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NEC Express5800/320Ma User Manual

NEC Express5800/320Ma User Manual

Active upgrade
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Express5800/320Ma:
™
Active Upgrade
User's Guide
NEC Solutions (America), Inc.
NR017W

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Summary of Contents for NEC Express5800/320Ma

  • Page 1 Express5800/320Ma: ™ Active Upgrade User’s Guide NEC Solutions (America), Inc. NR017W...
  • Page 2 Software described in NEC (a) is the property of NEC and/or its licensees, (b) is furnished only under license, and (c) may be copied or used only as expressly permitted under the terms of the license.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents Preface 1. Overview Features Overview of the Active Upgrade Process Aborting the Active Upgrade Process Active Upgrade State Model 2. Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process Software Upgrade Support System Prerequisites Recommendations Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process Pre-Upgrade Tasks Installing the Active Upgrade Software Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade...
  • Page 4 Aborting the Upgrade 4-19 Finishing the Upgrade 4-20 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status 4-21 Activity Log 4-21 Status Bar 4-25 5. Troubleshooting Saving the Activity Log to a File Verifying the Status of Application Services Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 5 Contents Verifying the Status of Installed Software Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing General Problems and Solutions Glossary Glossary-1 Index Index-1 Contents...
  • Page 6 Activity Log (in Active Upgrade Console) 4-22 Figure 4-5. Remote Activity Log 4-22 Figure 4-6. Activity Log Detail 4-24 Figure 4-7. Status Bar 4-25 Figure 5-1. Service Control Manager Figure 5-2. Add or Remove Programs Control Panel Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 7 Tables Table 2-1. Active Upgrade Process Worksheet 2-14 Table 3-1. Hard Disk Color Coding Table 3-2. Selection of Application Services 3-10 Table 3-3. Control Types for Custom Actions 3-13 Table 3-4. Timing for the Advanced Control Type 3-14 Table 3-5. Environment Variables for Custom Actions 3-16 Table 4-1.
  • Page 8 Tables Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 9: Preface

    Audience This manual is intended for system administrators who will prepare for and execute an Active Upgrade on an Express5800/320Ma system. It assumes that you are familiar with administering Express5800/320Ma systems. Notation Conventions This document uses the notation conventions described in this section.
  • Page 10 A note provides important information about the operation of a system. Typographical Conventions The following typographical conventions are used in Express5800/320Ma system documents: • The bold font emphasizes words in text or indicates text that you type, the name of a screen object, or the name of a programming element.

  • Page 11: Getting Help

    Preface Getting Help If you have a technical question about Express5800/320Ma hardware or software, try these online resources first: • Online support from NEC Technical Support. You can find the latest technical information about an Express5800/320Ma through online product support at the...
  • Page 12 Preface Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 13: Overview

    Overview Active Upgrade™ technology allows you to upgrade system and application software on an Express5800/320Ma system with minimal downtime. Instead of taking your system offline to run upgrade procedures, you can use Active Upgrade technology to split the system into two independently running systems, one side of which you upgrade while the other side continues to run your applications without interruption.

  • Page 14: Overview Of The Active Upgrade Process

    4. You start the upgrade process by initiating split mode, which divides the fault-tolerant, duplexed system (Figure 1-1) into two independent, simplexed systems (Figure 1-2) — a Production Side, which continues to run your applications, and an Upgrade Side, on which you can run software installation packages. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 15: Figure 1-1. Duplexed System

    Overview of the Active Upgrade Process Figure 1-1. Duplexed System Internal Storage System Data Console Duplexed System Mirror System Data Network External Storage duet001 Figure 1-2. Splitting the System Console Internal Storage Production Side (Live) System Data Duplexed System External Network Mirror Storage...

  • Page 16: Figure

    It then merges system resources so that the network and application data disks become available to the whole system again. With the exception of the internal disks, all critical system resources return to duplex mode (Figure 1-3). Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 17: Figure 1-3. Merged System

    Overview of the Active Upgrade Process Figure 1-3. Merged System Internal Storage Data Console Duplexed System (Old System) (Current Data) Mirror Disabled System Network External (Upgraded) (Old Data) Storage duet003 Finally, the system restarts your applications, including the Active Upgrade console, from the Upgrade Side system disk.

