Invalid version: misbranding switches 5900 HP / NEC

[kitanir]

Hello,

I have a NEC switch PF5459-48XP-4Q which is the same as HP FF 5900 48XG 4Q SFF.

I updated it to version 5900_5920 Release 2418P06.

Unit is working (cli and gui).

But with version Release 2422P01 I get "Invalid version" when all images are downloaded and processing "System starting..."

With 2418P06 next will be "Cryptographic algorithms tests passed".

I can use boot image from 2422P01 Release separately with system image 2418P06. But with system image 2422P01 I get an error.

In release 2422P01 was added R2422 next
"Supports the following switches:
• FF 5900 48XG 4Q SFF Switch.
• FF 5900 48XG 4Q SFF TAA Switch."

There is no command to rebrand switch ("brand" or "OEM"). 

As Nec now integrated in HP is it possible to update this switch with modern firmware?

[parnassus]

Cheers,

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@kitanir wrote: I have a NEC switch PF5459-48XP-4Q which is the same as HP FF 5900 48XG 4Q SFF.

---

 To me...this is the statement of the Year 2019! Really.

I'm probably not very well informed about how far some Comware NOS based Switch platforms have been used all over the years (starting with the original 3Com branded Hardware then H3C and finally HP/HPE...basically Hardware didn't changed too much, Software evolved and was just a matter of re-branding the NOS 3Com/H3C -> HP-HPE) but the fact that NEC (specifically in Japan) used/uses Comware 7 on some/all of their Univerge PF network switches is a breaking news to me. Really interesting.

Never seen the brand command citing NEC other than well known 3Com/H3C/HP (and the usage was to switch from a NOS 3Com/H3C branded to an NOS HP branded - to be able to follow the HP/HPE update paths and benefit from new enhancements/features/fixes - despite the original vendor 3Com/H3C logo eventually found on the chassis).

Very interesting.

Indeed doing a quick search I found plenty of informations about NEC Univerge PF Ethernet Switch series. It's crystal clear that a NEC PF series looks identical to HP/HPE 5900 series...instead...how much identical would the NEC Comware Platform Software be when compared to current HP Comware Platform software (Comware 7 or 5) I really don't know...especially because the versioning used by NEC looks totally different by the one we are used to...see below:

<Switch> display version
Comware Software, Version 7.1.3
Copyright (c) 2004-2013 NEC Corporation. All rights reserved.
PF5459-48GT-4X2Q/QX-S5948GT-4X2Q uptime is 0 weeks, 0 days, 0 hours, 4 minutes
Last reboot reason : User reboot
Boot image: flash:/pf5459-boot-v713.bin
Boot image version: 7.1.3
Compiled Jun 26 2013 18:40:10
System image: flash:/pf5459-system-v713.bin
System image version: 7.1.3
Compiled Jun 26 2013 18:40:21
Slot 1
PF5459-48GT-4X2Q/QX-S5948GT-4X2Q with 2 Processors
Last reboot reason : User reboot
2048M bytes SDRAM
4M bytes Nor Flash Memory
512M bytes Nand Flash Memory
Config Register points to Nand Flash
Hardware Version is Ver.A
CPLD Version is 001
BootRom Version is 124
[SubSlot 0] 48GE+4SFP Plus+2QSFP Plus Hardware Version is Ver.A

 I wasn't able to find a list of NEC software releases...to understand if there is a match between NEC and HP releases...so you was brave to blindly use system software and bootrom images built by HP for its Comware 5900 into that NEC hardware.

Difficult to say if something has been changed at software level and that change denies you to use that new HP/HPE branded software version into your NEC as you were used to (R2418P06 versus R2422P01)...only an HPE internal specialized in Comware 7 could shed some light about that...

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@kitanir wrote: As Nec now integrated in HP is it possible to update this switch with modern firmware?

---

Sorry, you wrote "now"...but when, exactly, it happened?

Since I'm curious...can you post the output of display version command?

[kitanir]

Yes, my mistake: it`s not integration, it is coalition  HPE official news

And innovation Nec technology in HP products like this accelerator module NEC accelerator for HP

Nec itself doesn`t update (as far as I could understand) software of PF5459 cause it use SDN solution to control switch. And meanwhile switch itself could be used as original (not SDN) solution.

By the way: H3C still offers own firmware for 5500/5800 series and beta-revison with Comvare7 while HP doesn`t.

Of course before such update I checked in hex-view firmware files.

Boot file:

Boot file hex 1

boot file hex 2

System file:  system file HEX

And also reviewed motherboard   motherboard revision

Cause it has the same revision as 5700 and 5900 series ( LSW252QF )

Cause all were similar or identical I updated version.

display verson

working gui

I have HP 5800/5500 with Comware 5 and didn`t difference in command in original (7.1.3) version of Comware 7 in PF and in updated  so don`t know where you see "because the versioning used by NEC looks totally different by the one we are used to...see"

command list

[parnassus]

With versioning I mean that HP/HPE uses "Comware 7.x.y RnnnnPmm" where NEC adopted another versioning convention (e.g. 7.1.x)...so, apart considering your NEC an HP/HPE, how can you understand which HP/HPE version to try on it?

Very interesting info...but, again, neither HP in the past nor HPE in the present never released any documentation about those NEC Switch series...totally possible that HP/HPE Firmware (ipe files if we speak about Comware 7) are applicable...but you're blind...and the only way is trying with (potentially damageable) temptative updates like you did.

Also it's not best practice (never seen done/recommended) to mismatch boot and system images...

[VoIP-Buddy]

I've never seen anything like that either.  In general, you would need to get your software updates from NEC and not HPE.  HPE images would not run on anything that isn't HPE branded.  I guess you have seen that.

That said, it would also be unlikely that if you downloaded code from the H3C web site that it would run on HPE or NEC hardware because of the same branding issue.

Regards,

David