All components in a logical enclosure must either run the same firmware version or run firmware versions that are compatible to each other. You can select a single Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) and apply it to all components in an enclosure, therefore minimizing the chance of downtime due to firmware incompatibility. You can also apply an SPP to a logical interconnect, which results in all associated interconnects having the same firmware baseline. This operation, by default, updates firmware only on those member interconnects that are running a different version of firmware and ignores the interconnects that are running the same firmware version.
The firmware version associated with the logical interconnect is automatically updated when an enclosure is added and an SPP is selected for the firmware baseline. The OA and iLO firmware are updated as well. Network disruptions do not occur as long as server profiles have not yet been defined or applied in the new enclosure.
However, if manage manually is selected during an enclosure add, the baseline for the interconnects is Not set. If subsequent firmware updates apply to the enclosure only, the baseline is still shown in HPE OneView as Not set. A baseline can be set for logical interconnect firmware update either when adding the enclosure using the Enclosures screen, or when updating the firmware from the Logical Enclosures screen and selecting Enclosure + logical interconnect + server profiles. If a baseline for logical interconnect is never set, the firmware for the enclosure must be managed manually.
Firmware activation options allow you to maintain network availability and reduce the probability of outages due to human error. You also have the option of staging the firmware for later activation. You can activate the staged firmware on an individual interconnect or on all interconnects.
You have the following options when updating firmware based on the logical interconnect:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Update firmware (stage + activate) |
Stages (uploads) the selected firmware to the secondary flash memory on the interconnect, and then activates the firmware as the baseline. At the end of this operation, all member interconnects are running the same firmware baseline and are compliant with one another. This option and parallel activation affects the connectivity to and from the servers until the activation is complete, but does update the firmware in the shortest time. See About activating firmware options for information about parallel activation. |
| Stage firmware for later activation |
Stages (uploads) the selected firmware to the secondary flash memory on the interconnect, but does not activate the firmware. You can activate the firmware at a later time. This option allows manual sequencing of the firmware activation and is the preferred approach to minimize service interruption. |
| Activate firmware |
Activates the selected staged firmware. |
When updating firmware based on the logical interconnect, if one or more interconnects are already running the targeted firmware version, HPE OneView excludes those interconnects from the firmware update.
You have the following options for activating the firmware on Ethernet and Fibre Channel interconnect modules:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Odd/even |
Activates odd numbered interconnect modules 1, 3, 5, and 7 on the left side, followed by even numbered modules 2, 4, 6, 8 on the right side. |
| Serial |
Activates one interconnect module at a time starting with the highest numbered bay. This method is the least disruptive. |
| Parallel |
Activates all interconnect modules at the same time. This method is the most disruptive and can cause network and storage connectivity outages. |