Brocade Switch Firmware Upgrade Guide

Understanding Firmware Versions

  • Major version: A significant release introducing new features or substantial changes (e.g., 9.0.0).
  • Minor version: Incremental improvements or small feature additions within a major version (e.g., 9.1.0).
  • Patch version: Bug fixes or security patches applied to a minor version (e.g., 9.1.1).

Planning for Firmware Upgrade

  1. Know the current firmware version on the switch:
    firmwareShow
  2. Check hardware and software compatibility:
    • Review the Fabric OS (FOS) release notes to ensure compatibility with your hardware and connected devices.
  3. Determine the upgrade path:
    • Plan the upgrade hops required to reach the target version.
    • Brocade does not support upgrading/downgrading more than two versions Jumps at a time.
  4. Major to major version upgrades:
    • If upgrading between major versions, install the corresponding minor version first (e.g., upgrade from 8.x to 9.x by first installing 9.0.0).
  5. Redundancy check:
    • Ensure redundant paths for critical workloads are functional.
  6. Health check:
    • Verify all ports and overall switch health:
    switchShow
  7. Backup logs and configuration:
    • Collect logs and upload configurations to the FTP server:
    configUpload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FILENAME>
  8. Initiate firmware upgrade:
    • Use the firmwareDownload command to download firmware to the switch:
    firmwareDownload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FIRMWARE_FILE>
  9. Upgrade OS:
    • Brocade switches have two flash partitions: primary and secondary.
    • During the firmware upgrade:
      • The primary partition becomes the secondary.
      • The secondary partition becomes the primary.
    • Firmware is first installed on the new primary partition (previously secondary), triggering a reboot.
  10. Commit firmware:
    • The switch checks all components post-reboot.
    • If everything works correctly, the new firmware is committed to the secondary partition (previously primary).
    • The partitions then revert to their original roles.

Additional Firmware Commands

  • Commit the firmware manually:
    firmwareCommit
  • Restore firmware to a previous version:
    firmwareRestore
  • Check firmware download status:
    firmwareDownloadStatus
  • Manually reboot and commit firmware:
    firmwareDownload -s
  • Install firmware from USB:
    firmwareDownload -u

Prerequisites

  • Ensure you have administrative access to the Brocade switch.
  • Verify network connectivity between the switch and the FTP server.
  • Confirm the firmware version difference is no more than two versions for upgrade/downgrade.
  • Collect the current switch configuration as a backup.
  • Schedule a maintenance window, as the switch may experience downtime during the upgrade.

Pre-Check

  1. Check current firmware version:
    firmwareShow
  2. Verify switch health:
    switchShow
    psshow
    fanshow
    tempshow
    sensorshow
    porterrshow
    errdump
    mapsdb –show
    massam –show flash/cpu/memory
  3. Check for any hardware faults:
    errShow
  4. Confirm available storage space:
    ssh root@switch> df
  5. Backup current configuration to FTP server:
    configUpload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FILENAME>

Firmware Upgrade Steps

  1. Download the firmware from the Brocade website to the FTP server:
    • Log in to the Brocade support portal.
    • Navigate to the firmware download section.
    • Download the appropriate firmware package and save it to your FTP server.
  2. Transfer the firmware to the Brocade switch:
    firmwareDownload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FIRMWARE_FILE>
  3. Confirm the firmware is ready for installation:
    firmwareShow
  4. Install the firmware:
    firmwareCommit
    Note: The switch might reboot during the process.

Post-Check

  1. Verify firmware upgrade:
    firmwareShow
  2. Check switch health:
    switchShow
    psshow
    fanshow
    tempshow
    sensorshow
    porterrshow
    errdump
    mapsdb --show
    massam --show flash/cpu/memory
  3. Restore or verify configuration from the FTP server (if needed):
    configDownload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FILENAME>
  4. Confirm zoning and fabric health:
    fabricShow
  5. Review error logs:
    errShow

Additional Notes

  • Ensure all devices connected to the switch are aware of the maintenance window.
  • Validate that NVMe over FC configurations (if any) are intact post-upgrade.
  • Schedule post-upgrade monitoring to capture any unexpected errors.

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