  • Page 18: Aborting The Active Upgrade Process

    If you abort the upgrade session while the system is in split mode, no downtime is incurred. Your applications continue to run on the Production Side while the Active Upgrade console restores the system to duplex mode. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 19: Aborting The Upgrade

    Overview of the Active Upgrade Process If you abort the upgrade session while the system is in merge mode, a short period of downtime is incurred while the Active Upgrade console initiates a system restart. The Active Upgrade console shuts down the Upgrade Side and restarts the system from the Production Side, which automatically restarts your applications from the Production Side.

  • Page 20: Active Upgrade State Model

    PrepareSplit state, during which it runs a final readiness check and additional background tasks. If the system is ready, the console immediately switches to the Split state and proceeds to divide the system into two independently running systems. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 21 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process N O T E After the upgrade session leaves the Idle state, you must complete the full upgrade process in sequence or abort the process altogether. You cannot go back to a previous state or skip states, and you cannot proceed to the next state if the upgrade is in a Broken or Busy operational state.
  • Page 22 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process 1-10 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 23: Preparing For The Active Upgrade Process

    Learning about the types of upgrades that the Active Upgrade process supports. • Learning about the prerequisites recommendations for your Express5800/320Ma system. • Learning how the Active Upgrade console can control your critical applications. • Performing pre-upgrade tasks on your system, such as: •...

  • Page 24: System Prerequisites

    “Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process” on page 2-6 • “Pre-Upgrade Tasks” on page 2-7 System Prerequisites Active Upgrade technology is supported only on Express5800/320Ma 3.2 GHz, 3.6 GHz, and Dual-Core systems that: • Are running in duplex mode prior to starting the upgrade process.

  • Page 25: Figure

    You should schedule this work to minimize impact to your critical applications. See the Express5800/320Ma: PCI Adapter Guide for more information about configuring Ethernet PCI adapters and Ethernet teams. • Contain Virtual Technician Modules (VTMs).

  • Page 26: Figure

    Have been updated with the latest firmware to support Active Upgrade technology, including required BMC and VTM updates. If you have installed Express5800/320Ma System software Release 4.1 or higher, the BMC and VTM firmware image files are available on your system in the C:\Program Files\Stratus\firmware directory.

  • Page 27: Recommendations

    Use the Display Hotfix feature of Active Service Manager (ASM) to inquire about Quick Fix Engineering hotfixes (identified by the prefix QFE) that are not security related. If NEC Solutions (America), Inc. has not previously validated Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process...

  • Page 28: Managing Critical Applications During The Upgrade Process

    Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process the particular QFE hotfix, contact NEC Technical Support or your authorized service representative to request such validation. For more information about evaluating hotfixes for Express5800/320Ma systems, see the following web page: http:www.necsam.com/support/servers/ft/hotfixes.htm Related Topics •...

  • Page 29: Pre-Upgrade Tasks

    Pre-Upgrade Tasks If your application runs as a standard service that already accounts for interdependencies (with other services) and requires no special handling, you can specify it on the Application Services page of the Active Upgrade console during the configuration process. On the Application Services page, you can select each service you want to manage from the list of services on your system, and, when you start the upgrade process, the Active Upgrade console automatically starts and stops these services at the appropriate times.
  • Page 30 11. Gather information about your system using the worksheet in “Gathering Information” on page 2-13. 12. If necessary, copy any required software installation packages to the system, as described in “Copying Software Installation Packages to the System” on page 2-16. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 31: Installing The Active Upgrade Software

    Pre-Upgrade Tasks When you are finished preparing for the upgrade, start the Active Upgrade console. Follow the on-screen instructions (and this document) to configure the process, then run a Readiness Check to verify if your system is ready to upgrade. Related Topics •...

  • Page 32: Configuring Windows Firewall For The Active Upgrade Process

    Upgrade Side with Remote Desktop while the system is in split mode. See “Connecting to the Desktop on the Upgrade Side” on page 4-6 for more information.) 5. Click OK to enable this exception and close the control panel. 2-10 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 33: Configuring A Ups-Protected System For The Active Upgrade Process

    If your system is protected by a UPS, and you have configured the UPS power connections as specified in the Express5800/320Ma: Site Planning Guide, it is best to ensure that the CPU- I ⁄ O enclosure with A-side, UPS-protected power (CPU enclosure 0, I/O enclosure 10) is marked as the Primary enclosure in ftSMC before starting the Active Upgrade process.
  • Page 34 After this procedure, you might need to wait 5-10 minutes for the system components to stabilize and return to full duplex mode before running a readiness check. Related Topics • “Pre-Upgrade Tasks” on page 2-7 • Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 2-12 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 35: Gathering Information

    Pre-Upgrade Tasks Gathering Information Before you start configuring the Active Upgrade process on your system, considering the following questions: After you complete this upgrade, will you ever want to run the same type of upgrade again? If so, plan to create a configuration file with the details of your upgrade, so you can use it again at a later date.

