Upgrading firmware

Before you can use BOFM, you must first update the firmware of the chassis and blades, including BMC, BIOS, and additional expansion cards in your environment.

Attention: Installing the wrong firmware or device-driver update might cause the blade to malfunction. Before you install a firmware or device-driver update, read any readme and change history files that are provided with the downloaded update. These files contain important information about the update and the procedure for installing the update, including any special procedure for updating from an early firmware or device-driver version to the latest version.
Parent topic: Preparing for BOFM

Steps to update AMM firmware using the AMM Web interface

  1. Login to the AMM Web interface and select Firmware Update on the left pane, under MM Control. The Update MM Firmware page opens in the right pane.
  2. On the Update MM Firmware page, click Browse to find the AMM flash file.
  3. A separate Choose file window opens. Select the AMM flash file and click Open. The AMM flash file is shown in the field next to Browse on the Update MM Firmware page.
  4. Click Update on the Update MM Firmware page and wait for the firmware to be uploaded to the AMM. If a standby MM is installed, the firmware on the standby MM automatically updates to the same level.
  5. Click Continue to perform the flash.
  6. Once the flashing is complete, you must reboot the AMM.
On reboot, the new firmware is active and the standby AMM firmware is automatically updated.

Steps to update AMM firmware using UpdateXpress for BladeCenter (UXBC)

  1. Download Python interpreter, version 2.3 or later from http://www.python.org. The UXBC uses the Python update scripts to update the firmware of the applicable systems. To run the Python scripts, you must install Python interpreter on the administrative system.
    Note: Python also comes with most Linux distributions.
  2. Download the latest UpdateXpress CD2 from the http://www.ibm.com/supportportal.
  3. Go to the http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/systemx/groupView?query.productGroup=ibm%2FBladeCenter and select your blade type from the list. This action directs you to a page for your blade type. Click Management Module. You can then select from a list of available AMM firmware updates. After you download the package, unzip the package and save it to the applicable server or network location for distribution to the target systems.
  4. To save the firmware updates for a BladeCenter® management module, complete the following steps:
    1. Copy the firmware update package to a network directory that you can access from the administrative console.
      Note: Do not unzip the firmware update package in the \BladeCenterUpdates directory. Each firmware update package includes a readme file. If you unzip the package in the \BladeCenterUpdates directory, the UXBC readme file is replaced with the update package readme file.
    2. Make a note of the directory path. This information is used to create the response file when BladeScanner is run.

Steps to update AMM firmware using BladeScanner and ChassisUpdate

  1. Use BladeScanner to create a response file.
    Note: Running ChassisUpdate with the -s (scan) switch (with valid Management Module login credentials) also creates a default response file.
  2. Make note of the file name and directory location of the response file that you want to use.
  3. In the MM section of the response file, set the paths of the AMM firmware updates and make sure mmdisable is set to false. 
    ### MANDATORY Fields ###
# These fields must be specified.

# This is a mandatory field that specifies the dotted IP
# address of the BladeCenter Management Module.
mmipaddr=192.168.70.125

####  OPTIONAL Fields ###
# These fields may be necessary depending on the BladeCenter configuration.
# This is a mandatory field that specifies the username for the
# BladeCenter Management Module.
mmuser=UX2

# This is an optional field that contains the password of the specified
# username for the BladeCenter Management Module.  If not specified, an
# empty password will be supplied to the Management Module.
mmpass=nIKH7P!,

# This field is mandatory if you intend to update the Management Module.  If
# not overridden, the default paths are used.
mmFilename1=\\server\share\AMMFirmware\BPETXXX.TKT
# mmFilename2=FILE2
# mmFilename3=FILE3
# This is an optional field that disables the update of the BladeCenter
# Management Module.  If not specified, or specified as FALSE, the
# Management Module is updated.
mmdisable=FALSE
# This is an optional field that is used for informational purposes by
# BladeScanner. BladeScanner in scan mode detects the firmware revision of
# the MM and stores it in this field. BladeScanner in edit mode reads the MM
# firmware revision from this field and displays it on the UI.
# The update scripts ignore this field.
mmMainAppFirmwareRevision=BRET86L
mmMainAppRevisionNum=16
#mmBootRomFirmwareRevision=
#mmBootRomRevisionNum=
#mmRemoteControlFirmwareRevision=
#mmRemoteRevisionNum=
mmPS2toUSBFirmwareRevision=BREZ15
mmMMtoUSBFirmwareRevision=BRPI33
mmName=MM00096BCA2328
  4. From a command-line prompt, change to the disk drive that contains the UpdateXpress for BladeCenter utilities.
  5. Type the following command to run the ChassisUpdate utility: 
    chassisupdate.py -r file
    where, file is the fully qualified file name of the response file that you want to use. The ChassisUpdate utility reads the parameter from the response file and updates the applicable systems.
BladeScanner and ChassisUpdate record the transactions that they perform in a single log file. The log file is created in the following directories:
Table 1. BladeScanner and ChassisUpdate log file locations
Windows Linux 
%TEMP%\uxbc.log
where %TEMP% is the temporary directory for the Windows operating system.		 
$HOME/uxbc.log
Information is appended to the uxbc.log file each time you run BladeScanner or ChassisUpdate. As a best practice, you should periodically delete this file.

