Chapter 6 Managing Firmware SP, BIOS, and ALOM Updates

The N1 System Manager enables you to perform the following firmware management tasks:

• To Copy a Firmware Update

• To Load a Firmware Update on a Server or a Server Group

• To List the Available Firmware Updates

• To List the Firmware Updates Installed on a Managed Server

• To Modify Firmware Update Information

• To Delete a Firmware Update

The N1 System Manager product does not support firmware updates for all managed servers. For more information, see Managed Server Limitations in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Site Preparation Guide. F

Managing Firmware Updates (Overview)

Updating the firmware on the managed servers is a primary administrative task. Using the N1 System Manager to install a firmware update on a managed server for the first time involves the following process:

1. Download and prepare the firmware update. Verify that the firmware version matches those set out in SP-Based Discovery in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide.

2. Copy the firmware update to the management server. The N1 System Manager must have system access to the firmware update before the firmware update can be installed on the managed servers.

   Use the create firmware command to copy a firmware update from a web site or an accessible file system on the management server.

3. To verify that the firmware updated was copied successfully, view the firmware update in the browser interface Task Shortcuts pane, or use the show firmware command.

4. Install the firmware update on the appropriate managed servers by using the browser interface, or by using the load server or load group command.

When copying firmware updates, you must specify the following information:

• Vendor – The name of the firmware update vendor

• Model – The model name of a valid hardware system for the firmware update

• Type – The type of firmware update, required only for Sun Fire V20z and V40z servers:

  • SP – Service Processor

  • BIOS – Server Platform BIOS

  • PIC – Service Processor Operator Panel

Firmware version 2.2 and above for the Sun Fire V20z servers do not support the PIC firmware upgrade. The upgrade of PIC firmware will fail, and the job step will show an error message similar to the following: “This operation is not supported on server. Refer to the log file for more information.”

The following graphic describes the order in which firmware management tasks must be performed.

Managing Firmware Updates (Tasks)

Managing firmware updates includes such tasks as copying firmware updates, loading firmware updates on a server or server group, listing firmware updates, changing firmware update information, and deleting firmware updates.

To Copy a Firmware Update

This procedure describes how to copy a new firmware update to the N1 System Manager. Once a firmware update is copied, you can use the command line or the browser interface to install the firmware update on a managed server.

The following graphic illustrates the use of the browser interface to verify a firmware update.

Before You Begin

Ensure that the firmware update is available to the management server from the local file system, a network accessible file, or a web site.

Steps

1. Log in to the N1 System Manager.

   See To Access the N1 System Manager Command Line in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide for details.

2. Copy the firmware update.

   N1-ok> create firmware firmware url=url vendor=vendor model=model[,model...] [type type] [description description] [version version]

   See create firmware in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.

3. Verify that the firmware update was copied.

   N1-ok> show firmware firmware

   See show firmware in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.

Example 6–1 To Copy Sun Fire X4100 Firmware Through the Command Line

The following example shows how to copy the firmware image for a Sun Fire X4100 system. The firmware image applies to either a Sun Fire X4100 or a Sun Fire X4200 system, as illustrated in the second command.

N1-ok> create firmware galaxy-9306 model X4100 vendor sun 
url file:///var/tmp/x4100bootilom
N1-ok> show firmware
Name                       Type   Vendor      Version     Compatible Model         
galaxy_patch                      Sun                     X4200, X4100             
galaxy_9306                       Sun                     X4200, X4100    

See Also

To Load a Firmware Update on a Server or a Server Group

To Load a Firmware Update on a Server or a Server Group

This procedure describes how to load a firmware update by using the browser interface. The examples that follow the procedure provide command-line equivalents.

Before You Begin

• Consult your hardware documentation for instructions and information on upgrading your server firmware. See the Sun System Handbook documentation or the documentation that came with your server.

• The firmware update must be copied to the N1 System Manager. See To Copy a Firmware Update for details.

• Power off the managed server by using the browser interface or the command line before loading a firmware update on it. Sun Fire V20z, Sun Fire V40z, or ALOM (1.5)–based servers can remain powered on during firmware SP updates. The stop server command performs a graceful shutdown of the OS on the server, followed by a power off. Otherwise, you can force a power off using the stop server server force command or the stop group group force command.

