How to upgrade the fabric OS of a Brocade SAN switch

This document explains how to update the fabric OS of a Brocade SAN switch The model of the SAN switch upgraded in this example is a SAN16B-2 (2005-16B)

Download the Fabric OS

To get the fabric OS upgrades go to the IBM website at this link - Support for IBM System Storage and TotalStorage products For Product family: select "Storage area network (SAN)" and for Product: select "SAN16B-2 (2005-B16)" Then click on the download link. This will provide a list of recommended fixes. The fabric OS currently installed on the switch is version v5.1.0c and the latest version at the time of writing is version 6.1.0c I found it was not possible to upgrade directly to v6.1.0c. The upgrade path I took was to upgrade to v5.3.1a, then to v6.0.0c and finally v6.1.0c Therefore I initially clicked on the 5.x firmware link. This will take you to the Brocade web site and to the Fabric OS v5.x download page. Select the version required. Also select whether you will be unpacking the download on a UNIX or Windows computer. You may also have to complete an EC Export Compliance form before download. Do the same for v6.0.0c and v6.1.0c so that you have (in this case) all three versions downloaded.

Preparing for the installation

The installaton of the fabric OS is done via ftp so the downloads should be unzipped to a computer with an ftp server configured I used a free ftp server on my laptop for the installation. You can get a copy from here - FileZilla The free ftp solution Unzip all fabric OS versions, a subdirectory with the version of the fabric OS will be created. Configure the ftp server such that the parent to the three fabric OS subdirectories is the ftp root directory. Also configure the ftp server to have a username and password Before proceeding check that you can ftp to your ftp server from another server on the network and list the contents of the fabric OS directories To complete the upgrade you need comms between the switch and the ftp server; in this case my laptop. This was achieved by using a crossed RJ45 UTP cat 5e cable. But can be achieved through an existing network if required.

If the switch is unconfigured (as in this case) then the default ip-address for the switch is 10.77.77.77. I therefore configured my laptop with an address of 10.77.77.78 If you have a firewall running on your computer then turn it off as it can prevent the upgrade from working Check that you can ssh to the switch the username is "admin" and the default password is "password"

Upgrading the switch via a GUI

I will describe the method of upgrading from v5.3.1a to v6.0.0c but the upgrades to the other versions are similar To start the GUI from your browser type in the ip-address of the switch, in this case 10.77.77.77 This will start a java application called web tools Login and from the main webtools page click on switch admin This will open another window. In this window select firmware upgrade Complete the requested fields as shown in the following screen shot, which was taken after the upgrade was completed Ensure that the entry in Specify Firmware Path is added correctly. If the ftp server has been setup so that the fabric OS directories are in the ftp root directory then the following is how this field should be defined - "v6.0.0c/release.plist"

Click on the Download button and hopefully your switch should get upgraded

Upgrading the switch via the command line

To upgrade from the command line ssh to the switch and login as admin From the IBM_2005_16B:admin> prompt, type something similar to the following, change the options to suit your environment firmwaredownload 10.77.77.78,upgradeuser,v6.0.0c/release.plist,password Where the ip-address 10.77.77.78 is the ip-address of the ftp server, upgradeuser is the ftp server user, v6.0.0c/release.plist is the path to the upgrade software and password is the ftp user password

Brocade 3250/3850/3900/12000/24000 - How to Upgrade Firmware on Switch [ID 1014778.1] Modified 21-JUL-2010 Type HOWTO Migrated ID 222041 Status PUBLISHED

Description Brocade How to upgrade firmware on a Brocade switch Best practices for upgrading firmware more then one minor level down can be found at < Solution: 226937 > Example of this process: Switch_Name:admin> firmwaredownload You can run firmwareDownloadStatus to get the status of this command. This command will cause the switch to reset and will require that existing telnet, secure telnet or SSH sessions be restarted. Do you want to continue [Y]: y Server Name or IP Address: 129.80.0.1 User Name: anonymous File Name: /v4.2.2/release.plist Password: Firmwaredownload has started. Start to install packages......

This process should only be followed for switches which are already running FOS version 4.0.0d and higher. Anyone attempting to upgrade a switch running code 4.0.0 - 4.0.0c should contact Backline support before performing the upgrade. On a 12000, 24000 or 48000, the firmware download starts on the backup CP. Once the code is loaded on the backup CP it will reboot the CP. The switch will then check the integrity of the new code. If the new code was loaded properly, the switch will fail over to the CP with the new code and start loading the code on the other CP. This process is complete once the code has been loaded on both CP's and then re-synced. This process has been designed to not interrupt service on a 12000, 24000 or 48000, but it is always a best practice to do the code update during a scheduled maintenance window just in case something goes wrong. Brocade Silkworm 3900 FCSW FOS 4.x Brocade Silkworm 12000 Brocade Silkworm 24000 Brocade Silkworm 3250 Brocade Silkworm 3850 The Procedure detailed in this Knowledge Base entry can also be adapted to work on older Brocade switches such as the SN4108/SN4116 and the Silkworm 3200/3800. Those switches can be upgraded using the RSHD program and procedure documented in the Knowledge Base entry Document: 1013222.1 Brocade Silkworm 4100 Brocade Silkworm 200e Brocade Silkworm 48000 Steps to Follow

