Preparing for a firmware download, Prerequisites, Obtaining and decompressing firmware – Brocade Fabric OS Upgrade Guide (Supporting Fabric OS v7.3.0) User Manual
Page 17: Prerequisites obtaining and decompressing firmware
Preparing for a Firmware Download
Prerequisites
Before executing a firmware download, it is recommended that you perform the tasks listed in this
section. In the unlikely event of a failure or timeout, these preparatory tasks enable you to provide your
switch support provider the information required to troubleshoot the firmware download.
It is recommended that you use the configUpload command to back up the current configuration
before you download firmware to a switch. Refer to
Configuration file backup
for details.
1.
Read the release notes for the new firmware to find out if there are any updates related to the
firmware download process.
2.
Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions. Enter the
firmwareShow command to verify the current version of Fabric OS.
Brocade does not support non-disruptive upgrades from more than one previous release. Non-
disruptive upgrade is supported only from Fabric OS 7.2.x to Fabric OS 7.3.x.
Disruptive upgrade from Fabric OS 7.1.x to Fabric OS 7.3.x is supported.
3.
Use the configUpload command prior to the firmware download. Save the configuration file on
your FTP or SSH server or USB memory device on supported platforms.
4.
Optional: For additional support, connect the switch to a computer with a serial console cable.
Ensure that all serial consoles (both CPs for Backbones) and any open network connection
sessions, such as Telnet, are logged and included with any trouble reports.
5.
Connect to the switch and log in using an account with admin permissions. Enter the supportSave
command to retrieve all current core files prior to executing the firmware download. This
information helps to troubleshoot the firmware download process if a problem is encountered.
6.
Optional: Enter the errClear command to erase all existing messages in addition to internal
messages.
Obtaining and decompressing firmware
Firmware upgrades are available for customers with support service contracts and for partners on the
Brocade website at
http://www.brocade.com
.
You must decompress the firmware before you can use the firmwareDownload command to update
the firmware on your equipment. Use the UNIX tar command for .tar files, the gunzip command for
all .gz files, or a Windows unzip program for all .zip files
When you unpack the downloaded firmware, it expands into a directory that is named according to the
version of Fabric OS it contains. For example, when you download and unzip v7.3.0.zip, it expands into
Fabric OS Upgrade Guide
15
53-1003240-01