  • Page 36: Table 2-1. Active Upgrade Process Worksheet

    _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Disks to upgrade _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Disks that cannot be upgraded _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Software installation utilities to run _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Application services to start/stop _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ 2-14 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 37 Pre-Upgrade Tasks Table 2-1. Active Upgrade Process Worksheet (Continued) Item Value Custom actions to run _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Log files to back up _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Related Topics • “Pre-Upgrade Tasks” on page 2-7 • “Software Upgrade Support” on page 2-1 •...

  • Page 38: Copying Software Installation Packages To The System

    To configure Automatic Updates 1. Open the Automatic Updates control panel (Figure 2-2). 2. Select Download updates for me, but let me choose when to install them. 3. Click OK to save the configuration. 2-16 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 39: Figure 2-2. Automatic Updates Control Panel

    Pre-Upgrade Tasks Figure 2-2. Automatic Updates Control Panel If your company pushes software updates from an enterprise-wide service, like Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), you might need to override the default Automatic Update policies for your system. Typically, WSUS clients are set to install all critical updates at a time specified by the WSUS administrator.

  • Page 40: Figure 2-3. Automatic Updates Icon In System Tray

    3. Check the list of updates against the list of updates that have been evaluated by NEC Solutions (America), Inc. for compatibility. Make note of the updates you can install during the Active Upgrade process.

  • Page 41: Starting And Exiting The Active Upgrade Console

    Double-click the ftServer Active Upgrade console icon on your system’s desktop. • On the Start menu, click All Programs, select the Express5800/320Ma folder, and click ftServer Active Upgrade. To exit the Active Upgrade console, click the close button ( ) in the upper right-hand corner of the window.

  • Page 42: Understanding The Active Upgrade Console Interface

    • “Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console” • “Pre-Upgrade Tasks” • Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Title Bar The title bar displays the name of the current page of the Active Upgrade console. 2-20 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 43: Figure 2-5. Navigation Bar: Configuration

    Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface The title bar also contains a Help button ( ), which you can click to display the Help topic associated with the current page of the Active Upgrade console. (You can also access the Help from the Production Side or Upgrade Side by clicking Start, All Programs, Stratus, and Active Upgrade Help to open the Help viewer.) Related Topics •...

  • Page 44: Figure 2-6. Navigation Bar: Active Upgrade

    The Active Upgrade section of the navigation bar (Figure 2-6) contains entries specific to the executing the upgrade process. Figure 2-6. Navigation Bar: Active Upgrade 2-22 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 45: Figure 2-7. Navigation Bar: Links

    Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface You can click Active Upgrade to perform a readiness check, and, if you are still modifying a configuration file, you can click any page in the Configuration section to go back and make additional changes. After you initiate an upgrade session (by clicking Split on the Active Upgrade page), the navigation bar reverts to a static mode, in which it only indicates where you are in the upgrade process and does not allow you to skip between pages.

  • Page 46: Figure 2-8. Main Window: Configuring The Active Upgrade Process

    During the configuration phase, the main window allows you to specify settings for your system (Figure 2-8), which you can save to a configuration file. Figure 2-8. Main Window: Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 2-24 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 47: Status Bar

    Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface When you perform a readiness test and begin the upgrade process, the configuration settings in the main window are replaced with an activity log (Figure 2-9) that allows you to track the progress and success of the upgrade process. Figure 2-9.

  • Page 48: Figure 2-10. Status Bar

    “Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status” on page 4-21. Related Topics • “Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console” • “Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface” • “Pre-Upgrade Tasks” • Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 2-26 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 49: Configuring The Active Upgrade Process

    Chapter 3 Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Configuring the Active Upgrade process involves the following tasks: • Creating and managing configuration files • Selecting disks to upgrade • Selecting other configuration files to include • Selecting application services to control •...

