Technical data

3–14 Upgrading the Subsystem
Upgrading Firmware on a Device
Use HSUTIL to upgrade a device with firmware located in contiguous blocks at a
specific LBN on a source disk drive configured as a unit on the same controller.
Upgrading firmware on a disk is a two-step process as shown in Figure 3–3. First,
copy the new firmware from your host to a disk drive configured as a unit in your
subsystem, then use HSUTIL to load the firmware onto the devices in the subsystem.
Figure 3–3. Upgrading Device Firmware
Keep the following points in mind while using HSUTIL to upgrade firmware on a
device:
■ HSUTIL has been tested with the qualified devices listed in the product-specific
release notes that accompanied the software release. You may attempt to install
firmware on unsupported devices—HSUTIL won’t prevent this—but if the
upgrade fails, the device may be rendered unusable and therefore require the
manufacturer’s attention.
■ If the power fails or the bus is reset while HSUTIL is installing the new firmware,
the device may become unusable. To minimize this possibility, DIGITAL
recommends that you secure a reliable power source and suspend all I/O to the
bus that services the device you’re upgrading.
CXO5606A
Copy software
image from host
Use HSUTIL to
download software
image to devices