*** Before the download process can start, an FTP SERVER program must be configured and running on the computer hosting the firmware file. *** 1. Telnet into the switch 2. Type the command firmwaredownload 3. Confirm that you want to download firmware by typing y. 4. Type in the Server Name or IP address of the FTP server hosting the Firmware 5. Type in the User Name set up in the FTP server. 6. Type in the virtual FTP path to where the firmware file is located on the FTP server (This path is the virtual path used by the FTP server and should not contain drive letters, eg /v4.2.2/release.plist not c:/v4.2.2/release.plist) (Don't worry that there is no release.plist file in the base code directory. The firmware download command is designed to choose the correct subdirectory automatically.) 7. Type in the password for the FTP user. 8. The Firmware download should begin. (If you get the error message "Cannot download Pfile", or "(Can't access package list (.plist) file)" refer to Document: 1018223.1 for FTP connectivity troubleshooting assistance.)

Product Brocade 3250/3850/3900/12000/24000

Related Products Sun Microsystems > Switches (+ Routers, Hubs, Extenders) > Brocade > Brocade 3250 Fabric Switch Sun Microsystems > Switches (+ Routers, Hubs, Extenders) > Brocade > Brocade 3850 Fabric Switch Sun Microsystems > Switches (+ Routers, Hubs, Extenders) > Brocade > Brocade 12000 Fabric Switch Sun Microsystems > Switches (+ Routers, Hubs, Extenders) > Brocade > Brocade 24000 Director

Brocade Upgrade may Result in Switch Reboot Failure [ID 1022254.1] Modified 21-MAY-2010 Bug Id SUNBUG: 6931344 Date of Resolved Release 12-Mar-2010 Brocade Upgrade may Result in Switch Reboot Failure Type ALERT Migrated ID 278490 Status PUBLISHED

1. Impact

When a DCX, DCX-4S or Brocade 5300 is upgraded the Control Processor (CP) blade may fail to gain HA-Sync. When this occurs the processor fails to reboot and the switch fails to come online.

2. Contributing Factors
This issue can occur on the following platforms: Brocade Fibre Channel Switch without FOS 6.2.2b firmware as delivered in Sunsolve Patch 140810-08 Brocade Fibre Channel Switch without FOS 6.3.1a firmware as delivered in Sunsolve Patch 142801-03

Notes: This issue only affects the DCX, DCX4-S and 5300 and only occurs when upgrading from: - FOS v6.1x - FOS 6.2.0x - FOS 6.3.0x To determine the firmware level of the switch type, use the "version" command at the command line.

3. Symptoms
The upgrade operation fails and the Compact Flash (CF) may report an access error. The CP blade within a DCX or DCX-4S will fail to reboot completely. For the Brocade 5300, the switch fails to reboot. This failure is accompanied by the message, HDA: Device not ready from the serial console output.

4. Workaround
There is no recovery when this occurs and you will need to contact your normal support channels.

5. Resolution
This issue is addressed with the following releases:

Brocade Fibre Channel Switch with FOS 6.2.2b firmware as delivered in Sunsolve Patch 140810-08 or later Brocade Fibre Channel Switch with FOS 6.3.1a firmware as delivered in Sunsolve Patch 142801-03 or later

Note: Using the above as the upgrade path will avoid the issue.

References
SUNPATCH: 142801-03 SUNPATCH: 140810-08 Brocade DCX SG-XSWBRODCX-ZP Brocade DCX-4S SG-XSWBRODCX4-ZP Brocade 5300 SG-XSWBRO5300-4EB SG-XSWBRO5300-4NS SG-XSWBRO5300-8EB SG-XSWBRO5300-8NS If the Compact Flash was corrupted due to a timing violation during an access sequence, the unit will fail to recover after attempting a cold reboot. In this case, replace the Brocade 5300 or affected CP within the DCX or DCX-4S.

