Step by step procedure to upgrade HP blade firmware running HPUX operating system. Use this process with caution and on your own risk since mistakes may lead to an unstable system.
This post will cover step by step procedure to upgrade HP blade firmware running HPUX OS.
Warning: Halting the upgrade process in between can send your hardware in an unusable state. This activity needs experts/vendor support to be carried out. Proceed with caution and at your own risk.
Step 1
Login to MP and get current firmware version using sysrev command from the command menu. Download the new firmware from the HP website (for example BL860c firmware here). You should be having a valid contract with the vendor. This should be a tar file that you can un-tar on the HPUX server. Download and transfer files to the HPUX server. Extract the content of the tar file. There should be a list of files listed below.
hpoa330.bin
PF_CTAHISYS0425EFI.tar
bl860c_1_92_install_manual.txt
fweupdate_1p92.efi
update_SFW.nsh
Step 2
Get your boot disk path (primary boot path) using setboot command.
# /usr/sbin/setboot -v
Primary bootpath : 2/0/0/3/0.0x6.0x0 (/dev/rdisk/disk40)
HA Alternate bootpath :
Alternate bootpath : 2/0/0/2/0.0x6.0x0 (/dev/rdisk/disk16)
Autoboot is ON (enabled)
Hyperthreading : OFF
: OFF (next boot)
----- output truncated -----
Step 3
Now you need to copy firmware files in EFI partition of this primary boot disk. EFI partition is slice/partition 1 of the disk. Follow the below commands to create the directory first and then copy files within it.
# /usr/sbin/efi_mkdir -d /dev/rdsk/c2t1d0s1 /efi/hp/firmware
# /usr/sbin/efi_cp -d /dev/rdisk/disk1_p1 update_SFW.nsh /efi/hp/firmware/update_SFW.nsh
# /usr/sbin/efi_cp -d /dev/rdisk/disk1_p1 fweupdate_1p92.efi /efi/hp/firmware/fweupdate_1p92.efi
List the content of the directory to check if they are copied properly or not.
# /usr/sbin/efi_ls -d /dev/rdisk/disk1_p1 /efi/hp/firmware
Step 4
Once you are done with copying firmware in EFI partition, reboot the system. Halt at EFI shell. At EFI shell, enter into the primary boot disk. You should see a prompt like fs0. Now navigate to the directory we created in the above steps and then run .nsh file to start the upgrade process.
fs0:
cd EFI/HP/FIRMWARE
dir
fs0:\EFI\hp\firmware> dir
Directory of: fs0:\EFI\hp\firmware
05/20/11 02:03a <DIR> 4,096 .
05/20/11 02:03a <DIR> 4,096 ..
05/22/11 08:58p 10,168,320 fweupdate_1p92.efi
05/22/11 08:58p 26 update_SFW.nsh
2 File(s) 10,168,346 bytes
2 Dir(s)
fs0:\EFI\hp\firmware> update_SFW.nsh
update_SFW.nsh> fweupdate_1p92.efi -mnuF
*************************************************************************
**** ****
**** FWEUPDATE ****
**** EFI Firmware Update Utility for IPF Systems ****
**** (c) Copyright Hewlett-Packard Company, 2001-2006 ****
**** All rights reserved. ****
**** ****
**** v1.00 ****
**** ****
*************************************************************************
Executing Command line options: -mnuF.........................................
----- output truncated -----
Once you see above upgrade process started on console do not disturb system in any way. Halting this process in between may make your system unstable.
Step 5
After the upgrade process completes, MP will be reset and you will lose connection to MP. Start a new session and connect to MP. Go to command menu and verify updated firmware version using sysrev command under the command menu!