Release Date: February 21, 2018
This release is only supported for the IBM FlashSystem V9000 storage enclosure, Machine Types and Models (MTM) 9846-AE3 and 9848-AE3.
IBM FlashSystem V9000 product resources guide users through the various features and components of the storage system, including usage and troubleshooting guides. To read about this storage system and learn how to use or troubleshoot, see IBM Knowledge Center for IBM FlashSystem V9000 or visit the IBM Redbooks® website for the IBM FlashSystem V9000 Product Guide.
The following explains the bug severity ranking used for key fixes and in the Release history:
| Severity | Description | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | Recommended upgrade for all users as soon as possible. | |||
| S2 | Recommended upgrade for all users at the next scheduled maintenance window | |||
| S3 | Recommended upgrade at the next scheduled maintenance window only for users experiencing the issue. All others may consider this to be an S4. | |||
| S4 | Upgrade at the next scheduled maintenance window. May be performed at the discretion of the user if the issue is having a negative impact. | |||
| S5 | Upgrade is not necessary. This would include a mostly cosmetic or minor annoyance fix. |
The current release is considered a major release for FlashSystem V9000 customers with AE3 storage enclosure model types. This release includes support for all new features, fixes, and quality of life improvements.
After initial configuration of the hardware is complete, IBM strongly recommends that you make sure that your IBM FlashSystem firmware is up-to-date. Visit IBM Fix Central using the link below to see if any updates are available for your system.
The following fixes are made available with release 1.5.1.0.
To view fixes from earlier releases, see the Release history. Available firmware releases are listed on IBM Fix Central. For issue severity definitions, see the Bug severity legend.
S2
S3
S4
S5
lssra fails to execute on a canister that has been removed and reseated.lsenclosurecanister CLI command reports a canister as offline when it is missing.No vulnerabilities were remediated in this release.
The following information lists the features that come with the 1.5 release of IBM FlashSystem V9000 product.
Users with virtualized storage on SVC versions 8.1.0.2 or 8.1.1.0 who are considering upgrading to 8.1.1.1 must update using special instructions detailed here. See Fix Central for these releases.
To stay up-to-date on current known issues, workarounds, downloads, and other documentation from support, please ensure that you have subscribed to My Notifications.
| Protocol | Description |
|---|---|
| SCSI-SAM-3 | SCSI Architecture Model (v3) |
| SCSI-SPC-3 | SCSI Primary Commands (V3) |
| SCSI-SBC-2 | SCSI Block Commands (V2) |
| SCSI-FCP-3 | Fibre Channel (FC) Protocol (V3) |
| SCSI-SRP | SCSI RDMA Protocol |
| FC-PH-3 | FC Physical and Signaling Interface (V3) |
| FC-AL-3 | FC Arbitrated Loop (V2) |
| IBTA-1.2 | InfiniBand (IB) Trade Association Architecture Specification (V1.2) |
There are currently no previous fixes to this release.
Use the following sections to perform firmware upgrades for your systems to the current release.
Warning: Please read all the instructions below before upgrading.
If you are upgrading to this release and your system is healthy, you can perform a Concurrent Code Upgrade (CCU). A CCU is a non-disruptive upgrade and is the preferred upgrade method. For general instructions on performing upgrades, refer to the FlashSystem Knowledge Center.
The following upgrade paths are supported for this release.
| From | To | |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5.0.x | --> | 1.5.1.0 |
CCU is a non-disruptive upgrade, which means that the system remains online throughout the process and that you can continue to access data normally. As a precaution, it is recommended that the upgrade occur during a time of reduced traffic. During the upgrade, the interface adapters in each canister are taken offline temporarily to be upgraded. This might impact performance or throughput. The impact is more noticeable under heavy load conditions. With a properly configured multi-path configuration, access to your data is maintained always.
