Completing the Prerequisites for Upgrading the Firmware

This chapter includes the following sections:

Prerequisites for Upgrading and Downgrading Firmware

All endpoints in a Cisco UCS domain must be fully functional and all processes must be complete before you begin a firmware upgrade or downgrade on those endpoints. You cannot upgrade or downgrade an endpoint that is not in a functional state. For example, the firmware on a server that has not been discovered cannot be upgraded or downgraded. An incomplete process, such as an FSM that has failed after the maximum number of retries, can cause the upgrade or downgrade on an endpoint to fail. If an FSM is in progress, Cisco UCS Manager queues up the update and activation and runs them when the FSM has completed successfully.

Colored boxes around components on the Equipment tab may indicate that an endpoint on that component cannot be upgraded or downgraded. Verify the status of that component before you attempt to upgrade the endpoints.


Note

The Installed Firmware tab in Cisco UCS Manager GUI does not provide sufficient information to complete these prerequisites.

Before you upgrade or downgrade firmware in a Cisco UCS domain, complete the following prerequisites:

  • Review the Release Notes.

  • Review the relevant Hardware and Software Interoperability Matrix to ensure the operating systems on all servers have the right driver levels for the release of Cisco UCS to which you plan to upgrade.

  • Back up the configuration into an All Configuration backup file.

  • For a cluster configuration, verify that the high availability status of the fabric interconnects shows that both are up and running.

  • For a standalone configuration, verify that the Overall Status of the fabric interconnect is Operable.

  • Verify that the data path is up and running. For more information, see the Verifying that the Data Path is Ready section in the appropriate Firmware Management Guide.

  • Verify that all servers, I/O modules, and adapters are fully functional. An inoperable server cannot be upgraded.

  • Verify that the Cisco UCS domain does not include any critical or major faults. If such faults exist, you must resolve them before you upgrade the system. A critical or major fault may cause the upgrade to fail.

  • Verify that all servers have been discovered. They do not need to be powered on or associated with a service profile.

  • If you want to integrate a rack-mount server into the Cisco UCS domain, follow the instructions in the appropriate C-Series Rack-Mount Server Integration Guide for installing and integrating a rack-mount server in a system managed by Cisco UCS Manager.

Creating an All Configuration Backup File

This procedure assumes that you do not have an existing backup operation for an All Configuration backup file.

For more information on backing up a Cisco UCS domain, see the Cisco UCS Manager GUI Configuration Guide and the Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide.

Before You Begin

Obtain the backup server IPv4 or IPv6 address and authentication credentials.

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab.
Step 2   Click the All node.
Step 3   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
Step 4   In the Actions area, click Backup Configuration.
Step 5   In the Backup Configuration dialog box, click Create Backup Operation.
Step 6   In the Create Backup Operation dialog box, do the following:
  1. Complete the following fields:

    • Admin State field—Click the Enabled radio button to run the backup operation as soon as you click OK.

    • Type field—Click the All Configuration radio button to create an XML backup file that includes all system and logical configuration information.

    • Preserve Identities check box—If the Cisco UCS domain includes any identities derived from pools that you need to preserve, check this check box.

      Identities such as MAC addresses, WWNNs, WWPNs, or UUIDS are assigned at runtime. If you do not want these identities to change after you import the backup file, you must check this check box. If you do not, these identities may be changed after the import and operations such as a PXE boot or a SAN boot may no longer function.

    • Protocol field—Click the one of the following radio buttons to indicate the protocol you want to use to transfer the file to the backup server:

      • FTP

      • TFTP

      • SCP

      • SFTP

    • Hostname field—Enter the IP address or hostname of the location where the backup file is to be stored. This can be a server, storage array, local drive, or any read/write media that the fabric interconnect can access through the network. If you use a hostname, you must configure Cisco UCS Manager to use a DNS server.

    • Remote File field—Enter the full path to the backup configuration file. This field can contain the filename as well as the path. If you omit the filename, the backup procedure assigns a name to the file.

    • User field—Enter the username that Cisco UCS Manager should use to log in to the backup location. You do not need to complete this field if you selected TFTP for the protocol.

    • Password field—Enter the password associated with the username. You do not need to complete this field if you selected TFTP for the protocol.

