
OS 6.2.0a or later before loading Fabric OS 6.2.2e on the following platforms:
Brocade 4Gb SAN Switch for HP p-Class BladeSystem
Brocade 4Gb SAN Switch for HP c-Class BladeSystem
HP StorageWorks SAN Switch 4/32
HP StorageWorks 4/8 and 4/16 SAN Switches
When upgrading to Fabric OS 6.2.2e from Fabric OS 6.1.0g or earlier, the CPs do not fully
synchronize until both the new active and new standby CPs are running this new version. This is
normal behavior and the firmware upgrade is not disruptive.
Fabric OS 6.2.2e does not support concurrent FC Routing (EX_Ports) and Top Talkers features.
Before upgrading to this version, you must disable one of these features.
Only products based on 4-Gb and 8-Gb-capable ASICs are supported by Fabric OS 6.2.2e. Older
products using previous generation 2-Gb ASICs will remain on the 5.x code stream. Fabric OS
5.x is fully compatible in fabrics running Fabric OS 6.2.x and for routing.
For routed SANs with M-EOS switches in an edge fabric, upgrades to Fabric OS 6.2.2e are
nondisruptive if all EX_Ports to M-EOS edge fabrics are attached to 4/256 SAN Directors with an
MP Router blade (FR4- 1 8i).
Fabric OS feature compatibility in native connectivity modes 19