Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide 193
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Firmware download process overview
9
In most cases, you will be upgrading firmware; that is, installing a newer firmware version than the
one you are currently running. However, some circumstances may require installing an older
version; that is, downgrading the firmware. The procedures in this section assume that you are
upgrading firmware, but they work for downgrading as well, provided the old and new firmware
versions are compatible. Always reference the latest release notes for updates that may exist
regarding downgrades under particular circumstances.
For details on Administrative Domains and the firmware download process, see Chapter 17,
“Managing Administrative Domains” for more information.
For details about testing and restoring firmware, see “Test and restore firmware on Backbones” on
page 206.
Password-less firmware download
You can download firmware without a password using the sshutil command for public key
authentication when SSH is selected. The switch has to be configured to install the private key, and
the you must export the public key to the remote host. Before running the firmwareDownload
command, you must first configure the SSH protocol to permit passwordless logins for outgoing
authentication as described in “Configuring outgoing SSH authentication” on page 119
Considerations for FICON CUP environments
To prevent channel errors during nondisruptive firmware installation, the switch CUP port must be
taken offline from all host systems.
HA sync state
High availability (HA) synchronization occurs when two CPs in a Backbone are synchronized. This
state provides redundancy and a non-disruptive firmware download. In order for a firmware
download to successfully occur, the two CPs in a Backbone must be in sync.
If the CPs have mixed versions when you enter the firmwareDownload command, the CPs may not
be in HA sync. In this case, you need to enter the firmwareDownload –s command first to upgrade
or downgrade the standby CP to the same level as the active CP first, and then upgrade the CPs to
the desired version of firmware.
Do not run mixed firmware levels on CPs.
Table 46 shows the sync state of a Backbone that has different Fabric OS versions installed on the
active and standby CP. Use the table to determine if you need to use the firmwareDownload -s
command.
TABLE 46 Backbone HA sync states
Active CP Fabric OS
version
Standby CP Fabric OS
version
HA sync state Remedy
v6.2.0 v6.2.0 inSync n/a
v6.2.x v6.3.0 inSync n/a
v6.3.0 v6.2.x If Ethernet Switch Service
is enabled, no sync.
Run firmwareDownload -s on the
standby CP and upgrade it to v6.3.0.
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