Related Products Sun Microsystems > Switches (+ Routers, Hubs, Extenders) > Brocade > Brocade 5300 Switch

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Upgrade

Here on HPs Support Forum are some more notes about v6.x. Basic steps: Note: version 6 does not require to specify the exact folder location SWBDxx: it just needs the root containing the install file 1) Unzip the downloaded firmware in the FTP download dir 2) Start the FTP Server 3) Connect to the switch via telnet 4) launch firmwaredownload 5) Answer all questions: when it asks for File Name be sure to write /v6.4.1b, that is the folder under which you find all the SWBDxx folders. Failing to do so made impossible to download the firmware 6) Wait for reboot of the switch and reconnect, check the firmware version with the version command

More notes about the upgrade

CLI Command to start the update process is firmwaredownload this starts the interactive version, it is possible to specify user, directory, host directly via the CLI. See the Command Reference Guide for details. There are reference guides for each major Fabric OS release.

Specifying Directory
Please use forward slashes when specifying directories. For example when you unzip the firmware file and it creates a sub-folder in the FTP-root that is called v5.3.1a then you need to specify /v5.3.1a as the directory. For firmwares prior to 5.3.x you have to specify the release.plist - /v5.2.2a/release.plist. However it says in the release notes for 5.2.3 that release.plist is no longer needed. In some cases you may have to specify the sub directory. For example the 4/16 HP Switch is a Brocade 200E with switchtype 34. So you would then use directory SWBD34 /v5.3.1a/SWDB34. You can also try with /v5.3.1a/release.plist, /v5.3.1a/SWDB34/release.plist or /v5.3.1a/install. However with 5.3.1a you should not have to so /v5.3.1a should be enough.

firmwaredownload example:
switch:admin> firmwaredownload Server Name or IP Address: IP.TO.SCP.SERVER User Name: username File Name: /path/to/v6.2.2e Network Protocol(1-auto-select, 2-FTP, 3-SCP) [1]: 3 Password: Server IP: IP.TO.SCP.SERVER, Protocol IPv4 Checking system settings for firmwaredownload... System settings check passed.

You can run firmwaredownloadstatus to get the status of this command. This command will cause a warm/non-disruptive boot on the switch, but will require that existing telnet, secure telnet or SSH sessions be restarted. Do you want to continue [Y]: y Firmware is being downloaded to the switch. This step may take up to 30 minutes. Preparing for firmwaredownload... Start to install packages... dir ################################################## lots of these for all packets ################################################## also stuff like these are seen many times: warning: /etc/fabos/pki/switch.0.rootcrt created as /etc/fabos/pki/switch.0.rootcrt.rpmnew kernel-module-ipsec ################################################## Removing unneeded files, please wait ... Finished removing unneeded files. All packages have been downloaded successfully. Firmware has been downloaded to the secondary partition of the switch. HA Rebooting ...

Transfer Protocol and Connectivity

If you are using SCP and that does not work, please try with FTP. If neither works, see if something else can log on to the FTP/SCP server. And of course, make sure the right permissions/root directory are set on the FTP-server. If you are logged on as root on the SAN-switch you can use the scp- or ssh-client on the switch to confirm connectivity, like this: ssh username@server ls /tmp/v6.0.1a to list the /tmp/v6.0.1a on the SCP server. If that also does not work, you have some kind of networking problem you can try direct connecting a laptop to the LAN interface of the switch. Or see the network settings on the switch:

Example of 4/256 SAN Director Firmware upgrade:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp? lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c01639537 Also has example of how the firmwaredownload looks/works.

Passwords
Sometimes when upgrading from 6.1.1d to 6.2.2 we have seen that the passwords have gotten reset.

Default password is then password or fibranne. You can reset the password with the CLI command passwd admin to reset password on the admin account. If you forget all passwords it might be possible to be able to reset it via the serial cable interface while booting the switch.

CF Cards
If your switch is out of warranty/contract and its still working. Id suggest making a copy(dd in linux for example) of the CF-card. Then if the CF card decides to fail you can just get a new one from random_electronic store and dd the contents of the flash back.

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Brocade SAN Switch Firmware Upgrades

Posted on February 1, 2011 by guldmyr

Overview
Contents [hide]

1 Overview 1.1 Updates in this article: 1.2 Steps 2 Decide 2.1 Firmware Upgrade Order 3 Release notes: 3.1 Notes from the release notes:

4 Prepare

3.1.1 DCFM: Data Centre Fabric Manager. 3.1.2 Updates to documents

4.1 Download old Brocade Fabric OS Firmware. 4.2 Equivalent Product Names 4.3 Recommendations 4.4 Upgrading Tools 4.5 How to access the SAN-switch 5 Upgrade 5.1 More notes about the upgrade

5.1.1 Specifying Directory 5.1.2 firmwaredownload example: 5.1.3 Transfer Protocol and Connectivity 5.1.4 Example of 4/256 SAN Director Firmware upgrade: 5.1.5 Passwords 5.1.6 CF Cards

This is my guide/template to upgrading Fabric OS (FOS) Firmware on the Brocade SAN Switches. If you have any additions, comments or questions please go ahead and comment or if you have any questions you can find my e-mail on http://guldmyr.com.

