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Upgrading the system firmware

System firmware upgrade requirements  Top

Make sure that you upgrade to the latest system firmware version when you upgrade Data ONTAP. In some upgrade scenarios, system firmware upgrades are mandatory.

Note
There are special system firmware requirements that must be satisfied if you are upgrading to Data ONTAP 7.1 from a release earlier than 6.5. For more information, see Upgrading from releases earlier than Data ONTAP 6.5.

To upgrade system firmware, you must have

Obtaining system firmware updates  Top

System firmware updates for CompactFlash-based storage systems are included with distribution files for Data ONTAP upgrades. When you run the download command, the firmware service image included with the Data ONTAP upgrade is copied to your storage system's CompactFlash card.

System firmware updates are also available at the NOW site:

F87 storage systems use firmware that does not need to be upgraded.

Command for updating system firmware  Top

The update-flash command loads system firmware from media (CompactFlash card or firmware diskette) into your storage system's flash Programmable ROM (PROM). The command must be run from the boot prompt--the ok prompt on F800 series, FAS900 series, and NearStore systems or the CFE prompt on FAS200 or FAS3000 series systems.

Determining whether your storage system needs a system firmware update  Top

To determine whether your storage system needs a system firmware update, compare the version of installed system firmware with the latest version available on the NOW site.

To display the storage system's current system firmware, enter the following command:

sysconfig -a

The command output will include an entry similar to the following:

Firmware release:   4.2_i1

To display the most current system firmware available on the NOW site, follow the steps described in Storage system firmware availability.

Comparing firmware versions on CompactFlash-based systems:

On CompactFlash-based systems, you can also display the system firmware version on the CompactFlash card with the version -b command.

You can run version -b immediately after you run the download command (which copies the new firmware to the CompactFlash card). By comparing the output of the sysconfig -a and version -b commands, you can determine if your system needs a firmware upgrade.

Examples

If the version of the newly loaded firmware displayed by the version command is

Upgrading storage system firmware on single systems  Top

Download and upgrade storage system firmware for your storage system according to the instructions on the NOW site.

Upgrading storage system firmware on clustered systems  Top

If you are upgrading clustered storage systems, there are two methods available for upgrading system firmware:

For more information about selecting a clustered upgrade method, see Upgrade host requirements.

The following sections describe nondisruptive firmware upgrades and standard upgrades for CompactFlash-based and diskette-based systems. Be sure to refer to the firmware download and installation instructions on the NOW site for details about firmware upgrades on your platform.

Nondisruptive firmware upgrades:

To upgrade system firmware using the nondisruptive upgrade process, complete the following steps.

Step

Action

1

Download the system firmware from the NOW site to your Windows or UNIX client as directed.

2

On each storage system, referred to as system A and system B in the following steps, enter the following command:

priv set advanced

Result

The storage system prompt now displays an asterisk (*) after the storage system name to indicate that you are in advanced mode.

3

On each storage system, enter the download -d command in priv set advanced mode as directed. If necessary, format the service partition according to the instructions.

4

If...

Then...

CIFS is not in use in system A

Go to Step 5.

CIFS is in use in system A

Enter the following command:

cifs terminate -t nn

where nn is a notification period (in seconds) appropriate for your clients. After that period of time, proceed to Step 5.

5

At the console of system B, enter the following command:

cf takeover

Result

This command causes system A to shut down gracefully and leaves system B in takeover mode.

6

To display the boot prompt (CFE or ok, depending on your storage system) at the system A console, complete one of the following procedures:

  • Press Delete at the system A console when instructed after the boot sequence starts.
  • When the Waiting for giveback message appears on the console of system A, press Ctrl-C at the system A console. When the Continue with boot? message appears, enter no.
7

At the boot prompt, enter bye and continue installing the firmware on system A following the directions on the NOW site.

Result

After completing the firmware installation on system A, you see the message Waiting for giveback.

8

At the console of system B, enter the following command:

cf giveback

Result

This command causes system A to reboot with the new system firmware and resume normal operation as a cluster partner.

9

Repeat Step 5 through Step 8 to update the partner storage system; in other words, bring down and update system B with partner A in takeover mode.

Standard firmware upgrades on CompactFlash-based systems:

To upgrade system firmware using the standard upgrade process, complete the following steps.

Step

Action

1

Download the system firmware from the NOW site to your Windows or UNIX client as directed.

2

On each storage system, enter the following command:

priv set advanced

Result

The storage system prompt now displays an asterisk (*) after the storage system name to indicate that you are in advanced mode.

3

On each storage system, enter the download -d command in priv set advanced mode as directed. If necessary, format the service partition according to the instructions.

4

On either storage system, disable the cluster by entering the following command:

cf disable
5

Continue installing the firmware on each storage system following the directions on the NOW site.

6

If a Troika card...

Then...

Is not used as the cluster interconnect

Reenable the cluster by entering the following command on one of the storage systems:

cf enable

Is used as the cluster interconnect

Wait for the console to display the Troika firmware download complete and Resetting Troika NIC messages. Then reenable the cluster by entering the following command on one of the storage systems:

cf enable

Standard firmware upgrades for diskette-based systems:

To upgrade system firmware on diskette-based systems using the standard upgrade process, complete the following steps.

Step

Action

1

Download the system firmware file from the NOW site and create a diskette as directed.

2

On either storage system, disable the cluster by entering the following command:

cf disable
3

Install the firmware on each node following the directions on the NOW site.

4

If a Troika card...

Then...

Is not used as the cluster interconnect

Reenable the cluster by entering the following command on one of the storage systems:

cf enable

Is used as the cluster interconnect

Wait for the console to display the Troika firmware download complete and Resetting Troika NIC messages. Then reenable the cluster by entering the following command on one of the storage systems:

cf enable

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