HP ProCurve Switch with dual management modules upgrade steps

[IOI-655321]

Hi all, hoping to get a sanity check on my upgrade steps for a HP Procurve switch with dual management modules and Primary and Secondary flash storage.

Model: J9091A ProCurve Switch 8212zl

I've read this document over and over and there's a few holes in it that need filling. Here's what I have stepped out based on that docco:

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PART 1.: Upgrade Secondary Flash, Boot Standby MM (MM2) and set to Active:
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1. Copy new software to secondary flash memory on active management module (MM1):

HP-switch# copy tftp flash 10.0.0.1 K_15_18_0013.swi secondary

(The software version is immediately copied to the corresponding flash on MM2)

 2. Make sure boot setting is configured to boot off the correct flash the software was copied to.

HP-switch# boot set-default flash secondary
HP-switch# write memory

 This change will also be synchronized to MM2.

3. Boot standby management module

HP-switch# boot standby

 4. Perform Switchover and test

HP-switch# redundancy switchover

MM2 is now the Active MM running off the secondary flash storage. After testing proceed to PART 2.

 ======================================
PART 2.: Upgrade Primary Flash and set MM1 to Active:
 ======================================

5. Copy new software to secondary flash memory on active management module (MM2):

HP-switch# copy tftp flash 10.0.0.1 K_15_18_0013.swi primary

(The software version is immediately copied to the corresponding flash on MM1)

6. Set the default boot flash storage to be primary.

HP-switch# boot set-default flash primary
HP-switch# write memory

7. Boot standby module (MM1)

HP-switch# boot standby

8. Perform Switchover to switch make the MM1 the Active module and test

HP-switch# redundancy switchover

MM1 should be Active and booting off Primary flash storage.

End.

-------------------------------------

Some questions on this:

1. Is this a sound approach? is anything missing or inorrect?

2. If all is ok with this approach will there be zero downtime of the switch?

Thanks!

 edit: added model details.

[parnassus]

What exact Switch Series are you referring to?

Are you looking for the best software upgrade procedure to use (for minimal disruption) on a dual management modules equipped Switch of the older HP ProCurve 5400/8200 zl series or of the newer HPE Aruba 5400R zl2 series?

[IOI-655321]

Yes, looking for the best upgrade procedure for J9091A ProCurve Switch 8212zl. Thanks

[IOI-655321]

If anyone finds this and is in the same boat as me, I implemented this upgrade process on production kit successfully.

At steps 4 and 8 (# redundancy switchover) thre is an outage to the switch and connected hosts of about 1 -2 minutes.

Everything else went as planned. 

[parnassus]

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@IOI-655321 wrote:

=====================================
PART 2.: Upgrade Primary Flash and set MM1 to Active:
 ======================================

5. Copy new software to secondary flash memory on active management module (MM2):

HP-switch# copy tftp flash 10.0.0.1 K_15_18_0013.swi primary

(The software version is immediately copied to the corresponding flash on MM1)

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Sorry to resurrect this thread so many months later...I was on this subject right now (I'm writing a simple how-to on this argument right now) and I noticed that your step n°5 is correct but the statement:

"Copy new software to secondary flash memory on active management module (MM2):"

has a little typo and it should be corrected into:

"Copy new software to primary flash memory on active management module (MM2):"

Then a consideration about Part 2: steps 5 to 8 are really required if you want not only pairing software image version of Primary Flash with the one updated on Secondary Flash on MM2 AMM but also if you want to revert back on a situation in which MM1 acts as AMM (as it was initially in the example) instead of having a switch running (updated on Secondary Flash) with MM2 as actual AMM. IMHO MMs - in NonStop Switching or Warm Standby - are and should be interchangeable (or, at least, this is my idea) so having MM2 as AMM instead of initial MM1 doesn't matter to me. Recent ArubaOS-Switch release introduced the "preferred" MM option.

Said so...if the system can actually run on MM2 as AMM (remember: it is booted on updated Secondary Flash with new software version), and no secondary switchover procedure is really necessary to bring back its MM1 as new AMM...then just issuing the command:

copy flash flash primary

on actual AMM (MM2) should suffice to have Secondary Flash copied on Primary Flash (so paired), also in this case the Primary Flash will immediately be copied to back to SMM (MM1) Primary Flash...and you avoid a second downtime.