This article was built from my experience with HP branded Brocade SAN Switches not with any other OEM or pure Brocade switches. I have however since beginning this document gotten experience with other vendors. I do not think others are different except for licenses and some default fabric.ops. I made a comparison of two downloads of the 6.3.1b Fabric OS Firmware (one via IBM and one from HP). You can find a link the IBM firmwares and release notes after 6.x in that article too. I found that they are very similar and the HP firmware should work on the IBM switch and vice versa. When you see 5.2.x this mean any version in the Fabric OS 5.2.x series. For upgrades this would generally mean the latest available in that series (like 5.2.3 for 5.2.x or 6.0.0c for 6.0.x) unless of course there is a problem with the latest. See http://hp.com/go/myadvisory for signing up to advisories/notices on HP products. You can also go to the HP Knowledge Base and search for advisories. Other vendors should also have this but I have no list of this. Carefully plan the upgrade, it takes time but it is rewarding and worth it.

Updates in this article:

2011-02-22: Updated links because the release notes I had before to 6.1.x and above did not work anymore. Also changed the sub-versions in 6.1.x and above to the latest released one by HP. 2011-02-24: Found link to 5.2.x and 6.0.x FOS on HP.com with the help of an ITRC thread. 2011-04-21: Added links for correlating Brocade Product name, model number and HP name. Latest in 6.4.x series is now 6.4.1b 2011-05-05: Added link to Web Tools for 6.2.x with reference to how to upgrade Firmware via the web tools. 2011-05-15: A note added about compatibility regarding the HP firmware files and other vendors as far as I can tell the ones downloaded from HP will work on other non-HP switches. Also posted a new blog post about that. Added link to IBM.com for correlating product names and for getting (all Fabric OS) firmwares. EMC also has Brocade products. 2011-05-18: Added a link to a post on HPs support forum where the post helped a bit. Also made post a little easier, wrote a little about the release.plist confusion. 2011-05-24: Added example to show that driver updates are important. Some more restructuring of the article. 2011-07-12: Added FOS 7.0.0a 2011-07-14: Added link to HP knowledge base and updated a link to an ITRC forum thread to point to the new forum. 2011-09-29: Added FOS 7.0.0b and section about CF cards. 2011-10-19: Wrote a bit about firmware upgrade order. 2011-10-24: The HP links to 6.0.0c and 5.3.x seems to not work anymore. I could not find either of these for download on HPs website. The IBM one still has 6.0.0c (release notes anyway). 2011-12-05: Went through all links to make sure they worked. Re-wrote some of the steps and reordered so that decide is before prepare. Added output from switch when doing the firmware upgrade via CLI. 2011-12-10: Added table of contents via a plugin. 2012-01-02: Added FOS 7.0.0c

Steps
1. 2. 3.
decide prepare upgrade

Decide
One major release at a time is required for the upgrades after 5.2.x, see details below at the release notes section. If you have several paths to go, you should upgrade to the latest in the series (or if its very new, probably safest to go with the second newest, just check the release notes of the newest to make sure nothing related is fixed). What I usually recommend is this path: 5.0.1d -> 5.2.3 -> 5.3.2c -> 6.0.1a -> 6.1.2b -> 6.2.2e -> 6.3.2d -> 6.4.2b > 7.0.0c There are newer releases being released every now and then, in several series at the same time. You can think of it as releasing updates for Windows XP and 7 at the same time. For example in February 2011 6.4.1a and 6.2.2e was released. You can see this on HPs site if you look at the date next to the download. Which is the recommended one? Usually its the latest one in the highest series that the switch supports. See the HP B-series Connectivity stream for details. Contact the storage vendor for confirmation. Do you want to use the latest one in each series? Probably. Do check for published advisories and the release notes in the firmwares. If you go to the link directly below (its to downloads for HPs 4/16) there is a link that also takes you to the older FOS firmwares. If you dont click through it also only have the firmwares that this switch supports. So the latest on there at the moment is 6.2.2e. http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp? lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=1143933&prodTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=1143930&swLang=8&t askId=135&swEnvOID=54 On the link above you can also download HPs branded DCFM (Data Center Fabric Manager), see notes about that below. If you click on manuals on the left side you will also be able to download release notes and other guides and references.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp? lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=3185363&prodTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=3185358&swLang=8&t askId=135&swEnvOID=54 6.3.x and 6.4.x. can be found in the link above. Even 7.0.0a can be found, even though the link goes to the 4/64 Switch, which is not compatible with 7.0.0a.