  • Page 50: Creating A Configuration File

    Active Upgrade console uses the new directory the next time you create or open a file. 4. Click Save to start editing the configuration. After you create a configuration file, the configuration process opens on the Disk Selection page. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 51: Loading A Configuration File

    Creating and Managing Configuration Files Related Topics • “Creating and Managing Configuration Files” on page 3-1 • “Saving a Configuration File” on page 3-5 • “Providing a Description for a Configuration File” on page 3-19 • “Selecting Disks to Upgrade” on page 3-5 Loading a Configuration File Loading a configuration file allows you to open an existing configuration file for use.

  • Page 52: Editing An Existing Configuration File

    Configuration page. The Active Upgrade console immediately displays the Active Upgrade page and runs a readiness check. If your system meets the prerequisites the Active Upgrade process, you can split the system at this time. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 53: Saving A Configuration File

    Selecting Disks to Upgrade Related Topics • “Creating and Managing Configuration Files” on page 3-1 • Performing the Upgrade Saving a Configuration File The Active Upgrade console automatically prompts you to save your configuration file if you leave the Configuration section of the application, or exit the application. (To save the configuration file, click Yes, otherwise click No or Cancel.) You can also optionally click Save or Save As on the Upgrade Summary page, as described in the following procedure.

  • Page 54: Glossary

    3-1. Table 3-1. Hard Disk Color Coding Color Description Black Unassigned disk space Blue Data disk Light Green System disk Dark Green Mandatory system disk Disk is currently simplexed because it is being resynchronized with Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 55: Selecting Other Configurations To Include

    Selecting Other Configurations to Include For more information about any volume, move your cursor over the volume to display ToolTip help. To select system and data disks • For any disk you want to mark as a system disk, click System. (This automatically marks any volume that the disk contains as a System volume.) •...
  • Page 56 (If you need to remove a child configuration from another configuration file, you must edit that configuration file separately.) When you have finished specifying child configuration files, you can click Next to proceed with the next configuration step. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 57: Selecting Application Services To Control

    Selecting Application Services to Control Related Topics • “Creating and Managing Configuration Files” on page 3-1 • “Saving a Configuration File” on page 3-5 • “Displaying the Upgrade Summary” on page 3-19 Selecting Application Services to Control Use the Application Services page to select the critical application services you want the Active Upgrade console to automatically stop and restart during the upgrade process.

  • Page 58: Selecting Event Log Files To Back Up

    “Displaying the Upgrade Summary” on page 3-19 Selecting Event Log Files to Back Up Use the Log File Backup page to optionally preserve Windows Event Viewer log files from the Production Side of your system during the Active Upgrade process. 3-10 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 59 Selecting Event Log Files to Back Up When you commit an upgrade, the system reestablishes the RDR mirrors of any system disks by overwriting the Production Side disks (which contain the old version of your software) with the newer Upgrade Side disks (which contain your newly-upgraded software).

  • Page 60: Configuring Custom Actions

    When you specify an executable file for a custom action, verify that it runs successfully outside of the Active Upgrade process, and ensure that it completes in a timely manner. 3-12 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 61: Table 3-3. Control Types For Custom Actions

    Configuring Custom Actions 2. Executable files for custom actions must be located on a system disk. If a executable file is located on an external or network disk, the Upgrade Side loses access to the file while the system is in split mode. 3.

  • Page 62: Table 3-4. Timing For The Advanced Control Type

    Executes the custom action early in the list of custom actions, before items marked as Default or Late. Late Executes the custom action late in the list of custom actions, after items marked as Early or Default. 3-14 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 63: Programming Notes For Custom Actions

    Configuring Custom Actions Custom actions run consecutively according to their timing options. Subsequent custom actions do not start until the current custom action terminates. 5. Click Add to accept the custom action. (If the Add button is inactive, ensure that you typed the File path name and file name correctly.

  • Page 64: Using Active Upgrade Environment Variables

    For example, to pass only the ACTIVE_UPGRADE_SIDE variable to an executable file, append the following string to the Arguments for the custom action on the Custom Actions page: %ACTIVE_UPGRADE_SIDE% 3-16 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 65: Generating Exit Values

    Configuring Custom Actions To pass multiple variables, add a space between each variable, as follows: %ACTIVE_UPGRADE_SIDE% %ACTIVE_UPGRADE_REQUEST% Related Topics • “Active Upgrade State Model” on page 1-8 • “Programming Notes for Custom Actions” on page 3-15 • “Configuring Custom Actions” on page 3-12 Generating Exit Values An exit value of 0 indicates that the executable file exited normally.

