BEST PRACTICE: Manage out-of-date firmware by upgrading to the current firmware on a regular

basis. AutoSupports Health Check feature can make this task easier.
BEST PRACTICE: Always read the Release Notes and Must-Read Notifications posted on the
Software Download pages to fully understand the impact of an upgrade.
BEST PRACTICE: Plan on upgrading your storage Controller at least once a year with the latest
ONTAP General Deployment (GD) release.
[HW] What triggers an update to Disk, Shelf, or ACP firmware in Data ONTAP 8 7Mode?https://kb.netapp.com/support/index?page=content&id=3013267

ashwinwriter@gmail.com

Jan, 2013

How BIOS system firmware is updated

Beginning with the Data ONTAP 8.0 release, the minimum BIOS release required to support Data
ONTAP also enables automatic BIOS updates, therefore if you are already sitting on 8.x then you
need not worry about upgrading BIOS. After the minimum version is running, subsequent updates
take place automatically during the boot sequence whenever Data ONTAP detects that a version
resident on the boot device is more recent than the running version.
Only, if you are upgrading from an earlier release family, you must update BIOS firmware manually
during the Data ONTAP upgrade.

1. First, get the current version of the System Firmware

Filer>sysconfig -a

Filer>version b (this command basically reveals primary & secondary kernel

version along with diagnostic kernel & system firmware/BIOS )

Basically Motherboard = BIOS = System Firmware in the above context.

2. Download the System Firmware from the NetApp Support site.

a. http://now.netapp.com/NOW/cgi-bin/fw
b. Select the appropriate hardware platform
c. Select the appropriate Service Image (BIOS) For Use with Data ONTAP option and click Go!

d. In the next results page - Download the latest firmware [Look for the latest release date]

Note: Please note Install instructions are also provided by NetApp during download.
Installation instructions:
Follow steps a & b if you have access to Web Server: [Not required, if you can do CIFS/NFS]
a. Copy the downloaded ZIP file to a web server
b. Type the following on the Netapp controller.
Filer>software install http://web_server_name/path/filename.zip
This command will download and unzip the file to the appropriate location on the Netapp controller.
Note: If you do not have Web access, you can manually download the file and use one of the
protocols (NFS, CIFS, FTP/TFTP) to copy the file to the root volume of the storage controller in the
/mroot/etc/software/ directory.

Steps to install:
1. Once the service image BIOS (zip file) is copied to the following directory -> \\filer\etc$\software
go to step 2.
2. Filer>software list # this command will list the software(s) in the software directory; ensure
that the software you just copied/downloaded is listed there. Go to step 3 for install.
3. Filer>software install filename.zip
4. If this is an HA cluster install the firmware on the first node of the cluster, then repeat for the
second node.
5. Run the following command to access the privilege commands
priv set advanced

6. Run this command to perform the installation

download d

7. Verify new version installed by running this command and comparing with previous output.
version b

8. If this is a HA cluster run the following command on the other node, this will reboot the node
where the firmware is to be installed.
cf takeover

Note: You can monitor the progress of the controller reboot by connecting to the RLM/SP
connection. This will enable you to watch the reboot process and an opportunity to see what exactly
happens during this process. As the system goes down for reboot, you will lose the connection;
hence SP console becomes so handy.

To log into SP, follow the steps below:

Putty to SP IP address: [You can obtain this IP from sysconfig a output]

Login as naroot with the same password as your filer root account

System console

We have gone little off topic here; lets go back to installation procedure.
Note: If this is a single controller just Reboot the filer to complete the installation.

9. The new firmware will automatically be applied when the NetApp controller reboots.
Note: BIOS performs an automatic firmware update if the bootarg AUTO_FW_UPDATE is set to true
in the boot environment, by default it should be set to true.
Note: If the BIOS update did not occur automatically, then a halt followed by entering the
update_flash command at the loader prompt will update the BIOS:
LOADER> ***this prompt is required to update the BIOS firmware***
LOADER>update_flash
10. Verify the new BIOS revision by entering the following Data ONTAP command:
sysconfig -a
11. If this is a HA cluster, and the node is back up and running, run this command on the other node,
then repeat the process for the other node in the HA cluster.
cf giveback f
Note: -f switch will close all CIFS connections allowing the giveback to proceed.
12. Verify giveback was successful by running the following command
cf status
13. Done! You can now return to normal operations or run additional checks as needed.