Firmware Upgrade Order

You also probably want to decide on an order to upgrade the firmware on the switches. Its possible to do it via DCFM (now called Network Advisor) one switch at a time or even in parallel. Id advice against doing it in parallel. One at a time and one step at a time seems the most cautious one. Its not too bad to run a SAN with switches in different firmwares. One idea is to have all switches of one model on the same firmware. Also switches that are of higher importance like Core Switches or Seed Switches for DCFM/NA. Should you start with these or perhaps start with another switch of less importance to make sure the upgrade goes smoothly.

Release notes:
5.2.3: link 5.3.1a: link 6.0.0b: link (6.0.0c Brocade release note) 6.1.2b: link 6.2.2e: link 6.3.2d: link 6.4.2b: link 7.0.0c:link

Notes from the release notes:

Upgrading from Fabric OS 5.0.x to 5.2.3 is supported Upgrading from Fabric OS 5.1.x to 5.3.1a is supported, but upgrading from Fabric OS 5.0.x or a previous release directly to 5.3.1a is not. Upgrading to Fabric OS 6.0.0b is only allowed from Fabric OS 5.3.x. (6.0.0c is a special upgrade version, only meant to be used in between firmware upgrades) Upgrading to Fabric OS 6.1.2b is allowed only from Fabric OS 6.0.0b Upgrading to Fabric OS 6.2.2e is allowed only from Fabric OS 6.1.0a or later. Upgrading to Fabric OS 6.3.2d is allowed only from Fabric OS 6.2.0a or later. Upgrading to Fabric OS 6.4.2b is allowed only from Fabric OS 6.3.x. Upgrading to Fabric OS 7.0.0b can be done non-disruptively from Fabric OS 6.4.1a or later. This means it can be done from earlier than 6.4.1a but ports will go offline during the upgrade. See the release notes for more details, page 38 in the HP versions.

DCFM: Data Centre Fabric Manager.

From 6.2.2a release notes: With the introduction of Fabric OS 6.1.1, certain features and functions were removed from Web Tools (resident in the firmware) and migrated to the DCFM management application. HP recommends that, before you upgrade to Fabric OS 6.1.1x or later, if DCFM is not running on your fabric, you review the Web Tools functionality moved to DCFM, page 29 in these release notes and take note of what has changed so you can assess the impact on your fabric.

Updates to documents
Sometimes Brocade releases updates to the manuals without actually updating the manuals. On HPs page you can find them as Documentation Updates, Fabric OS Administrators Guide Update, or something like that.

Prepare
Download old Brocade Fabric OS Firmware.
Basically, you need to update in steps. To get FOS 5.2.1b and 6.0.0c firmware: Contact OEM Vendor or Brocade. Ive found that two vendors have the firmware available online for free: HP and IBM, see below: For HP products: here, it has from 5.2.3 to 6.1.2b. Link to IBMs page for downloading firmwares. This has firmwares going back all the way to FOS 2.6, it even has Fabric OS 6.0.0c and 5.2.3. On the page they have listed release notes and a little further down there is a link called Release 6 Firmware.

Equivalent Product Names

Page with the equivalent Brocade and HP product names. Page with the model number as seen in switchshow and the Brocade name. Page for correlating IBM and Brocade product names. Page correlating EMC and Brocade Product names

Recommendations
HP recommend that you upgrade one fabric and one switch at a time. Waiting a week or at least a couple of days after you upgrade the first fabric is a good idea gives you time to see if anything went wrong, if you can fix it and if you can do anything different next time.

See HP SPOCK for more details in regards to compatibility and interop modes. The HP B-series Connectivity Stream lists the recommended firmware and all the supported ones for each switch model. It also has a list of the supported SFPs. Find it by clicking on Switches in the left-hand navigation pane under the Other Hardware section. The Connectivity Stream is great and it is updated often so I will not link directly to it. You need an HP Passport to log on to HP SPOCK it is free to create and you do not need a contract or product in warranty. Other vendors have similar matrices. HP for example does not have a list stating which Fabric OS firmware is supported with which HP P6000 firmware. The idea is that you go with the general recommendation of Fabric OS firmware. Do read the release notes for the firmware(s) you decide on: for example not all 4GB SAN-switches can run the 6.4.x FOS. The 8- and 16-port 4Gbps switches (Brocade 200E) do not run 6.4.x or 6.3.x. Only 8Gb and 16Gb switches can run the 7.x.x FOS. The release notes also have the fixes, enhancements, upgrade paths, supported switches. Generally the Brocade version of the release notes are more verbose when it comes to fixes, but if you have an HP branded it might be easier to use the HP one as that has the HP names of the products. Also it might be hard to find the Brocade release notes if you do not have a contract with Brocade. Other vendors (like IBM/Fujitsu/HDS) provide you with the Brocade version of the release notes. Do consider updating OS patches, HBA drivers/firmware, management softwares and storage drivers/firmware. For example Qlogic have driver updates to their drivers that prevent HP blades from getting stuck in G_port after a reboot.