  • Page 66: Executing Visual Basic Scripts And Other Types Of Executable Files

    For more information about the cscript command, open a Command Prompt session and enter cscript /?. Related Topics • “Programming Notes for Custom Actions” on page 3-15 • “Configuring Custom Actions” on page 3-12 3-18 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 67: Providing A Description For A Configuration File

    Providing a Description for a Configuration File Providing a Description for a Configuration File Use the Description page to specify a title and comments for your configuration file. These items appear on the Other Configurations page, the Upgrade Summary page, and in the Locate Configuration File dialog box when you are selecting a configuration file to load or edit.
  • Page 68 (or at any point up until you commit the upgrade). Related Topics • “Saving a Configuration File” on page 3-5 • “Performing a Readiness Check” on page 4-1 • “Aborting the Upgrade” on page 4-19 3-20 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 69: Performing The Upgrade

    Chapter 4 Performing the Upgrade Performing the Active Upgrade process can involve the following tasks: • Performing a readiness check • Splitting the system • Merging the System • Committing the upgrade • Aborting the upgrade (if necessary) • Finishing the upgrade •...

  • Page 70: Table 4-1. Activity Log Entries

    If one of the readiness tests fails, you must resolve the problem, then click Retry to run the readiness test again. When the problem is resolved, you can click Split to proceed with splitting the system. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 71: Splitting The System

    “Aborting the Upgrade” on page 4-19 • Troubleshooting Splitting the System Splitting an Express5800/320Ma system divides it into two independently-functioning systems: the Production Side, which continues to run your applications, and the Upgrade Side, which you can safely upgrade. Splitting the system: Disables RDR mirroring between the internal disks in each CPU- I ⁄...

  • Page 72: Figure

    2. If your system is running EMC PowerPath software for an external storage system, you might experience a brief delay (10-15 seconds) when the system splits, as PowerPath reroutes storage operations through the Production Side. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 73: Managing Upgrade Tasks On The Upgrade Side

    Splitting the System If the split process fails the first time, you can click Retry to try again. If the problem persists, you can click Abort to abort the upgrade process, or see Troubleshooting information about resolving the problem. When the system is split, you can: •...

  • Page 74: Connecting To The Desktop On The Upgrade Side

    To use either connection method, click the associated link (Figure 4-1) in the navigation bar of the Active Upgrade console. For more information, see Related Topics. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 75: Figure 4-1. Links For Connecting To Upgrade Side

    Close or OK to dismiss these messages. 4. If the browser displays a message asking you to trust the signed applet distributed by NEC Solutions (America), Inc., click Yes to continue. When the Java applet is finished loading, the Upgrade Side desktop is displayed.
  • Page 76 Splitting the System For more information about managing an AVR session, see the Express5800/320Ma Virtual Technician Module User’s Guide. To terminate a Remote KVM session with the Upgrade Side 1. Verify that any installation processes are complete, and that you have exited from any installation programs.

  • Page 77: Figure 4-2. Remote Desktop Title Bar

    Splitting the System N O T E S 1. If you want to refer to the Active Upgrade Help file while you are using the Upgrade Side desktop, click Start on the Upgrade Side desktop, then click All Programs, Stratus, and Active Upgrade Help to open the Help viewer.

  • Page 78: Running Software Installation Programs

    You should install all security-related hotfixes, but do not install other types of hotfixes, such as Microsoft QFE patches that fix a particular problem, before obtaining validation from NEC Solutions (America), Inc. See “Recommendations” on page 2-5 for more information.
  • Page 79 3. Select only the updates that you previously checked for compatibility with your Express5800/320Ma system, then click Install. During the installation process, the Automatic Updates dialog box minimizes to the system tray. When the installation is complete, you can display the dialog box again. It should report that all updates were successfully installed.

  • Page 80: Restarting The Upgrade Side

    C A U T I O N Before you restart the system, ensure that you are working on the Upgrade Side desktop (through a remote connection). Do not restart the Production Side. 4-12 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 81 Splitting the System C A U T I O N Do not shut down the Upgrade Side, otherwise, the Upgrade Side will not come back online, and you must abort the upgrade process to recover. If this happens, any changes you made on the Upgrade Side are lost. To manually restart the Upgrade Side 1.

