Firmware Download and update procedure for Sun Fire[TM] v1280, 3800, 4800, 4810, 6800, E2900, E4900, E6900, and Netra 1280, 1290 systems.

Asset ID:	1-71-1006281.1
Update Date:	2011-04-28
Keywords:

Solution Type Technical Instruction Sure

Solution 1006281.1 : Firmware Download and update procedure for Sun Fire[TM] v1280, 3800, 4800, 4810, 6800, E2900, E4900, E6900, and Netra 1280, 1290 systems.

Applies to:

Sun Netra 1280 Server
Sun Fire 3800 Server
Sun Fire V1280 Server
Sun Fire 4800 Server
Sun Fire 4810 Server
All Platforms

Goal

This document describes the Firmware update procedure.

Solution

System Controller Application (ScApp) is often generically referred to as "firmware".

ScApp on the Sun Fire[TM] 3800, 4800, 4810, 6800, E4900, and E6900 is upgraded utilizing the flashupdate command from the Systems Controller (SC) prompt.

ScApp (actually called "lom" on these systems) on the Sun Fire[TM] v1280, E2900, and Netra 1280, 1290 system can be updated by one of two different mechanisms:

Utilizing the flashupdate command from the System Controller lom prompt.
Utilizing the lom -G command in the Solaris operating environment (from a domain or system that contains the lom packages and can access the SC). See document 1003856.1 if using the lom -G option.

This document discusses how to perform the flashupdate command upgrade or update for firmware revisions greater then 5.17.x.

Steps to Follow
Utilize the install.info installation instructions provided with the firmware patch to avoid update problems.
The version of System Controller Application (ScApp - or generically, the "firmware") that Sun continues to maintain is ScApp 5.20.x. It is available for download via patch 114527.
Note: to download this patch select the Patches and Updates tab in My Oracle Support, enter the patch id in the search box and Search for the patch. Selecting the patch will take you to the patch information page. Click on the Download button.

Within the patch tar ball is a file called install.info.
The install.info file contains the step by step firmware installation/upgrade procedures to execute depending on your current firmware revision and your destination firmware revision.
For example, the process differs if upgrading from an old version of ScApp (like 5.13.x) versus that of a newer release (like 5.19.x).

NOTE: You are strongly encouraged to keep ScApp up to date to avoid encountering known issues or Bugs which newer versions of ScApp have code fixes integrated. Again, ScApp 5.20.x is the latest version of ScApp and will continue to be maintained.

In order to prevent installation issues with the firmware upgrade process, follow the instructions within the install.info file that comes with your patch.

General advice prior to performing an upgrade:

Read through the entire install.info documented procedure and be sure it is clear what is required.
Perform the firmware upgrade within a serial console (tip, or terminal concentrator) type of connection if possible. This will avoid any network related disconnects and better allow you to "see" the procedure complete.
Recording the whole upgrade procedure within a scripted session or logging the process on a loghost will better allow an engineer to troubleshoot what went wrong if the process does not complete properly.
Finally, it is recommended to reboot the SC prior to firmware upgrade so the SC starts from a "fresh state" immediately prior to the installation. This not only frees up SC resources just prior to install, but also validates the SC was successfully able to reboot prior to the upgrade in case it is not able to reboot after the upgrade.

NOTES:

If you encounter issues while performing the upgrade procedure, utilize document 1012962.1 to troubleshoot the issue.
If upgrading a Sun Fire[TM] v1280, E2900, Netra 1280, or 1290 system and you wish to utilize lom -G, see document 1003856.1 for the upgrade instructions instead of this article.

Procedure to be followed:

The instructions listed below are only a subset of the available procedures contained in this file. The install.info file also contains single board upgrade procedures, copy procedures, backup procedures, downgrade procedures, etc. The following instructions are from the ScApp 5.20.13 version of the install.info file:

4.1 Full Upgrade
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Use the following procedure to upgrade the firmware from
5.12.x, 5.13.x, 5.14.x, 5.15.x, 5.16.x, 5.17.x, 5.18.x, 5.19.x
or 5.20.x.
This procedure assumes that the firmware update is available
on a ftp or http server. For more information, refer to the
Sun Fire Midrange Systems Platform Administration Manual.

NOTE: If you have a single SC configuration, skip steps
        4, 5, and 8 in the following procedure.

        If your SCs are connected to a network switch with
        spanning tree protocol (STP) enabled, you must set
        up a temporary hub between the SCs and the network
        switch before upgrading the firmware, then remove
        the hub after you complete the upgrade. If you have
        questions regarding the hub, contact your service
        provider.

1. Connect to the main SC console using the serial port,
   to monitor the system when you upgrade the firmware.

2. Verify that all CPU/Memory boards and I/O assemblies
   are powered on by running the showboards command on
   the SC in the platform shell:

        schostname:SC> showboards

3. If any CPU/Memory boards or I/O assemblies are not powered
   on, run the poweron command on the SC in the platform shell
   to power on those components:

        schostname:SC> poweron

   If you have a single SC configuration, proceed to Step 6.

4. If you have a redundant SC configuration, connect to the
   spare SC console using the serial port.

5. Upgrade the firmware on the spare SC by running the
   flashupdate command on the spare SC.

   Use the command syntax appropriate to the URL protocol:

        schostname:SC> flashupdate -f [url] scapp rtos

   where [url] is the URL to the directory containing the
   new flash images.

   The flashupdate command updates ScApp and RTOS on the spare SC.

6. Upgrade the firmware on the main SC by running the flashupdate
   command on the main SC in the platform shell.

   CAUTION: When performing this step, do NOT:

        o Power down any part of the system
        o Reset any part of the system
        o Perform any DR operation

   Use the command syntax appropriate to the URL protocol:

        schostname:SC> flashupdate -f [url] all rtos

   where [url] is the URL to the directory containing the
   new flash images. The flashupdate command upgrades the
   CPU/Memory boards and I/O assemblies, then it reboots
   the SC. ScApp and RTOS are upgraded during the reboot.

   NOTE: The first SC reboot after a successful update from
         5.11.x or 5.12.x firmware may take up to 20 minutes
         to complete due in part to updating of internal
         system records. Other factors include POST level
         setting and configuration. While these factors may

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