User manual

Using S.M.A.R.T. Disk Monitor 49

experience, then do not flash new firmware. Have somebody that knows what

they are doing to assist you.

I only have one disk, and I want to flash new firmware on it.

SMARTMon-UX does not care what disk you flash, other than checking to see if it is supported. If you want to flash

your boot disk, and have it spin down for a few minutes and not service I/O commands, the software will not stand in

your way. Your operating system will crash, of course, but it will probably work. Our recommendation is that you do

not attempt this.

Will SANtools help me figure out what firmware I need, or where to get it?

No. We have no idea what firmware image you need. If you have to ask this question, we feel that you should not be

changing firmware in the first place.

How do I know when the flash is complete?

Disks generally spin down, then a spin up to indicate the process has been completed. However, since drive

manufacturers create custom firmware images for certain OEMs, the spin down/pinup cycle will not necessarily be

seen everywhere. The best thing to do is consult the release notes, or just give it plenty of time (like 10 minutes for a

200+ GB model). Just because SMARTMon-UX returned to the O/S prompt, does not mean that the disk has

completed the upgrade.

1.16 Flash SES Firmware

This allows you to flash firmware on SES compliant enclosures. The -flashses and -flashses7 commands use

different low-level SCSI command codes then the -flash command.

Usage

smartmon-ux -flashses [-confirm] FirmwareImageFile Device_list

- or -

smartmon-ux -flashses7 [-confirm] FirmwareImageFile Device_list

The -flashses command performs a non-disruptive firmware update. This can be done while the enclosure is

on-line, and the disk drives are servicing I/Os with live data. Engineers call this a mode E update. The enclosure will

continue to use the old firmware until it is power-cycled. The new firmware will just stay dormant and the enclosure will

continue to run with the older firmware. Unfortunately, not all enclosures (and firmware revisions) support this

method. LSI enclosures, for example, only support the -flashses option once the enclosure is running a certain

firmware revision.

We recommend trying the -flashses option first. The program will tell you if your enclosure rejected the update. If the

update is rejected, then use the -flashses7 command.

The -flashses7 command uses the mode 7 update method. The firmware is sent to the enclosure, then the

enclosure automatically reboots with the new firmware. If you have mounted disks in the enclosure, then I/O's may or

may not be disrupted during the enclosure firmware update. You need to contact your enclosure vendor to determine

if there is a risk of losing I/Os during an enclosure firmware update.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get the firmware file?

Contact your hardware vendor. Firmware is intellectual property of your vendor. We are not allowed, due to

contractual limitations, to send firmware to anybody. You should also contact your vendor and find out if the enclosure

and firmware you are currently running supports the Mode E method of updating firmware. If so, use the -flashses

command instead of the -flashses7 command. If your vendor support rep doesn't know, or won't tell you, then just

try the -flashses command first. It won't hurt anything if the command is rejected.

What are the Risks?

Disk I/Os may be interrupted if you have to use the -flashses7 command.