HP StorageWorks 8/80 HP StorageWorks Fabric OS 6.2 administrator guide (5697-0 - Page 216

If you are using an HP StorageWorks 4/256 SAN Director, or an HP StorageWorks DC SAN Backbone Director or HP StorageWorks DC04 SAN Director Switch enterprise-class platform, with one or more AP blades: The Fabric OS automatically detects mismatches between the active CP firmware and the blade's firmware. The auto-leveling process will automatically update the blade firmware to match the active CP. At the end of the auto-leveling process, the active CP and the blade will run the same version of the firmware. If the firmware download process is interrupted by an unexpected reboot, the system will automatically repair and recover the secondary partition. You must wait for the recovery to complete before issuing another firmwareDownload command. The command supports both non-interactive and interactive modes. If the firmwareDownload command is entered without any operands, or if there is any syntax error in the parameters, the command enters an interactive mode, in which you are prompted for input IMPORTANT: For each switch in your fabric, complete all firmware download changes on the current switch before issuing the firmwareDownload command on the next switch. This process ensures nondisruption of traffic between switches in your fabric. To verify that the firmwareDownload process is complete, enter the firmwareDownloadStatus command on the switch, verify that the process is complete, and then move on to the next switch. Upgrading and downgrading firmware Upgrading means installing a newer version of firmware. Downgrading means installing an older version of firmware. In most cases, you will be upgrading firmware. However, some circumstances may require installing an older version; that is, downgrading the firmware. The procedures in this section assume that you are upgrading firmware, but they work for downgrading as well, provided the old and new firmware versions are compatible. Always reference the latest release notes for any new information regarding downgrades under particular circumstances. Effects of firmware changes on accounts and passwords Table 55 describes what happens to accounts and passwords when you replace the switches firmware with a different version, such as downgrading from Fabric OS 5.3.0 to 5.2.0 or earlier. Table 55 Effects of firmware changes on accounts and passwords Change First time Subsequent times (After upgrade, then downgrade, then upgrade) Upgrading Default accounts and their passwords are preserved. User-defined and default accounts and their passwords are preserved. Downgrading User-defined accounts are no longer valid. Default accounts and their passwords are preserved. If a default account was disabled, it is reenabled after the downgrade. User-defined and default accounts and their passwords are preserved, including accounts added after the first upgrade. For details on Administrative Domains and the firmware download process, see Chapter 7, "Managing administrative domains" on page 191 for more information. For more details on older releases of Fabric OS, see Appendix B, "Understanding legacy password behavior" on page 537. For details about testing and restoring firmware, see "Test and restore firmware on enterprise-class platforms" on page 228. Considerations for FICON CUP environments To prevent channel errors during nondisruptive firmware installation, the switch CUP port must be taken offline from all host systems. 214 Installing and maintaining firmware