HP StorageWorks MSA 2/8 - SAN Switch Reference Manual page 294

Fabric OS Commands
For the StorageWorks Core switch, each CP has two partitions of non-volatile
storage. The firmwareDownload command will always load the image into
the secondary partition and then will swap the secondary to be the new primary.
After the system successfully boots up from this partition, run
firmwareCommit to replicate the downloaded image in the primary partition to
the secondary partition.
If the previous firmware version is preferred after firmwareDownload and
reboot, but before firmwareCommit, then run firmwareRestore to
restore the old firmware image now saved in the secondary partition.
Description: V4.1.x
Use this command to download switch firmware from a FTP server or from a local
(NFS) directory to the switch's non-volatile storage area.
Note:
The new firmware is in the form of RPM packages with names defined in a pfile.
pfile is a binary file which contains specific firmware information (time stamp,
platform code, version, etc.) and the names of packages of the firmware to be
downloaded. These packages are made available periodically to add features or to
remedy defects. Contact customer support to obtain information about available
firmware versions.
In the StorageWorks Core switch, this command by default downloads firmware
image to both CPs in a rollover mode to prevent disruption to application services.
This operation depends on HA support. If HA is not available, a user will still be
able to upgrade the CPs one at a time using "-s" option.
The StorageWorks 2 Gb SAN switch and each CP of the StorageWorks Core
switchhave two partitions of non-volatile storage areas, a primary and a
secondary, to store two firmware images. Firmwaredownload will always
load the new image into the secondary partition and will swap the secondary
partition to be the primary. It will then reboot the CP and activate the new image.
Finally, it will perform firmwarecommit automatically to copy the new
image to the other partition unless "-s" is used.
The command supports both non-interactive and interactive modes. If it is invoked
without any command line parameters, or if there is any syntax error in the
parameters, the command will go into the interactive mode in which the user is
prompted for input.
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V4.1 supports only FTP protocol for firmware downloads.
Fabric OS Version 3.1.x/4.1.x Reference Guide