Upgrading Tools
SANLoader is an unofficial HP tool to upgrade firmwares. With this you do not have to create an ftpserver etc. Contact HP Support, they may give this to you. This is meant to be used when the other ways does not work, but it helps out a lot as you do not have to set up an FTP/SCP server. Sanloader used to (winter 2010) not work well on Windows 7 and may not work flawlessly on the pre 6.x firmwares. Other ways:

Set up a ftp/scp server and upgrade via the CLI (command line interface). Use DCFM ( Data Center Fabric Manager now called Network Advisory ) to upgrade
firmware.

Firmware can also be upgraded through the web interface (click on switch admin and then on
firmware download). You will still need an FTP/SCP server for this though. See the web tools admin guide page 73-74 (FOS 6.2.x but it hasnt moved). FileZilla is a free FTP-server that works well. There are many alternatives around. For FTP clients:

 /usr/bin/ftp in Ubuntu Server WinSCP for a free opensource Windows alternative that does both ftp and SCP (and more).
For SCP any machine with Linux and sshd on should work. You can also get an scp-server running on Windows, OpenSSH would work. Both protocols are old, SCP is safer while FTP is sending data in clear text. Personally I like doing this via the CLI. The DCFM way gives you the possibility to upgrade in parallel, but thats also risky. If you use a Linux server to provide the firmwares via SCP dont forget to let the switches in via firewall or tcp.wrapper ( /etc/hosts.allow ).

How to access the SAN-switch

The most common way is to access the CLI of a Brocade switch by connect to the IP of it with an ssh- or telnet-client, PuTTy is the name of a free Windows client. Telnet is unsafe so do try to use the ssh at all costs. Its also possible to access the switch CLI via a serial cable, however as the firmware files are several 100MB (approaching 1GB for 6.4.x) thats not really viable when upgrading firmware. Hyperterminal is a free windows tool that comes by default in some Windows versions. You can also use PuTTy for serial access. To access the web interface just point the web browser to http://ip.of.the.switch. It requires Java.

Upgrade
Here on HPs Support Forum are some more notes about v6.x. Basic steps: Note: version 6 does not require to specify the exact folder location SWBDxx: it just needs the root containing the install file 1) Unzip the downloaded firmware in the FTP download dir 2) Start the FTP Server 3) Connect to the switch via telnet 4) launch firmwaredownload 5) Answer all questions: when it asks for File Name be sure to write /v6.4.1b, that is the folder under which you find all the SWBDxx folders. Failing to do so made impossible to download the firmware 6) Wait for reboot of the switch and reconnect, check the firmware version with the version command

More notes about the upgrade

CLI Command to start the update process is firmwaredownload this starts the interactive version, it is possible to specify user, directory, host directly via the CLI. See the Command Reference Guide for details. There are reference guides for each major Fabric OS release.

Specifying Directory
Please use forward slashes when specifying directories. For example when you unzip the firmware file and it creates a sub-folder in the FTP-root that is called v5.3.1a then you need to specify /v5.3.1a as the directory. For firmwares prior to 5.3.x you have to specify the release.plist - /v5.2.2a/release.plist. However it says in the release notes for 5.2.3 that release.plist is no longer needed. In some cases you may have to specify the sub directory. For example the 4/16 HP Switch is a Brocade 200E with switchtype 34. So you would then use directory SWBD34 /v5.3.1a/SWDB34. You can also try with /v5.3.1a/release.plist, /v5.3.1a/SWDB34/release.plist or /v5.3.1a/install. However with 5.3.1a you should not have to so /v5.3.1a should be enough.

firmwaredownload example:
switch:admin> firmwaredownload Server Name or IP Address: IP.TO.SCP.SERVER User Name: username File Name: /path/to/v6.2.2e Network Protocol(1-auto-select, 2-FTP, 3-SCP) [1]: 3 Password: Server IP: IP.TO.SCP.SERVER, Protocol IPv4 Checking system settings for firmwaredownload... System settings check passed. You can run firmwaredownloadstatus to get the status of this command. This command will cause a warm/non-disruptive boot on the switch, but will require that existing telnet, secure telnet or SSH sessions be restarted. Do you want to continue [Y]: y Firmware is being downloaded to the switch. This step may take up to 30 minutes. Preparing for firmwaredownload... Start to install packages... dir ################################################## lots of these for all packets ################################################## also stuff like these are seen many times: warning: /etc/fabos/pki/switch.0.rootcrt created as /etc/fabos/pki/switch.0.rootcrt.rpmnew kernel-module-ipsec ################################################## Removing unneeded files, please wait ... Finished removing unneeded files. All packages have been downloaded successfully. Firmware has been downloaded to the secondary partition of the switch. HA Rebooting ...

