Cisco Systems PA-4C-E 1 manual Required Tools and Equipment, HP Escon PA Microcode Overview

Preparing for Installation

Preparing for Installation

This section describes the general equipment, safety, and site preparation requirements for installing the HP ESCON PA. It also includes microcode overview information.This section contains the following subsections:

•Required Tools and Equipment, page 12

•HP ESCON PA Microcode Overview, page 12

•Hardware and Software Requirements, page 13

•Checking Hardware and Software Compatibility, page 14

•Safety Guidelines, page 15

•Laser LED Safety Information, page 18

Required Tools and Equipment

You need the following parts and tools to install an HP ESCON PA. If you need additional equipment, contact a service representative for ordering information.

•HP ESCON PA

•ESCON interface cables

•ESD-prevention equipment or the disposable grounding wrist strap included with all upgrade kits, field-replaceable units (FRUs), and spares

•An antistatic mat on which you can place the removed port adapter

•An antistatic container in which you can place the failed port adapter for shipment to the factory

HP ESCON PA Microcode Overview

Microcode, also known as firmware, is a set of processor-specific software instructions that enables and manages the features and functions of a specific port adapter type. At system startup or reload, the system loads the microcode for each port adapter type present in the system.

The entire HP ESCON PA microcode image is delivered on a router Flash memory card or SanDisk memory device, or you can download it from Cisco.com.

New microcode is released to enable new features, improve performance, or fix known problems in earlier versions. The Cisco 7200 series routers support downloadable software and microcode images for most upgrades. This support lets you download new or upgraded images remotely, store the images in router memory, and load the new images at system startup without physically accessing the router. You can store multiple versions of an image in Flash or SanDisk memory for a specific processor type, and use configuration commands to specify which version of the image loads at startup. All port adapters of the same type (for example, all HP ESCON PA port adapters) use the same microcode image.

By default, the HP ESCON PA microcode is loaded from the router Flash memory card or SanDisk memory device for the Cisco 7200 series routers. The default HP ESCON PA microcode version is found by entering the show microcode command.

PA-4C-E 1-Port High-Performance ESCON Channel Port Adapter Installation and Configuration

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