Product manual

CDA 7 5630 Product Manual
5-10 77 A1 69UP Rev00
5.2.6 Microcode Upgrades and Loads
Microcode upgrades, performed by the Product Support Engineers (PSE) at the
Bull Competence Center, allow you to take advantage of enhancements to
performance algorithms, error recovery and reporting techniques, diagnostics, and
microcode fixes.
It is possible to upgrade the microcode from one level to an adjacent level.
Problems can happen when upgrading to a much higher microcode level.
5.2.6.1 Non-disruptive Microcode Upgrades and Loads
Non-disruptive microcode upgrades from one version to the next and interim
microcode updates (loads) are available for CDA 7 systems. Symmetrix takes
advantage of its multiprocessing and redundant architecture to allow for hot
loadability of similar microcode platforms. Release levels can be non-disruptively
loaded without interruption to user access.
During a non-disruptive microcode upgrade, the Product Support Engineer
downloads the new microcode to the service processor. The new microcode loads
into the EEPROM areas within the channel and disk directors and remains idle
until requested for hot load in control storage. The CDA 7 system does not require
manual intervention on the customer’s part to perform this function. All channel
and disk directors remain in an online state to the host processor, thus maintaining
application access. CDA 7 will load executable code at selected "windows of
opportunity" within each director hardware resource until all directors have been
loaded.
Once the executable code is loaded, internal processing is synchronized and the
new code becomes operational. This capability can be utilized to upgrade or to
back down from a release level or interim update.
NOTE:
During a non-disruptive microcode load within a code family, the full
microcode is loaded, which consists of the same base code plus additional
patches.