FW upgrade on Cisco san switches

[inex]

Hi,

Can fw upgrades be done online on Cisco 9140 san switches?

-inex

[marsh_1 · Accepted solution]

hi,

no, AFAIK this is a single supervisor module switch and upgrades are disruptive , see here :-

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/storage/san_switches/mds9000/sw/rel_3_x/release/notes/14116_05.html#wp217388

hth

[Steven Clementi]

On the other hand, you probably have at least 2 of them... and are configured in such a way so that you have 2 separate fabrics.

Upgrading one switch at a time should allow you to not have to take down your storage/servers, though it is always suggested that you perform these types of upgrades during peroids of low or no I/O.


Steven

[Sivakumar MJ._1]

Hi Inex,

Before start upgrading your SAN switches, take a config backup always


SOme related info on firmware upgrade..
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SupportTaskIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=12169&prodSeriesId=371565&taskId=130

[ffalcone]

Inex,

May I ask why you are only upgrading your switch FW? Typically, when I perform an upgrade, it involves the EVA Controller code, the EVA drive FW and the HBA drivers and FW.

[Clint Placette_2]

Lot of good suggestion above. I ask my customer before an SW O/S upgrade is done "when was the last time you tested your fellover from one hba to another". If you have many servers in a SAN it is easy to lose track if a server has lost access of a HBA path.

I see it many time a year where the customer is not aware of a lost path. A Windows servers needs only a single path to still have access to disk so make sure you check each servers HBA paths and that your failover app is working before you attempt to upgrade a switch because it wil be disruptive on your model switch. If you have not tested a failover then I suggest you bring the servers down before the up grade.