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storage disk firmware update

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Update disk firmware

Availability: This command is available to cluster administrators at the advanced privilege level.

Description

Use the storage disk firmware update command to manually update firmware on all disks or a specified list of disks on a node. However, the recommended way to update disk firmware in a cluster is to enable automatic background firmware update by enabling the -bkg-firmware-update parameter for all of the nodes in the cluster. You can do this by entering the storage disk option modify-node`*-bkg-firmware-update`on command.

You can download the latest firmware on the node by using the storage firmware download command.

You can specify a list of one or more disks whose firmware is to be updated by using the -disk parameter.

You can update the firmware on all the disks owned by a node by using the -node parameter.

This command can make the disks inaccessible for up to five minutes after the start of its execution. Therefore, the network sessions that use the concerned node must be terminated before running the storage disk firmware update command. This is particularly true for CIFS sessions that might be terminated when this command is executed.

The firmware is automatically downloaded to disks, which report previous versions of the firmware. For information on automatic firmware update downloads, see "Automatic versus Manual Firmware Download".

If you need to view the current firmware versions, use the storage disk show-fields`firmware-revision command. The following example displays partial output from the storage disk show-fields`firmware-revision command, where the firmware version for the disks is NA01:

cluster1::> storage disk show -fields firmware-revision
    disk     firmware-revision
    -------- -----------------
    1.0.0    NA01
    1.0.1    NA01
    1.0.2    NA01
    1.0.3    NA01
    1.0.4    NA01
    1.0.5    NA01

The firmware files are stored in the /mroot/etc/disk_fw directory on the node. The firmware file name is in the form of "product-ID.revision.LOD". For example, if the firmware file is for Seagate disks with product ID X225_ST336704FC and the firmware version is NA02, the filename is X225_ST336704FC.NA02.LOD. The revision part of the file name is the number against which the node compares each disk's current firmware version. If the node in this example contains disks with firmware version NA01, the /mroot/etc/disk_fw/X225_ST336704FC.NA02.LOD file is used to update every eligible disk when you execute this command.

Automatic versus Manual Firmware Download

The firmware is automatically downloaded to those disks that report previous versions of firmware following a system boot or disk insertion. Note that:

  • A manual download is a disruptive operation that makes disks inaccessible for up to five minutes after the download is started. Network sessions that use the node must be terminated before running the storage disk firmware update command.

  • The firmware is not automatically downloaded to the node's partner node in an HA pair.

  • The firmware is not automatically downloaded to unowned disks on nodes configured to use software-based disk ownership.

  • The bkg-firmware-update parameter controls how the automatic firmware download feature works:

  • If the bkg-firmware-update parameter is set to off, then the storage disk firmware update will update the firmware on the drives in parallel.

  • If the bkg-firmware-update parameter is set to on, then the storage disk firmware update will update spares and filesystem disks in a nondisruptive manner in the background after boot. Firmware downloads for these disks will be done sequentially by temporarily taking them offline one at a time for the duration of the download. After the firmware is updated, the disk will be brought back online and restored to its normal operation.

During an automatic download to an HA environment, the firmware is not downloaded to the disks owned by the HA partner.

When you use the storage disk firmware update command, the firmware is:

  • Updated on every disk regardless of whether it is on the A-loop, the B-loop, or in an HA environment.

  • If the node is configured in a software-based disk ownership system, only disks owned by this node are updated.

During an automatic firmware download in a MetroCluster™ environment, the firmware is not downloaded to the disks owned by the partner cluster. During both manual and automatic firmware download in a MetroCluster-over-IP environment, the firmware is not downloaded to any remote disks located at the partner cluster while Disaster Recovery is in progress.

Follow the instructions in "How to Update the Firmware for an HA Pair in a Cluster" to ensure that the updating process is successful. ONTAP supports redundant path configurations for disks in a non-HA configuration. The firmware is automatically downloaded to disks on the A-loop or B-loop of redundant configurations that are not configured in an HA pair and are not configured to use software-based disk ownership.

