C210 Firmware upgrade 1.4(3x) to 1.4(3z)

[raul.cavazos]

I plan on upgrading two C210 M2s from 1.4(3x) to 1.4(3z). This my first ever UCS firmware upgrade so I want to cover all my bases.

I followed this quick guide - http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/sw/lomug/1-4-x/install/b_huu_1_4_3.html

I get I mount the ISO to KVM or on the CD/DVD drive directly.  Boot to it and navigate the menus. 

Is it recommended to upgrade all the firmware on the ISO ?  Am I better off upgrading the firmware individually  or with the upgrade all ?

I'm running ESXi 5.5 SU2 on both of these C210s and anyone have any recommendations to look into prior to upgrading for anything Vmware specific ?

Lastly any tips ?

[Evan Mickel · Accepted solution]

1) An upgrade of all of the components at once will be fine, this is typically how we recommend this be accomplished.

2) In terms of the upgrade on the C-series itself my only tip would be to make sure that you are near the server within the network.  Mounting and running the HUU through a WAN and VPN for example would not be the preferred method.  This can lead to a failure to properly boot the ISO.

3) In terms of the VMware considerations after the upgrade, you will need to ensure that your ethernet (enic) and fiber channel (fnic) drivers are aligned with the support matrix.

Determining Current Driver Version:

https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1027206

Cisco Interop Utility:

https://ucshcltool.cloudapps.cisco.com/public/

Final Notes:

It appears that because the z release is so new that it has not been properly posted in all normal locations.  As long as you have the "ucs-cxxx-drivers.1.4.3z.iso" as well you should have what you need with respect to the OS components.

Thanks!

[Johnny B]

Hello guys. I'm in the same boat as Raul. I've been able to locate ucs-c200-huu-1.4.3z.iso, but I can't seem to find ucs-cxxx-drivers.1.4.3z.iso and ucs-cxxx-fw.1.4.3z.iso.

Can anyone please point me in the right direction?

Many thanks!

[Wes Austin]

John,

If there is not an updated driver bundle for the version of firmware you are running you can use the last available bundle for that release and it should match up. 

For Example, 1.4.3y would contain the correct drivers. This means that the CIMC/BIOS components were upgraded, but the drivers did not change.

Always confirm using the Interop Matrix.

Cisco Interop Utility:

https://ucshcltool.cloudapps.cisco.com/public/

HTH,

Wes

[Johnny B]

Thank you for replying, Wes. I'll plan on using ucs-cxxx-drivers.1.4.3y for the drivers and ucs-c200-huu-1.4.3z for the firmware on my C210 M2 machines.

What exactly is the third ISO, ucs-cxxx-fw.1.4.3z.iso, used for? Do I still need it? If so, where might I find it?

Lastly, and this may be a dumb question, why does the interop matrix seem to show different software than what we've discussed above? Namely, 2.2(1) and 2.1(3)?

[Wes Austin]

Hey John,

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/release/notes/Release_Notes_for_Cisco_UCS_C-Series_SW_1_4_3y.html

Make sure you are using standalone C-series and not blades.

HTH,

Wes

[Johnny B]

Wonderful! Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it!

[raul.cavazos]

I can confirm with Wesley Austin.  

I ran the upgrade this past weekend and only CIMC and BIOS were upgraded. 

I opted to upgrade all the detected devices, option 8. 

The BIOS and CIMC upgraded, as for the LOM I got a message informing me the ISO version and installed version were the same and was prompted if I wanted to overwrite.  I said no to that. I believe the LSI prompted me the same question. 

My broadcom 5709 quad port adatper was updated to the same version, no prompt was given to me for this. 

[raul.cavazos]

Evan thanks you for the tips.  The upgrade went well and checking the driver version and Cisco Interop Utility help ease my nerves.