The software upgrade test utility is run prior to initiating a Concurrent Code Upgrade (CCU) to check the system for issues which might prevent a successful update.
If any issues are found, the upgrade utility presents a warning message with details of the issue and the methods to resolve them.
It is recommended that the upgrade is not started until these issues are resolved.
IBM Support also recommends that the upgrade utility is run at least a full day prior to starting the concurrent upgrade so that any issues can be resolved without delaying the planned upgrade.
Note: For firmware versions 1.2.0.11 and later, the test utility must be run before proceeding with the upgrade.
For earlier firmware versions, installing and running the utility is optional, but highly recommended.
A minor wording change has been made to provide clarity to those who might attempt to upgrade to 1.5 releases before 1.5.2.5 with AE1 encrypted systems. AE1 encrypted systems are allowed to be upgraded to 1.5.2.5 and later 1.5 releases.
If you have concerns, please contact IBM Support using the contact information below.
To view what other checks are done when running the update utility, see Update history.
The upgrade test utility can be installed and run using either the Command-line Interface (CLI) or the Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Users are strongly recommended to use the GUI to upgrade.
Instructions on running the utility with or without an upgrade are provided on the next page.
Upgrade information and instructions are provided in product release notes.
Refer to the release notes for the specific firmware version you are upgrading to.
For general instructions on performing upgrades, refer to the IBM FlashSystem Knowledge Center.
From this link, you can access the appropriate FlashSystem page through one of the following paths:
System Storage > Flash Storage > Flash high availability systems > IBM FlashSystem 840 > Upgrading
System Storage > Flash Storage > Flash high availability systems > IBM FlashSystem 900 > Upgrading
System Storage > Flash Storage > Flash high availability systems > IBM FlashSystem V840 > Upgrading
The test utility can be run through the GUI without starting an upgrade.
Simply navigate to Settings > System > Update System and select Test Only.
Provide the file for the test utility, enter a supported firmware version that you plan to move to, and select Test.
To run the upgrade test utility using the GUI, follow these steps:
Navigate to Settings > System > Update System as shown in the figure below and select Update.
Use the folder icon and browse to select the file for the upgrade test utility. Select the appropriate upgrade file before clicking Update, as shown below.
Wait for the upgrade utility to run.
If there are any issues with the system that might cause the upgrade to fail, a message appears prompting you to go to the Update System page and read more about the issues the upgrade utility found, as seen in below.
Click Go to Update System and then click on Read more to view details on the issues, including how to resolve them. Correct any issues before continuing with the upgrade.
To run the upgrade test utility using the CLI, follow these steps:
Copy the test utility file to the /upgrade directory on the system's configuration node using the management IP address from an external location. Use one of the following methods:
Using Linux, issue the following command: scp upgrade_fileusername@management_ip:/upgrade/
Using Windows, issue the following command: pscp upgrade_fileusername@management_ip:/upgrade/
Issue the following command to install the upgrade utility: applysoftware -file TMS9840_INSTALL_svcupgradetest_1.54
Once a success message is received for installing the utility, issue the following command to run the upgrade utility using the firmware version number (1.x.x.x) of the firmware you are upgrading to: svcupgradetest -v 1.x.x.x
Once the utility has finished running, the utility alerts you of any errors with your system that may prevent the upgrade from completing successfully.
Recommended actions are given to resolve any issues existing with the system. Resolve any issues before proceeding with the upgrade.
The following describes the updates made to past versions of the upgrade utility. If you wish to see the latest update, see Latest changes.
Version 1.52 - The utility will now block systems with AE1 hardware from upgrading to 1.6 releases as this is no longer supported.
Version 1.50 - The utility will now detect when a system has an invalid partition layout on the configuration node canister when upgrading to 1.5 releases and block the upgrade, if applicable.
The utility will not block AE1 encrypted systems from upgrading to 1.5.2.5 firmware version and later 1.5 releases, but will continue to block upgrades to prior 1.5 releases. See Version 1.45 in the update history for background.
The update utility will ensure that iSCSI and FCoE systems with non "superuser" security admin permissions are blocked from upgrading to 1.5 releases and greater. See Version 1.38 in the update history for background.
