HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array Online Firmware Upgrade Best Practices (5697-6388, January 2007)

Online upgrades in HP Continuous Access EVA environments
The following recommendations apply when per forming an online upgrade in HP Continuous Access
EVA environments:
• The HP Comma
nd View EVA managem ent server is of ten connected on the fabric between the
source and destination storage systems in such a way that one storage system is considered to be
local to the management server. That is, management commands do not pass across the intersite
link (ISL). An online upgrade should be performed from a local management server to avoid
sending the firmware code over the ISL. The transfer of the firmware image across the ISL can
cause dropped jobs an d degraded replication performance.
• It is poss
ible to perform online upgrades while replicating data. Table 2 indicates the configurations
in which r
eplication must be suspended during the upgrade. For exa mple, if a storage system is both
asource
and a destination for synchronous replication, the replication g roups for which the storage
system i
s the destination should be suspended. The groups for which the storage system is the source
do not need to be suspended.
Table 2 Suspending replication during an online upgrade
Environment
Synchronous replication Asynchronous replication
The storage system being
upgraded is an HP Continuous
Access EVA source
Replication d oes not need to be
suspended
Replication does not need to be
suspended
The storage system being
upgraded is an HP Continuous
Access EVA destination
Replication should be suspended
to reduce the probability that
the resynchronization on the
destination impacts workload on
the host.
Replication does not need to be
suspended
Online disk drive firmware upgrades
New disk drive firmware is typically included with a new XCS or VCS release. To ensure optimal storage
system performance, HP recommends that you upgrade the disk drive firmware when upgrading the
controller firmware. If necessary, you can delay up grading the disk drive firmware, but the controller
firmware should be upgraded online immediately as soon as possible. Controller firmware up grades
provide the primary benefits and enhancements of a new firmware release. The disk drive firmware
updates can be done at a later date.
With the release of HP Command View EVA 6.0.2, online firmware upgrade of multiple disk drives is
supported. This enables you to perform an online upgrade of all storage system components in one
operation. In general, performing the upgrade during a period of low I/O activity will help ensure the
success of the upgrade. It is recommended to adhere to the same parameters as outlined for the XCS
firmware process while performing the online disk firmware up grade.
NOTE:
If you choose to delay upgrading the disk drive firmware, there will be controller events indicating that
out of date disk drive firmware is being used. These events will be disappear when the disk drive
firmware is updated.
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Understanding the online firmware upgrade process