• Disable monitoring for the managed server. This action is required only if you want to avoid the fault notifications as you shut down the OS on the server to complete the firmware installation. See To Disable Monitoring for a Managed Server or a Managed Server Group in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide for details.

Firmware version 2.2 and above for the Sun Fire V20z servers do not support the PIC firmware upgrade. The upgrade of PIC firmware will fail, and the job step will show an error message similar to the following: “This operation is not supported on server. Refer to the log file for more information.”

Steps

1. Log in to the N1 System Manager.

   See To Access the N1 System Manager Browser Interface in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide for details.

2. Choose All Servers from the View Selector menu.

   The Servers table appears.

3. Select the server or servers that you want to update.

   A check mark appears.

4. Choose Load Firmware from the Actions menu.

   The Load Firmware dialog box appears

5. Select the appropriate firmware from the Firmware menu.

6. To apply the firmware update to the listed target servers, click OK.

   The dialog box closes.

7. Click the Jobs tab.

   A Load Firmware job appears in the Jobs table.

8. Click the job ID.

   The Job Details page appears. Job steps indicate progress and results. Review the information in the Results section of the Job Details page to determine which servers were successfully updated.

   ---

   Note –

   After successful completion, the firmware version number is updated with the actual version number that is reported by the hardware. If the reported version number does not match the original version number, a warning is logged.

   ---

9. Verify that the installation was successful.

   N1-ok> show server server

Example 6–2 Loading Firmware on a Server Through the Command Line

The following example command shows you how to stop a server in preparation for installing a firmware update.

N1-ok> stop server server

The following example command shows you how to install a firmware update on a server by using the load command.

N1-ok> load server server1,server2 firmware v20z-bios.sp force true

See load server in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.

By default, the firmware update's model and vendor settings must match every managed server that you select for installation; otherwise, the update fails. You can specify the force option to bypass this check. However, installing an incompatible firmware update on a server might render the server unusable.

Example 6–3 Loading Firmware on a Server Group Through the Command Line

The following example command shows you how to stop a server group in preparation for installing a firmware update.

N1-ok> stop group group

The following example command shows you how to install a firmware update on a server group by using the load command.

N1-ok> load group devgroup firmware bios.sp

See load group in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.

To List the Available Firmware Updates

This procedure describes how to list the available firmware updates by using the browser interface. The example that follows the procedure provides the command-line equivalent.

Steps

1. Log in to the N1 System Manager.

   See To Access the N1 System Manager Browser Interface in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide for details.

2. Click the System Dashboard tab.

   The Task Shortcuts pane appears.

3. Click the Expand/Collapse icon on the Firmware title bar.

   The Firmware list expands.

4. Click the Edit List button.

   The Edit List dialog box appears with the available firmware list.

Example 6–4 Listing the Available Firmware Updates Through the Command Line

N1-ok> show firmware all

To List the Firmware Updates Installed on a Managed Server

You can also use the browser interface Server Details page to view all of the firmware updates that are installed on a server.

Steps

1. Log in to the N1 System Manager.

   See To Access the N1 System Manager Command Line in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide for details.

2. List the firmware updates that are installed on a managed server.

   N1-ok> show server server

   See show server in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.

Example 6–5 Listing the Firmware for an ALOM Server

The following example shows how to view all of the firmware for an ALOM enabled server.

N1-ok> show server

To Modify Firmware Update Information

This procedure describes how to modify the information about a firmware update.

Steps

1. Log in to the N1 System Manager.

   See To Access the N1 System Manager Command Line in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide for details.

2. Modify information about a firmware update.

   N1-ok> set firmware firmware [description description] [name name] [model=model] [vendor=vendor] [version=version]

   See set firmware in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.

To Delete a Firmware Update

This procedure describes how to delete a firmware update from the N1 System Manager. This procedure does not delete a firmware update from a managed server.

After you install a firmware update on a managed server, you cannot uninstall it.

Steps

1. Log in to the N1 System Manager.

   See To Access the N1 System Manager Command Line in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Discovery and Administration Guide for details.

2. Delete a firmware update from the N1 System Manager.

   N1-ok> delete firmware firmware

   See delete firmware in Sun N1 System Manager 1.3 Command Line Reference Manual for details.