Automatic Background Firmware Update

The firmware can be updated in the background so that the firmware update process does not impact the clients. This functionality is controlled with the bkg-firmware-update parameter. You can modify the parameter by using the CLI storage disk option modify-node`node_name-bkg-firmware-update`on|off command. The default value for this parameter is "on".

When disabled or set to "off", storage disk firmware update will update the firmware in automated mode. This means that all disks which had older firmware revision will be updated regardless of whether they are spare or filesystem disks.

When enabled or set to "on", the background storage disk firmware update will update firmware in automated mode only on disks that can be successfully taken offline from active filesystem RAID groups and from the spare pool. To ensure a faster boot process, the firmware is not downloaded to spares and filesystem disks at boot time.

This provides the highest degree of safety available, without the cost of copying data from each disk in the system twice. Disks are taken offline one at a time and then the firmware is updated on them. The disk is brought online after the firmware update and a mini/optimized reconstruct happens for any writes, which occurred while the disk was offline. Background disk firmware update will not occur for a disk if its containing RAID group or the volume is not in a normal state (for example, if the volume/plex is offline or the RAID group is degraded). However, due to the continuous polling nature of background disk firmware update, firmware updates will resume after the RAID group/plex/volume is restored to a normal mode. Similarly, background disk firmware updates are suspended for the duration of any reconstruction within the system.

How to Update the Firmware for an HA Pair in a Cluster

The best way to update the firmware in a cluster with HA pairs is to use automatic background firmware update by enabling the option bkg-firmware-update parameter for each node. Enable the -bkg-firmware-update parameter on all the nodes by entering the storage disk option modify-node`node_name-bkg-firmware-update`on command. Alternatively, use the following procedure to successfully perform a manual update on the disks in an HA environment:

  • Make sure that the nodes are not in takeover or giveback mode.

  • Download the latest firmware on both the nodes by using the storage firmware download command.

  • Install the new disk firmware on Node A's disks by entering the storage disk firmware update-node`node-A` command.

  • Wait until the storage disk firmware update command completes on Node A, and then install the new disk firmware on Node B's disks by entering the storage disk firmware update-node`node-B` command.

Parameters

{ -disk <disk path name>,…​ - Disk (privilege: advanced)

Specifies the disk or disks whose firmware is to be updated.

| -node {<nodename>|local} - node (privilege: advanced) }

Specifies the node name. The disk firmware will be updated on all the disks owned by the node specified by this parameter.

Examples

  • The following example updates the firmware on all disks owned by cluster-node-01:

cluster1::*> storage disk firmware update -node cluster-node-01

Warning: Disk firmware updates can be disruptive to the system. Updates involve
         power cycling all of the affected disks, as well as suspending disk
         I/O to the disks being updated. This delay can cause client
         disruption. Takeover/giveback operations on a high-availability (HA)
         group will be delayed until the firmware update process is complete.
         Disk firmware updates should only be done one node at a time. Disk
         firmware updates can only be performed when the HA group is healthy;
         they cannot be performed if the group is in takeover mode.

Do you want to continue with disk firmware updates? {y|n}: y

Info: Updating disk firmware for disks on cluster-node-01.

  • The following example updates the firmware on disk 1.5.0 which is owned by node cluster-node-04:

cluster1::*> storage disk firmware update -disk 1.5.0

Warning: Disk firmware updates can be disruptive to the system. Updates involve
         power cycling all of the affected disks, as well as suspending disk
         I/O to the disks being updated. This delay can cause client
         disruption. Takeover/giveback operations on a high-availability (HA)
         group will be delayed until the firmware update process is complete.
         Disk firmware updates should only be done one node at a time. Disk
         firmware updates can only be performed when the HA group is healthy;
         they cannot be performed if the group is in takeover mode.

Do you want to continue with disk firmware updates? {y|n}: y

Info: Updating disk firmware for disks on cluster-node-04.