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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
- Know the current firmware version on the switch:
firmwareShow
- Check hardware and software compatibility:
- Review the Fabric OS (FOS) release notes to ensure compatibility with your hardware and connected devices.
- 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.
- 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).
- Redundancy check:
- Ensure redundant paths for critical workloads are functional.
- Health check:
- Verify all ports and overall switch health:
switchShow
- Backup logs and configuration:
- Collect logs and upload configurations to the FTP server:
configUpload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FILENAME>
- 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>
- 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.
- 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
- Check current firmware version:
firmwareShow
- Verify switch health:
switchShow
psshow
fanshow
tempshow
sensorshow
porterrshow
errdump
mapsdb –show
massam –show flash/cpu/memory
- Check for any hardware faults:
errShow
- Confirm available storage space:
ssh root@switch> df
- Backup current configuration to FTP server:
configUpload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FILENAME>
Firmware Upgrade Steps
- 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.
- Transfer the firmware to the Brocade switch:
firmwareDownload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FIRMWARE_FILE>
- Confirm the firmware is ready for installation:
firmwareShow
- Install the firmware:
firmwareCommit
Note: The switch might reboot during the process.
Post-Check
- Verify firmware upgrade:
firmwareShow
- Check switch health:
switchShow
psshow
fanshow
tempshow
sensorshow
porterrshow
errdump
mapsdb --show
massam --show flash/cpu/memory
- Restore or verify configuration from the FTP server (if needed):
configDownload -ftp -server <FTP_SERVER_IP> -user <FTP_USER> -file <FILENAME>
- Confirm zoning and fabric health:
fabricShow
- 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.