Transfer Protocol and Connectivity

If you are using SCP and that does not work, please try with FTP. If neither works, see if something else can log on to the FTP/SCP server. And of course, make sure the right permissions/root directory are set on the FTP-server. If you are logged on as root on the SAN-switch you can use the scp- or ssh-client on the switch to confirm connectivity, like this: ssh username@server ls /tmp/v6.0.1a to list the /tmp/v6.0.1a on the SCP server. If that also does not work, you have some kind of networking problem you can try direct connecting a laptop to the LAN interface of the switch. Or see the network settings on the switch:

Example of 4/256 SAN Director Firmware upgrade:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp? lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c01639537 Also has example of how the firmwaredownload looks/works.

Passwords
Sometimes when upgrading from 6.1.1d to 6.2.2 we have seen that the passwords have gotten reset. Default password is then password or fibranne. You can reset the password with the CLI command passwd admin to reset password on the admin account. If you forget all passwords it might be possible to be able to reset it via the serial cable interface while booting the switch.

CF Cards
If your switch is out of warranty/contract and its still working. Id suggest making a copy(dd in linux for example) of the CF-card. Then if the CF card decides to fail you can just get a new one from random_electronic store and dd the contents of the flash back.

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This entry was posted in IT, Storage and tagged brocade, brocade san, fabric, fabric OS, firmware, guide, HP, hp support, ibm, SAN, san switches, Storage, switch, tutorial, update, upgrade. Bookmark the permalink. Book Review The Hunters Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore Part 2 Sharepoint 2010 Foundation Part 2

21 Responses to Brocade SAN Switch Firmware Upgrades

1.

Holly Helmick says:

April 12, 2011 at 3:22 pm This document/posting was excellent! I am preparing to perform a switch upgrade this weekend and getting this information from our local HP representative was like pulling teeth! Thank you very much for this helpful post!
Reply

guldmyr says:

April 12, 2011 at 4:17 pm Excellent Glad to hear that you like it! Was there anything you found unclear or missing? I havent given the structure of the post much thought :p I try to keep it updated but as I dont do the upgrades that often anymore its easy to miss new stuff
Reply

2.

Cobus Smit says:

May 14, 2011 at 9:38 am Thanks for this, do you know if the same brocade firmware work across vendors?
Reply

guldmyr says:

May 15, 2011 at 4:09 pm Hey!

The IBM version of 6.3.1b is 866 MB (909 037 568 bytes) while the HP one is 866 MB (908 955 648 bytes). The IBM version you actually download through a brocade page. In the HP one there are two extra files regarding GPL license and the EULA: ancillary.txt EULA.pdf Everything else is the same. This leads me to believe that you can use the firmware files from HP for other switches too.
Reply

Tom says:

June 8, 2011 at 10:43 am To my knowledge there is some slight modifcations to the HP firmware image, so file size might be similar. But default settings like In Order delivery and the DLS option for example could be different between the HP image and another Vendors image. So loading the HP image could change these settings. So its worth downloading the firmware image from the OEM vendor. p.s found your site while searching for something on Virtual Rooms
Reply

June 12, 2011 at 11:45 pm Welcome Thomas

guldmyr says:

If you have the possibility Id for sure always go with the OEM one. But I guess one instance when youd consider one thats not your native one, is when youre out of contract/warranty. Silly vrooms on rhel is not my best friend.
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3. 4.

Pingback: HPs Brocade firmwares compatible with other switches? | Home Rizal says:

October 20, 2011 at 1:26 pm Hican i do firmware upgrade to v6.4.2a on existing brocade switch? Do i require to save current config before the upgrade? Thx..
Reply

guldmyr says:

October 20, 2011 at 3:34 pm Hi! It depends on which switch you have. Which kind do you have? You can see in the release notes if you can upgrade your switch. For example 8 and 16 port 4Gbps SAN switches you cannot upgrade to 6.4.2a. Neither HPs 4gig blade c-class SAN switches. Why not get to 6.4.2b while youre at it? There were some fix there for ISLs I think.. You do not have to save the config. But it is a good idea to save it and also save a supportsave before, just in case.
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5.

Jason says:

November 22, 2011 at 8:45 pm Thanks for this site, it really helps. In our environment, we have Brocade 4100 (SAN Switch 4/32) with fw 5.3.0. I read the release notes for 5.3.1a but am unable to find a download for it. Is it safe to upgrade from 5.3.0 directly to 6.0.0c or should we upgrade from 5.3.0 to 5.3.1a first? Thank you for any feedback you could give. Jason
Reply

guldmyr says:

November 23, 2011 at 4:44 am Hey Jason, glad you like it!