The Disk firmware version on the filer can be checked with the following command:
filer> sysconfig -a
slot 0: FC Host Adapter 0b (Dual-channel, QLogic 2312 rev. 2, 32-bit, L-port, <UP>)
Firmware rev: 3.3.220
Host Loop Id: 7
FC Node Name: 5:00a:098000:001e80
Cacheline size:
8
FC Packet size: 2048
SRAM parity: Yes External GBIC: No
Link Data Rate:
1 Gbit
21: NETAPP X270_HJURE036F10 NA14 34.0GB 520B/sect (433K8115)
22: NETAPP X270_HJURE036F10 NA14 34.0GB 520B/sect (433K8087)
23: NETAPP X270_HJURE036F10 NA14 34.0GB 520B/sect (433F3696)
24: NETAPP X270_HJURE036F10 NA14 34.0GB 520B/sect (433K7917)
Firmware version is marked in red above.
Note: When you upgrade Data ONTAP, disk shelf firmware (firmware for modules on disk shelves) is
updated automatically if the firmware on the shelves is older than the firmware that is bundled with
the Data ONTAP system files. You can also update disk shelf firmware by downloading the most
recent firmware for your shelf modules from the NOW site and installing the files.
Nondisruptive upgrades are performed by downloading the most recent firmware from the NetApp
Support site to the controller's /etc/disk_fw directory.
Update the Disk Firmware Non-Disruptively:
1. Download the latest disk firmware from the NetApp support site
2. Verify the following, otherwise you will not be able to do a non-disruptive upgrade
Aggregates need to be RAID-DP or mirrored RAID4
You need to have functioning spares
3. Run the options raid.background_disk_fw_update.enable command and verify it is set
to on
This feature that enables disk firmware NDU is also called "momentary disk offline.
If not, enable it with the options raid.background_disk_fw_update.enable on
command
4. Extract and copy the disk firmware to the /etc/disk_fw folder on your filer
5. Updates start automatically (In the Background) for any disk drives that are eligible for an
update. Data ONTAP polls approximately once every two minute to detect new firmware in
the /etc/disk_fw directory
6. Repeat for both controllers

For more technical information on Disk Firmware please read this slide:
http://www.slideshare.net/AshwinPawar/disk-firmware-update

Look up the latest firmware for the different disktypes via this link:
http://now.netapp.com/NOW/download/tools/diskfw/.

Disk shelf firmware requirements for Non-Disruptive [NDU] upgrades:

https://library.netapp.com/ecmdocs/ECMM1253884/html/upgrade/GUID-5FBF86BC-D832-47CEA8C6-2D0A9FE3C434.html
First, check firmware version with the following command:
filer> Sysconfig -a
slot 0: FC Host Adapter 0a (Dual-channel, QLogic 2322 rev. 3, 64-bit, L-port, <UP>)
Firmware rev: 3.3.10
Host Loop Id: 7
FC Node Name: 5:00a:098200:00abce
Cacheline size: 16 FC Packet size: 2048
SRAM parity: Yes External GBIC: No
Link Data Rate: 2 Gbit
19: NETAPP X274_HPYTA146F10 NA02 136.0GB 520B/sect (V5WGK0HA)
Shelf 1: ESH2 Firmware rev. ESH A: 16 ESH B: 16
Shelf 2: ESH2 Firmware rev. ESH A: 16 ESH B: 16
I/O base 0xde00, size 0x100
memory mapped I/O base 0xa1740000, size 0x100
Firmware version marked in red above.
The latest firmware for the different shelves can be found here:
http://now.netapp.com/NOW/download/tools/diskshelf/
Update the Disk Shelf Software Non-Disruptively:
1. Download the appropriate disk shelf software upgrade from the NetApp support site
2. Extract and copy it to the /etc/shelf_fw folder on your filer
3. Run the options shelf.fw.ndu.enable command and verify it is set to on
If not, enable it with the options shelf.fw.ndu.enable on command
4. Execute the storage download shelf command to update the shelf firmware and enter yes
when prompted
Wait until you get the following output, it could take 70 seconds per shelf x 4 shelves so close to
about 5 minutes:
Tue Dec 30 12:17:42 PST [sfu.downloadSuccess:info]: [storage download shelf]: Firmware file ATFCX.3700.SFW downloaded on 0b.shelf4
On systems with software-based disk ownership
Data ONTAP scans the /etc/shelf_fw directory for new firmware once per minute (on systems with
software-based disk ownership). If new disk shelf firmware is detectedthat is, if there is a disk
shelf firmware file in the /etc/shelf_fw directory that has a higher revision number than the current
firmware on the shelf modulethe new firmware is automatically downloaded to the disk shelf
module.
If you fancy more reading go to this link - How disk shelf firmware is updated [NetApp Docs]
https://library.netapp.com/ecmdocs/ECMP1196990/html/GUID-7507D608-B1DB-40F1-8F407655A9C826FF.html