  • Page 82: Managing Your Applications On The Production Side

    “Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side” on page 4-5 • “Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status” on page 4-21 • “Merging the System” on page 4-15 • “Aborting the Upgrade” on page 4-19 • Troubleshooting 4-14 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 83: Verifying The Upgrade Side Before Merging The System

    Merging the System Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Merging the System After you have upgraded or installed software on the Upgrade Side, you can perform limited testing on the Upgrade Side system disks, as long as your activities do not require access to the following resources, which are currently unavailable: •...
  • Page 84 If the merge process fails the first time, you can click Retry to try again. If the problem persists, you can click Abort to abort the upgrade process, or see Troubleshooting information about resolving the problem. 4-16 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 85: Verifying The Upgrade Side Before Committing The Upgrade

    Merging the System Related Topics • “Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Committing the Upgrade” • “Committing the Upgrade” on page 4-18 • “Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status” on page 4-21 • “Aborting the Upgrade” on page 4-19 • Troubleshooting Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Committing the Upgrade After you have merged the system, your critical applications (including the Active Upgrade console) are running from the software on the Upgrade Side system disks.

  • Page 86: Committing The Upgrade

    The commit process should take only a few minutes. After it completes, the upgrade state is Fault Tolerant | Commit | Ready. You can click Finish to clean up system resources, as described in “Finishing the Upgrade” on page 4-20. 4-18 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 87: Aborting The Upgrade

    Aborting the Upgrade If the commit process fails the first time, you can click Retry to try again. If the problem persists, see Troubleshooting for information about resolving the problem. Related Topics • “Finishing the Upgrade” on page 4-20 • “Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status”...

  • Page 88: Finishing The Upgrade

    On the Finish page, upon successful completion of the Active Upgrade process, you can: • Click Exit to close the Active Upgrade console. • Click Save Log to save the activity log to a file. 4-20 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 89: Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status

    Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status • Click Active Upgrade in the navigation bar to initiate another readiness test and upgrade with the same configuration. • Click Configuration in the navigation bar to create, edit, or load another configuration file. N O T E Though the Active Upgrade process is complete, your RDR disks continue to resynchronize in the background.

  • Page 90: Figure 4-4. Activity Log (In Active Upgrade Console)

    Upgrade Side of the system (while in split mode), you can also double-click the Active Upgrade icon ( ) in the system tray to open the remote activity log (Figure 4-5). Figure 4-5. Remote Activity Log 4-22 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 91: Table 4-2. Activity Log Entries

    Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status N O T E You can only view status in the remote activity log. To control the remaining steps of the Active Upgrade process, you must minimize or close the connection to the Upgrade Side and use the Active Upgrade console on the Production Side.

  • Page 92: Figure 4-6. Activity Log Detail

    If necessary, you can save the items from the activity log in the Active Upgrade console to a file. For example, you might need to send this file to NEC Technical Support or your authorized service representative for troubleshooting purposes. See “Saving the...

  • Page 93: Figure 4-7. Status Bar

    Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status Status Bar The status bar (Figure 4-7), which is located at the bottom of the Active Upgrade console window, reports a quick summary of the status of the upgrade. Figure 4-7. Status Bar Configuration file name Hardware State (Table 4-3)

  • Page 94: Table 4-4. Status: Upgrade State

    Active Upgrade console is running on the Production Side, and this field reports the health of the Upgrade Side of the system. Table 4-6 describes the possible partner states. 4-26 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 95: Table 4-6. Status: Partner State

    (NMI) to save a dump file and reset the partner operating system. (For more information about what occurs during a state-sensitive recovery, see the Express5800/320Ma Virtual Technician Module User’s Guide). State Sensitive Recovery: The system controller is performing a hard reset of the partner Reset system.
  • Page 96 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status 4-28 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 97: Troubleshooting

    Chapter 5 Troubleshooting If necessary, you can collect information about the Active Upgrade process and resolve problems by: • Saving the activity log to a file • Viewing the status of application services • Viewing the status of installed software •...

  • Page 98: Verifying The Status Of Application Services

    For example, while the system is in split mode, any service you selected for control by the Active Upgrade console should be stopped (blank Status field) and its Startup Type should be Disabled on the Upgrade Side of the system, as shown with the MSSQLSERVER service in Figure 5-1. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 99: Figure 5-1. Service Control Manager

    Verifying the Status of Installed Software Figure 5-1. Service Control Manager Related Topics • “Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process” on page 2-6 • “Selecting Application Services to Control” on page 3-9 • “Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status” on page 4-21 •...