Version 1.48 - The "-md5" command line option has been added to allow users to opt in for the md5sum check provided by the utility. Only available through the CLI, the utility will run an md5sum check against the upgrade file and compare it to the md5sum.txt
file uploaded to the system from Fix Central to verify the upgrade file is not corrupted. This md5sum check is only supported for firmware versions 1.5.x and later.
Version 1.45 - A check has been added for encrypted AE1 hardware systems upgrading to 1.5 firmware levels. Any systems meeting these specifications will be blocked from upgrading to 1.5 firmware versions.
IBM will be releasing a PTF to allow upgrade to 1.5 in the future.
Version 1.44 - A check has been added to verify that the upgrade package is valid.
A warning message will be presented if the relevant firmware version's md5sum file from Fix Central is not uploaded to the upgrade directory or if the md5sum of the uploaded update package and the md5sum file from Fix Central do not match.
The upgrade will not be blocked if the md5sum file is not uploaded to the system and can be resumed.
Version 1.41 - A check has been added to ensure a warning is presented when the array is low on physical free capacity before upgrade and to block the upgrade if the array is critically low on physical free capacity.
Version 1.39 - A check has been added to warn the user if one or more paths to the system host is in an offline state. This check does not block the user from upgrading.
Version 1.38 - A check has been added to ensure that users with iSCSI or FCoE configurations will be blocked from upgrading to firmware versions 1.5.1.0 and later.
Version 1.36 - A check has been added to ensure that each of the system flash modules are not missing firmware information. In the rare case that this happens, the update utility will block the user from upgrading and inform them that they should contact IBM Support.
Version 1.35 - A check has been added to prevent upgrade on systems that currently have a battery reconditioning in progress.
Version 1.32 - A check has been added to prevent upgrade on systems with batteries that are not online.
This includes batteries that are 'offline' and 'degraded.' Click here for more information.
The update test utility also now accounts for a lack of a flash module spare on RAID 0 systems.
Version 1.29 - A check has been added to prevent systems that have an array, but no spare drive from upgrading.
Version 1.28 - A check has been added to prevent upgrades for 1.4.x systems with encryption keys in the prepared state.
These keys must be committed or canceled before proceeding with the upgrade.
Version 1.24 - A check has been added to present users with firmware levels below 1.2.0.12 with the message 'error in verifying signature of file.'
Version 1.23 - A check has been added to prevent an upgrade for iSCSI systems to firmware version 1.4.4.2 due to a known issue.
Version 1.22 - A check has been added to prevent an upgrade to a version below 1.2.1.9 for users with Pass 5 systems.
Version 1.20 - A check has been added to ensure that the maximum number of host ports used does not exceed 32.
If host ports used exceeds this number, the user will not be able to proceed with the upgrade.
Version 1.18 - A 'Test only' option is now available through the GUI which allows users to run the test utility without upgrading.
In addition, users with the user name 'service' are warned that they will not have access to this user if they upgrade and should take action to create a new user with a different name.
Version 1.17 - Reporting has been improved to include all errors and warnings for all issues found in the same report.
Version 1.14 - The utility now verifies that Call home is not only configured, but also enabled. If both of these things are not done, a warning is issued.
Call home messages are sent when the utility starts, gives a warning, fails, or finishes successfully.
The utility now verifies that an array is present and fully online.
Version 1.8 - The utility verifies that the user is upgrading from one of the four supported versions when upgrading to a firmware version later than 1.2.0.12.
The four supported levels are 1.1.3.7, 1.1.3.8, 1.2.0.11, and 1.2.0.12.
Version 1.6 - Updated utility verifies whether midplane paths have been disabled and that the system is properly encrypted.
Additionally, the utility now overwrites a previously installed utility, if necessary.
Version 1.5 - Updated utility creates a file upon successfully completing, enabling the CCL upgrade to start.
Version 1.4 - Updated utility verifies that the Call Home notification feature is configured on the system.
A warning is issued if the Call Home feature is not configured.
Version 1.3 - Updated utility checks for a potential canister power off issue during CCL.
Version 1.2 - Updated utility runs a CPLD diagnostic.
Version 1.1 - Updated utility runs a diagnostic on PSUs.
Version 1.0 - Runs a diagnostic on fans, batteries, and flash modules.
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