What about SPP updates of RAID controller firmware and preserving configuration - is it "risk free"?

[LTC]

Hello!

If i'm not wrong it seems HP recommends uppdating machines still under warranty using SPP updates about once a year?

We're having som performance issuses and for example a 840ar RAID controller firmware is 4.xx and the newer one is 6.xx.

Is it relativly "safe" to upgrade the firmware and any software/drivers (also drives firmware if updates are present) and still preserving the RAID config (keeping the data, application and system files intact - there is no way to save the RAID config somehow or is it saved to the drives already and read upon reboot)? No Windows server license problem aftwerwards?

Safest is to backup everything first I suppose?

I was thinking letting SPP/SUM install all newer firmware and drivers on a DL380 gen 10 machine (and others our customers have).

Like ILO, BIOS, RAID controller firmware and such.

Is it meaningful to divide upgrades / to not do all at once? 

Kind regards

[m_icha]

Hello LTC,

To begin with nothing is risk free in IT and especially when you are planning to perform a firmware/driver upgrade. Even with a well oriented planning there is always a possibility something to go wrong.

Regarding your concerns, since you dealing with performance issues you may need to postpone at the moment any upgrades. Performance issues may rely on underlying SW or HW issues and a firmware or driver upgrade may not address your current issue.

Thus, prior planning the firmware upgrade, first of all ensure that you have a valid backup. Then contact HPE support in order to conduct a HW health check based on your performance issue. In addition, before proceeding with the upgrades you may need to validate interoperability with other products (i.e. storage, tape libraries etc).

In case you have not a prior experience with maintenance tasks you seek HPE consulting serviceS. An HPE specialist will deal with all the aforementioned matters.

[LTC]

No I'm not exactly new to installing servers.

But what about HP "recommended" updates that says something like "install at first convenience"?

Why make updates available if it's "so dangerous" we need to call and pay for HP support?

We don't really have big performance problems and I just wanted to hear from other peoples experience with RAID controller firmware upgrades. Or if there is a way to save/backup the RAID controller configuration for later restore if necessary.

I put "risk free" in quotation marks because I know it's not but maybe a relatively low risk to mess things up?

And I'm not sure all new firmware and drivers was applied when the machines was new since the RAID controller firmware has a big version number change(?) from installed version 4.x to the newest available 6.x.

There is some kind of early access to updates firmware/drivers when installing the machine but I'm not sure all latest firmware/drivers are available without using SPP/SUM from within Windows  (or booting from a SPP/SUM prepared drive if possible - never tried that though).