Should be safe to go from 5.3.0 to 6.0.0c, if you want to be on the double-safe side you could read through the release notes of later releases in the 5.3.x series.. I should go over the links and path again. There is actually a newer/better firmware to use than 5.3.1a. Its 5.3.2c and you can find that in the HP and IBM. On the IBM link it says Release 6 Firmware but there is also 5.3.1a. But 5.3.2c will work too.
Reply

Jason says:

November 28, 2011 at 4:06 pm The HP link helps but I see in the release notes that the 5.3.2 firmware (b & c included) does not support the 4/32 switch. Still looking for the 5.3.1a download. With all these upgrade paths were leaning toward having HP come in and do itlol. Our issue is that we need to upgrade all this in order to install 600 GB drives into our HP StorageWorks SAN. Thanks again.
Reply

guldmyr says:

December 1, 2011 at 6:55 pm I am really surprised you need this to get 600GB disks in your HP array. Is that an EVA3000/5000? I presume that your SAN has been stable for a long time, but I guess its from a support perspective. I just did an upgrade in a SAN with 13 switches in each fabric. We just put the firmware on a linux server and started the upgrades from CLI. Its not so difficult, it just appears that way and it does take a bit of planning.
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December 2, 2011 at 3:48 pm

Jason says:

I guess in my comments I was referencing the SAN Switch firmware but were trying to get all of our firmware updated. HP installed our SAN system 3-4 years ago and we havent updated anything (mostly in fear of breaking something). Currently we have this setup in our environment: EVA6000 (2 x HSV200) XCS version 6.1 (6100) HP Command View 8.0 SAN Switch 4/32 version 5.3 24 x 300 GB disks with firmware HP04 The note that came with the 600 GB drives said that XCS 6.11 or later is required. I read somewhere about problems with 6.11 so we plan to try and update the firmware to 6.24 since its the newest. As for the SAN Switch, I couldnt find what version is compatible with XCS versions so we figured we need to update that firmware too. Since there is no much that needs updated we might get HPs help in doing this. I know the basics but we have so many users at our location that we dont want to cause problems.
Reply

December 2, 2011 at 4:21 pm

guldmyr says:

Totally understandable. Theres a lot to upgrade. CV needs to be upgraded before you can get to XCS 6.240 for example. HBA firmwares and drivers perhaps as well while youre at it =) Definitely a good idea to get HP to do it as there is a lot to consider. Maybe first an inventory and then upgrade one fabric at a time? Yeah HP dont have a compatibility between the brocade firmwares and the EVAs. They just go with the latest :p
Reply

December 2, 2011 at 5:39 pm

Jason says:

We did get all the HBA drivers updated at least

Reply

Jason says:

December 2, 2011 at 6:45 pm One last question for ya as I cant find this anywhere online: Does the SAN Switch 4/32 have to be at a certain firmware level in order to be compatible with HP Command View/EVA XCS software? Currently we have Command View 8.0.2 installed, which is compatible with XCS 6.22. If we currently just update from 6.1 to 6.22 now, does the SAN Switch firmware (5.3) need to be upgraded? It might save us. Thanks again!
Reply

December 2, 2011 at 8:17 pm You can ask as many as you want

guldmyr says:

There is no does this FOS work with this XCS compatibility matrix. At least last time I checked. All there is is a which XCS is supported and which FOS is supported. Which generally is the latest one and a couple of previous ones. There are good fixes in 6.240 that you do want. Also in later versions of CV. 6.220 is pretty old. Its not always a matter of compatibility. I think primarily its a matter of support. They have to eventually stop testing new releases with really old versions. If you stay on these old versions maybe HP wont give you support?
Reply

guldmyr says:

December 2, 2011 at 8:17 pm Also, this comment thread is looking really funny after lots of replies

6.

Jason says:

November 28, 2011 at 4:49 pm Nevermind my last comment about getting the 5.3.1a download. Well have to go to 6.0.1a
Reply

guldmyr says:

December 1, 2011 at 6:14 pm Hey Jason. HP StorageWorks 4/32 SAN Switch (Brocade 4100) is supported on 6.4.x. You dont _have_ to go to 6.0.1a. Any in 6.0.x series is OK. But you need to take the steps. You can see in release notes for 6.4.x that recommended version for 4/32 is in 6.4.x series. Like here: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp? lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=3742051&swItem=co-902761&prodNameId=3742052&swEnvOID=54&swLang=8&taskId=135&mode=4&idx=0
Reply

POINTS TO BE NOTED WHILE UPGRADING :

1.Specifying Directory

2. make sure the right permissions/root directory are set on the FTP-server.
RECOMMENDATIONS: HP recommend that you upgrade one fabric and one switch at a time. Waiting a week or at least a couple of days after you upgrade the first fabric is a good idea gives you time to see if anything went wrong, if you can fix it and if you can do anything different next time.