HP StorageWorks P2000 G3 FC and FC/iSCSI MSA Controller Firmware Release Notes (631269-005, February 2011)

Installation notes and best practices
WARNING!
Do not cycle power or restart devices during a firmware update. If the update is interrupted or there
is a power failure, the module could become inoperative. If this occurs, contact technical support. The
module may need to be returned to the factory for reprogramming.
CAUTION:
Before upgrading firmware, ensure that the system is stable and is not being reconfigured or changed
in any way. If changes are in progress, monitor them and wait until they are completed before
proceeding with the upgrade.
NOTE:
To install this firmware, you must download the firmware package from the HP website and save the
file to your local filesystem.
• As with any firmware upgrade, it is a recommended best practice to ensure that you have a full
backup prior to the upgrade.
• When planning for a firmware upgrade, schedule an appropriate time to perform an online up-
grade.
• For single domain systems, I/O must be halted.
• For dual domain systems, because the online firmware upgrade is performed while host I/Os
are being processed, I/O load can impact the upgrade process. Select a period of low I/O
activity to ensure the upgrade completes as quickly as possible and avoid disruptions to hosts
and applications due to timeouts.
• When planning for a firmware upgrade, allow sufficient time for the update.
• In single-controller systems, it takes approximately 10 minutes for the firmware to load and for
the automatic controller restart to complete.
• In dual-controller systems, the second controller usually takes an additional 20 minutes to update,
but may take as long as one hour.
• Before installing new firmware, set the Partner Firmware Update option. In a dual-controller system,
if the Partner Firmware Update option is enabled (recommended), after the installation process
completes and restarts the first controller, the system automatically installs the firmware and restarts
the second controller. If Partner Firmware Update is disabled, after updating software on one
controller you must manually update the second controller.
• During the installation process, monitor the system to determine update status and know when the
update is complete.
• After the installation process is complete and all controllers have automatically restarted, verify
system status in the SMU or CLI and confirm that the new firmware version is displayed as running
on all controllers.
• Updating array controller firmware may result in new event messages that are not described in
earlier versions of documentation. For comprehensive event message documentation, see the most
current version of the HP StorageWorks 2000 G3 Modular Smart Array Reference Guide.
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