Preparing For A Firmware Download - HP A7533A - Brocade 4Gb SAN Switch Base Administrator's Manual

Preparing for a firmware download

Before executing a firmware download, HP recommends that you perform the tasks listed in this section. In
the unlikely event of a failure or time-out, the preparation tasks that are described in this section will enable
you to provide HP the information required to perform advanced troubleshooting.
HP recommends that you perform a configUpload to back up the current configuration before you
download firmware to a switch. See
To prepare for a firmware download:
1. Read the HP StorageWorks Fabric OS release notes for the new firmware to determine if there are any
updates related to firmware download.
2. Connect to the switch and log in as admin. Issue the firmwareShow command to verify the current
version of Fabric OS. HP does not support upgrades from more than one previous release. For example,
upgrading from Fabric OS 6.0.0 to 6.1.0 is supported, but upgrading from Fabric OS 5.3.x or a
previous release directly to 6.1.0 is not.
In other words, upgrading a switch from Fabric OS 5.3.x to 6.1.1 is a two-step process—first upgrade to
version 6.0.0, and then upgrade to version 6.1.1. If you are running a pre-Fabric OS 5.3.0 you will
need to upgrade to version 5.3.0, and then to version 6.0.0, and finally to version 6.1.1.
NOTE:
server name instead of a server IP address is specified in the command line, firmwareDownload
determines whether IP4 or IP6 should be used.
To be able to mention the FTP server by name, you must enter at least one DNS server using the
dnsconfig command.
3. Perform a configupload prior to the firmwareDownload. Save the config file on your FTP or SSH
server or USB memory device (on supported platforms).
4. Optional: For additional support, connect the switch to a computer with a serial console cable. Ensure
that all serial consoles (both CPs for directors) and any open network connection sessions, such as
Telnet, are logged and included with any trouble reports.
5. Connect to the switch and log in to the switch as admin. Issue the supportSave command to retrieve
all current core files prior to executing the firmware download. This helps to troubleshoot the firmware
download process if a problem is encountered.
If you are upgrading a Director, log in to both the active and standby CPs and issue the supportSave
command on each CP.
If you do not know the CP address, use the ipAddrShow command to view a list of all CP IP addresses
associated with the switch.
6. Optional: Issue the errClear command to erase all existing messages in addition to internal
messages.
"Backing up a configuration
IP6 and DNS are supported by firmwareDownload in 6.0. If DNS is enabled and a
file" on page 139 for details.
Fabric OS 6.1.1 administrator guide 177