Steps to update firmware without an OS

The use of UXSPs requires that you have an OS running on the blade. If you do not, you can follow these steps to upgrade your firmware.

Steps to update blade BMC firmware

  1. Download the latest BMC firmware boot image (BMC update diskette) from the http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/systemx/groupView?query.productGroup=ibm%2FBladeCenter and select your blade type from the list. This action directs you to a page for your blade type. Click Baseboard Management Controller, which takes you to the Baseboard Management Controller section of the page. You can then select from a list of available boot images. The boot image (BMC update diskette) has a file extension of img.
  2. Update the firmware by either creating a diskette from the image or using the remote drive feature of the AMM.
  3. Follow the directions to update the BMC firmware.

Steps to update blade BIOS

  1. Download the latest BIOS update boot image from the http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/systemx/groupView?query.productGroup=ibm%2FBladeCenter and select your blade type from the list. This action directs you to a page for your blade type. Click BIOS, which takes you to the BIOS section of the page. You can then select from a list of available boot images. The BIOS has a file extension of img.
  2. Update the blade BIOS by either creating a diskette from the image or using the remote drive feature of the AMM.
  3. Follow the directions to update the BIOS.

Steps to update Emulex HBA firmware for x86 architecture

  1. Download the latest version of the Emulex HBA firmware from the http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/systemx/groupView?query.productGroup=ibm%2FBladeCenter and select your blade type from the list. This action directs you to a page for your blade type. Click Fibre Channel, which takes you to the Fibre Channel section of the page. You can then select from a list of available Emulex HBA firmware updates.
  2. Create a bootable DOS diskette image containing the doslpcfg.exe flash tool and the <flash image name>.prg flash file.
  3. Update the firmware by either creating a diskette from the image or using the remote drive feature of the AMM.
  4. Type the following commands: 
    > doslpcfg download n=1 i=<flash image name>.prg
> doslpcfg download n=2 i=<flash image name>.prg

Steps to update QLogic firmware for x86 architecture

  1. Download the latest version of the QLogic HBA firmware from the http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/systemx/groupView?query.productGroup=ibm%2FBladeCenter and select your blade type from the list. This action directs you to a page for your blade type. Click Fibre Channel, which takes you to the Fibre Channel section of the page. You can then select from a list of available QLogic HBA firmware updates.
  2. Create a bootable DOS diskette image containing the flashutil.exe flash tool and the <flash image name>.bin flash file.
  3. Type the following command: 
    > flashutil /f /o<flash image name>.bin

Steps to update Emulex or QLogic HBA firmware for POWER PC architecture

  1. Pre-OS installations on POWER PC architecture systems can only be accomplished with the IBM Standalone Diagnostics CD-ROM. You can order the CD-ROM from the IBM Dynamic System Analysis (DSA) website . In the search field, type pSeries standalone.
  2. Obtain the latest firmware for Emulex or QLogic HBA from the http://www.ibm.com/supportportal. Select JS22 or JS12 blades in the Product family field. Refine the results by selecting Fibre Channel firmware, then select from a list of available Emulex and QLogic firmware updates.
  3. Create an ISO image CD using the acquired image. Note: Some external Windows or AIX-based workstations must be used in this step to create the ISO image.
  4. Load the Standalone Diagnostics CD with the blade that requires the firmware update. Use the SoL interface on the JS blade to access the Standalone Diagnostics CD. Follow the documentation included with the Standalone Diagnostics CD-ROM to download firmware to the Emulex or QLogic HBA. After starting the Standalone Diagnostics CD-ROM, the Diagnostics CD must be removed and replaced with the CD you created in the previous steps. The Standalone Diagnostics utility uses this new CD as the source of the firmware download.