  2. Click OK.
Step 7   If Cisco UCS Manager displays a confirmation dialog box, click OK.

If you set the Admin State field to enabled, Cisco UCS Manager takes a snapshot of the configuration type that you selected and exports the file to the network location. The backup operation displays in the Backup Operations table in the Backup Configuration dialog box.

Step 8   (Optional)To view the progress of the backup operation, do the following:
  1. If the operation does not display in the Properties area, click the operation in the Backup Operations table.
  2. In the Properties area, click the down arrows on the FSM Details bar.

The FSM Details area expands and displays the operation status.

Step 9   Click OK to close the Backup Configuration dialog box.

The backup operation continues to run until it is completed. To view the progress, re-open the Backup Configuration dialog box.

Verifying the Overall Status of the Fabric Interconnects

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Fabric Interconnects.
Step 3   Click the node for the fabric interconnect that you want to verify.
Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
Step 5   In the Status area, verify that the Overall Status is operable.

If the status is not operable, create and download a Tech Support file, and contact Cisco Technical Support. Do not proceed with the firmware upgrade. For more information about Tech Support files, see the Cisco UCS Manager B-Series Troubleshooting Guide.

Verifying the High Availability Status and Roles of a Cluster Configuration

The high availability status is the same for both fabric interconnects in a cluster configuration.

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Fabric Interconnects.
Step 3   Click the node for one of the fabric interconnects in the cluster.
Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
Step 5   If the fields in the High Availability Details area are not displayed, click the Expand icon to the right of the heading.
Step 6   Verify that the following fields display the following values:
Field Name Required Value

Ready field

Yes

State field

Up

If the values are different, create and download a Tech Support file, and contact Cisco Technical Support. Do not proceed with the firmware upgrade. For more information about Tech Support files, see the Cisco UCS Manager B-Series Troubleshooting Guide.
Step 7   Note the value in the Leadership field to determine whether the fabric interconnect is the primary or subordinate.

You need to know this information to upgrade the firmware on the fabric interconnects.

Verifying the Status of I/O Modules

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Chassis.
Step 3   Click on the chassis for which you want to verify the status of the I/O modules.
Step 4   In the Work pane, click the IO Modules tab.
Step 5   For each I/O module, verify that the following columns display the following values:
Field Name Desired Value

Overall Status column

ok

Operability column

operable

If the values are different, create and download a Tech Support file, and contact Cisco Technical Support. Do not proceed with the firmware upgrade. For more information about Tech Support files, see the Cisco UCS Manager B-Series Troubleshooting Guide.
Step 6   Repeat Steps 3 through 5 to verify the status of the I/O modules in each chassis.

Verifying the Status of Servers

If a server is inoperable, you can proceed with the upgrade for other servers in the Cisco UCS domain. However, you cannot upgrade the inoperable server.

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
Step 2   On the Equipment tab, click Equipment.
Step 3   In the Work pane, click the Servers tab to display a list of all servers in all chassis.
Step 4   For each server, verify that the following columns display the following values:
Field Name Desired Value

Overall Status column

ok, unassociated, or any value that does not indicate a failure.

If the value indicates a failure, such as discovery-failed, the endpoints on that server cannot be upgraded.

Operability column

operable

Step 5   If you need to verify that a server has been discovered, do the following:
  1. Right-click the server for which you want to verify the discovery status and choose Show Navigator.
  2. In the Status Details area of the General tab, verify that the Discovery State field displays a value of complete.

    If the fields in the Status Details area are not displayed, click the Expand icon to the right of the heading.

Verifying the Status of Adapters on Servers in a Chassis

Procedure
Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab.
Step 2   On the Equipment tab, expand Equipment > Chassis > Chassis Number > Servers.
Step 3   Click the server for which you want to verify the status of the adapters.
Step 4   In the Work pane, click the Inventory tab.
Step 5   In the Inventory tab, click the Adapters subtab.
Step 6   For each adapter, verify that the following columns display the following values:
Field Name Desired Value

Overall Status column

ok

Operability column

operable

If the fields show a different value and the adapter is inoperable, you can proceed with the upgrade for other adapters on the servers in the Cisco UCS domain. However, you cannot upgrade the inoperable adapter.