Storage Center Version 7.x Software Update Guide
Software Update Types
Within a software update package, an individual update component is classified according to the method in which it can be installed. The method you use to install updates affects your infrastructure differently.
NOTE:Before applying updates, understand the impact of the update on
Storage Center infrastructure and plan the update process carefully to avoid unplanned downtime.
- Required — Required components must be installed as part of the update.
- Deferrable — Deferrable components can be installed later; however, doing so can negatively affect the reliability of the components whose firmware is not being updated.
- Service Affecting — Service affecting components can be installed only when Storage Center is temporarily taken out-of-service. During the outage, all systems and services using volumes from Storage Center must be powered down correctly to avoid data loss and unplanned system disruption.
- Non-Service Affecting — Non-service affecting components can be installed either when
Storage Center is in service or during a scheduled outage. Although these components are designed to not cause system disruption, the way in which
Storage Center is configured can affect performance. During a non-service affecting update, the firmware update process occurs as a rolling controller update. This process results in a controller failover event that causes the host initiators to log out and then log back in to the volumes connected to the SAN. If you have implemented the
Dell Storage best practices for host settings (for example, multipath IO, HBA settings, time-outs) and fabric design (cabling, number of front-end ports), the logout/login process has minimal effect on host volumes. The update process should not affect data access, data integrity, or result in any data loss.
NOTE:When performing a non-service affecting update, reduce the impact of the controller restart operation on the host OS and applications by verifying that the correct configuration and best practices are applied to each newly configured host. Dell recommends that every host that accesses Storage Center volumes or that has large updates applied to its OS has at least one failover test.
The following table shows which components affect service during installation:
| Component | Service Affecting | Non-Service Affecting |
|---|---|---|
| Storage Center with a Single Controller | ||
| Storage Center Firmware Update | Yes | - |
| Enclosure Firmware Update. Depending on the components for a specific release, enclosure firmware may or may not be non-service affecting. | Yes | Yes |
Disk Firmware Update. Disk firmware updates may be service affecting or non-service affecting depending on the drive. A drive that supports an in-service upgrade, is a drive that can:
|
Yes | Yes |
| Storage Center with Dual Controllers | ||
| Storage Center Firmware Update | - | Yes |
| Enclosure Firmware Update. Depending on the components for a specific release, enclosure firmware may or may not be non-service affecting. | Yes | Yes |
Disk Firmware Update. Disk firmware upgrades may be service affecting or non-service affecting depending on the drive. A drive that supports an in-service upgrade, is a drive that can:
|
Yes | Yes |
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