Determine Appropriate Type of Firmware Upgrade for Each Endpoint
Someendpoints, such as adapters and the server CIMC, can be upgraded through either a direct firmware
upgradeor a firmware package included in a service profile. The configuration of a Cisco UCS domain
determineshow you upgrade these endpoints. If the service profiles associated with the servers include a host
firmwarepackage, upgrade the adapters for those servers through the firmware package. In the same way, if
theservice profiles associated with the servers include a management firmware package, upgrade the CIMC
forthose serversthrough thefirmware package.
Upgradesof a CIMC through a management firmware package or an adapter through a firmware package in
theservice profile associated with the server take precedence over direct firmware upgrades. You cannot
directlyupgrade an endpoint if the service profile associated with the server includes a firmware package. To
performa direct upgrade, you must remove the firmware package from the service profile.
Do Not Activate All Endpoints Simultaneously in Cisco UCS Manager GUI
Ifyou use CiscoUCS Manager GUI to update the firmware, do not select ALL from the Filter drop-down
listin the ActivateFirmware dialog box to activate all endpoints simultaneously. Many firmware releases
andpatches have dependencies that require the endpoints to be activated in a specific order for the firmware
updateto succeed. This order canchange depending upon thecontents of the releaseor patch. Activating all
endpointsdoes not guarantee that the updates occur in the required order and can disrupt communications
betweenthe endpoints and the fabric interconnects and Cisco UCS Manager. For information about the
dependenciesin a specificrelease or patch, seethe release notes providedwith thatrelease or patch.
Impact of Activation for Adapters and I/O Modules
Duringa directupgrade, you shouldconfigure Set StartupVersion Only for an adapter. With this setting,
theactivated firmware moves into the pending-next-boot state, and the server is not immediately rebooted.
Theactivated firmware does not become the running version of firmware on the adapter until the server is
rebooted.You cannot configure Set Startup Version Only for an adapter in the host firmware package.
Ifa serveris not associatedwith a service profile, the activated firmware remains in the pending-next-boot
state.Cisco UCS Manager does not reboot the endpoints or activate the firmware until the server is associated
witha service profile. If necessary, you can manually reboot or reset an unassociated server to activate the
firmware.
Whenyou configureSet Startup VersionOnly for an I/O module, the I/O module is rebooted when the
fabricinterconnect in its data path is rebooted. If you do not configure Set Startup VersionOnly for an I/O
module,the I/O module reboots anddisrupts traffic. In addition, if Cisco UCS Manager detects a protocol
andfirmware version mismatch between the fabric interconnect and the I/O module, Cisco UCS Manager
automaticallyupdates the I/O module with the firmware version that matches the firmware in the fabric
interconnectand then activates the firmware and reboots the I/O module again.
Select Ignore Compatibility Check When Upgrading
Duringa direct upgrade to a newer release, we recommend that you choose Ignore Compatibility Check.
Newerreleases may haveincompatible code with older releases.This option ensuresthat the upgradecan
proceedand avoidscompatibility issues.
Disable Call Home before Upgrading to Avoid Unnecessary Alerts (Optional)
Whenyou upgrade a Cisco UCS domain, Cisco UCS Manager restarts the components to complete the upgrade
process.This restart causes events that are identical to service disruptions and component failures that trigger
CallHome alerts to be sent. If you do not disable Call Home before you begin the upgrade, you can ignore
thealerts generated by the upgrade-related component restarts.
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Firmware Upgrades