192 Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide
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Preparing for a firmware download
9
A nondisruptive firmware download, which is performed by entering the firmwareDownload
command without the –s operand, is only supported if you are upgrading from Fabric OS 6.1.x to
6.2.0. If you are downgrading from Fabric OS 6.2.0 to v6.1.x, you must enter the firmwareDownload
-s command option as discussed in “Test and restore firmware on switches” on page 203 and “Test
and restore firmware on enterprise-class platforms” on page 204. This procedure is not necessary
when downgrading from Fabric OS v6.3.0 to v6.2.0 or from Fabric OS v6.4.0 to v6.3.0.

Preparing for a firmware download

Before executing a firmware download, it is recommended that you perform the tasks listed in this
section. In the unlikely event of a failure or time-out, these preparation tasks enable you to provide
your switch support provider the information required to perform advanced troubleshooting.
It is recommended that you perform a configUpload to back up the current configuration before you
download firmware to a switch. See “Configuration file backup” on page 178 for details.
1. Read the release notes for the new firmware to find out if there are any updates related to the
firmware download process.
2. Connect to the switch and log in as admin. Enter the firmwareShow command to verify the
current version of Fabric OS.
Brocade does not support upgrades from more than one previous release. For example,
upgrading from Fabric OS v6.3.0 to v6.4.0 is supported, but upgrading from Fabric OS v6.2.0
or a previous release directly to v6.4.0 is not. In other words, upgrading a switch from Fabric
OS v6.2.0 to v6.4.0 is a two-step process—first upgrade to v6.3.0, and then upgrade to v6.4.0.
If you are running a pre-Fabric OS v6.2.0 you must upgrade to v6.2.0, then to v6.3.0, and
finally to v6.4.0.
3. Perform a configUpload prior to the firmwareDownload. Save the config file on your FTP or SSH
server or USB memory device on supported platforms.
4. Optional: For additional support, connect the switch to a computer with a serial console cable.
Ensure that all serial consoles (both CPs for directors) and any open network connection
sessions, such as Telnet, are logged and included with any trouble reports.
5. Connect to the switch and log in to the switch as admin. Enter the supportSave command to
retrieve all current core files prior to executing the firmware download. This helps to
troubleshoot the firmware download process if a problem is encountered.
6. Optional: Enter the errClear command to erase all existing messages in addition to internal
messages.

Connected switches

Before you upgrade the firmware on your switch you will need to check the connected switches to
ensure compatibility and that any older versions are supported. Refer to the Fabric OS Compatibility
section of the Brocade Fabric OS Release Notes, for the recommended firmware version.
NOTE
Go to http://www.brocade.com to view end-of-life policies for Brocade products. Navigate to the
Support tab, then select Policies and Locations. Under Important Note, click on End of Life Support.
End-of-life products are not supported.