To ensure a successful, non-disruptive upgrade, you should verify that your interface ports are all online and all the system hardware is functioning normally. Ideally, you should have the following:
lsenclosurebattery or the management GUI under Monitoring --> Systems to verify battery status. Note: If the battery status is 'reconditioning,' the firmware upgrade will not be allowed to start until after reconditioning completes. If the battery status is 'reconditioning required,' then you may proceed with the upgrade and perform reconditioning on the battery later. Note also that battery reconditioning can take up to 24 hours to complete. Running the ugprade test utility is a required step before concurrent upgrade in firmware versions after 1.2.0.11. The utility checks for any problems in the system that might prevent the upgrade from completing successfully and either warns the user or blocks the user from proceeding. IBM Support recommends that all users planning to upgrade run the utility a full day in advance so that any issues called out by the utility can be remedied without delaying the planned upgrade.
To view checks that the upgrade utility makes before an upgrade, see the the release notes for the latest upgrade test utility posted along with each available firmware package on IBM Fix Central.
Important: Before you begin the upgrade, we recommend that you perform a backup of your data and a backup of the FlashSystem configuration. To back up the configuration, log into the cluster management IP address and issue the following command using admin-level authority:
svcconfig backup
Optionally, you can copy the configuration backup file from the FlashSystem to your workstation using secure copy (scp) on Linux or PuTTY secure copy (pscp.exe) on Windows as in the following examples:
(Using Linux)
scp superuser@
(Using Windows)
pscp -unsafe superuser@
Note: Do not ignore the periods shown above at the end of each command. In addition, replacement of italicized descriptions within angle brackets with appropriate information is required.
Posted along with the release notes and upgrade files on Fix Central are md5sum text files. These files exist for each update file so that the user can verify that the update file was downloaded correctly.
It is highly recommended that the upgrade be performed using the web-based cluster management interface known as the management GUI. Instructions are available for performing a CCU in IBM Knowledge Center. Search for 'IBM FlashSystem V9000,' then navigate to Upgrading the system. Included is information on retrieving software packages, using the update test utility, and automatically updating using either the GUI or the CLI.
Use the following sections to troubleshoot problems that may occur during the upgrade process.
If the upgrade takes more than two hours to complete, it may have stalled. Upgrade status is viewed by issuing lsupdate CLI command or by going to Settings --> System --> Update System in the GUI.
Both show a 'Stalled' status. In most cases, this can be resolved by aborting the upgrade and reattempting the upgrade after the system downgrades to its original level.
To abort the upgrade, issue the applysoftware -abort CLI command or click the 'Stop Upgrade' button in the GUI.
After the system is downgraded, you can reattempt your upgrade from the GUI or CLI. If the upgrade stalls repeatedly or if you have alerts which cannot be cleared, contact IBM Support.
You may get a battery or quorum alert during upgrade due to required reconfiguration. These alerts should be automatically cleared when the upgrade is completed. They may be visible from the Events view of the management GUI if the filter is set to 'Show All,' but they should no longer appear in the Recommended Actions, Unfixed Messages, or Alerts views. If you see unfixed battery or quorum alerts after an upgrade is complete, contact IBM Support.
If the upgrade has failed or stopped due to a hardware failure, you will see the 'Hardware Failed' status.
If you suspect a hardware failure, issue the lsupdate command to confirm the state of your system. This command shows that the system is in a hardware_failed state and the event log contains a 'System upgrade suspended' event. You may resume the upgrade by issuing the applysoftware -resume -force command for the following conditions:
lsenclosurebatteryIf the upgrade cannot be resumed or you have other alerts which cannot be cleared, contact IBM Support. The battery reconditioning feature calibrates the gauge that reports the amount of charge on the batteries. On systems that have been installed for 10 months or more or systems that have experienced several power outages, the recommendation to run 'battery reconditioning' will appear in the event log shortly after upgrading. This is normal. Use the management GUI to run a DMP for this error or see the FlashSystem Knowledge Center to view how to properly issue the chenclosureslot command in reference to this issue. Use the following link to access the Knowledge Center page for battery reconditioning.
Call IBM at 1-800-IBM-SERV (1-800-426-7378). To find contact information for a specific region, visit the IBM directory of worldwide contacts.
The following information reflects changes made to this document.
| Revision number | Description | Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Original version. | June 19, 2018 | |||
| 2.0 | FLASH-26756 added as a severity 2 issue. Revision history section added. | August 2, 2018 |
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