Nondisruptive upgrades are performed by downloading the most recent firmware from the NetApp
Support site to the controller's /etc/acpp_fw directory. Updates start automatically for any ACP that
is eligible for an update. Data ONTAP polls approximately once every 10 minutes to detect new
firmware in the /etc/acpp_fw directory.

An automatic NDU firmware update can occur from the new firmware being downloaded onto
either node in the /etc/acpp_fw directory

You can run storage show acp cmd on the filer to view the current FW version as shown below.

IMPORTANT:
One cannot update ACP firmware on a FAS2240, FAS2242, or FAS2244 controller. On these systems
when you upgrade SP, ACPP is automatically updated. For more information refer to this discussion.
https://forums.netapp.com/message/160648#160648

ACP: IOM6E is embedded version of IOM6. The ACPP in the IOM6E runs on the same CPU as the
Service Processor (SP). Hence, ACPP download is not supported in IOM6E, since ACPP is part of the
SP.

Download the latest SP Image from the NetApp support site | Download | System Firmware
1. Download SP_FW.zip to \\filer\etc$\software folder.
2. Filer>software list # this command to see the list of installable available.
3. Filer>software install SP_FW.zip
4. Filer>sp update
You will get the following system messages, assuming the current SP version is 2.1:
Updating the SP firmware.
Please ensure you have run 'software install' command with correct parameters for 'sp update' prior
to this step.
DO NOT reset this system during this process.
New SP version: 2.1.1
Current SP version: 2.1
Sending files to SP..
After the download process completes, you will get the following system messages:
SP: Firmware updated successfully!
You need to reboot the SP for the new image to take effect
NOTE: If your console connection is through the SP, it will be disconnected
Do you want to reboot the SP now? (y/n)?
To reboot the Service Processor, type y.
It is necessary to reboot the Service Processor to start running the newly installed version of
firmware.
Ignore the warning messages that you see on the storage controller console during the
Service Processor firmware update.
The rebooting process can take a few minutes.
5. filer> sp status
You will see firmware and network information similar to the following. Note that your network
information will be different but make sure you have downloaded firmware version 2.1.1:
Firmware Version: 2.1.1
Mgmt MAC Address: 00:A0:98:13:9D:3A
Ethernet Link: Up
Using DHCP:
yes
IPv4 configuration:
IP Address:
10.98.145.00
Netmask:
255.255.252.0
Gateway:
10.98.144.0
IPv6 configuration: Disabled
Result: The Service Processor firmware installation is complete.
NetApp KB: How to update the Service Processor firmware when a web server is unavailable?
https://kb.netapp.com/support/index?page=content&id=1013667

Procedure to update the Disk Qualification Package

Download the latest DQP from the NetApp support site | Downloads |Disk Drive & Firmware
Matrix

To confirm the current DQP version, run the following cmd & look for date stamp marked in
red below: [7-mode]

Filer>rdfile /etc/qual_devices_v3
#########
# This file is auto generated by the script file.
# Copyright (c) 2000 Network Appliance, Inc.
# All rights reserved.
#
# Datecode: 20110330 Looks like it needs an update.

Download & extract the files and copy it to the /etc folder on your filer, overwriting the
existing files

Done! [Thats it]

To confirm the updated version, run this cmd again:

Filer>rdfile /etc/qual_devices_v3

ashwinwriter@gmail.com
Jan, 2013