  • Page 100: Figure 5-2. Add Or Remove Programs Control Panel

    Upgrade Side. The same control panel on the Production Side does not list the new software you installed on the Upgrade Side. Related Topics • “Running Software Installation Programs” on page 4-10 • “Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status” on page 4-21 • Troubleshooting Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 101 Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing When you complete or abort the Active Upgrade process, the system reestablishes the mirrors between the RDR partner disks in each CPU- I ⁄ O enclosure. If you intend to initiate another upgrade process, you must wait for the full resynchronization to complete before you do so.

  • Page 102: Table 5-1. Troubleshooting: Readiness Check

    If you cannot abort an upgrade session, contact NEC Technical Support or your authorized support representative for assistance. N O T E...
  • Page 103 General Problems and Solutions Table 5-1. Troubleshooting: Readiness Check (Continued) Error Action Use the Network Connections control panel to assign an IP No IP address on address (preferably a static IP address) to the Ethernet Upgrade ready team team, or renew your DHCP lease. See “System Prerequisites”...

  • Page 104: Table 5-2. Troubleshooting: Custom Actions

    For information about configuring Windows Firewall, see “Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade Process” on page 2-10. Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 105 General Problems and Solutions Table 5-3. Troubleshooting: Miscellaneous Problems (Continued) Error/Problem Action If you have installed QLogic SANsurfer Fibre Channel HBA Failed to disable Software to upgrade the BIOS in your host bus adapter, you PCI device: QLogic should uninstall this utility when you are done upgrading the Fibre Channel BIOS.
  • Page 106 “Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status” on page 4-21 • Troubleshooting Getting Help If you have a technical question about Express5800/320Ma hardware or software, try these online resources first: • Online support from NEC Technical Support. You can find the latest technical...
  • Page 107 Glossary- Active Upgrade technology A process that allows you to upgrade system software and applications on an Express5800/320Ma system while its critical applications remain online and accessible to users. For more information, see the Overview. application service A program that runs in the background and performs tasks related to other programs on the local system or on remote systems.
  • Page 108 Each system comes with a minimum of two CPU elements and two I/O elements, usually distributed over two or more enclosures. The elements in an enclosure operate with each other, or, if necessary, with elements in another enclosure, to emulate a single logical system. Glossary-2 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 109 Glossary (Note that, in ftSMC, elements are displayed as enclosures, for example, CPU Enclosure - n and I/O Enclosure - n.) enclosure A physical container that includes at least one CPU element and at least one I/O element. In a system with more than one physical enclosure, you may be able to remove or upgrade one enclosure while the other continues to run your applications uninterrupted.
  • Page 110 KVM can control the remote system even when the remote operating system is not running. You can click the Remote KVM link in the Active Upgrade console to open an AVR session to the Upgrade Side of a split system. Glossary-4 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 111 Glossary service application service. session One complete Active Upgrade process, from split mode to finish. Or, a remote connection to the upgrade side of the system, as in a Remote KVM (or AVR) session. simplex mode (simplexed) The state of an ftServer system when one or more of its individual components is operating without a redundant partner component.
  • Page 112 The side of a split-mode system on which you can upgrade software. See also Production Side. volume A fixed amount of storage on a hard disk (or spanning many hard disks) that is defined and managed as a single device in the operating system. Glossary-6 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

  • Page 113: Index

    Index Index- application controlling multiple, 3-8 abort upgrade, 1-6 managing as service, 3-9 collecting dump files, 4-20 managing during upgrade, 2-6, 4-14 executing, 4-19 managing with custom action, 3-12 illustrated, 1-7 application service. See service Abort Upgrade page, 4-19 Application Services page, 3-9 Actions, 3-12 Automatic Updates.
  • Page 114 2-4 color coding, 3-6 systems supported for upgrade, 2-2 in child configuration, 3-8 ftSMC requirements for upgrade, 2-4 viewing RDR disk status, 5-5 selecting for upgrade, 3-5 Disk Selection page, 3-5 Index-2 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 115 Index gathering information, 2-13 managing glossary, Glossary-1 application during upgrade, 2-6 configuration files, 3-1 Production Side, 4-14 Upgrade Side, 4-5 hardware maintenance, 4-4 mandatory system disk Hardware State, 4-25 defined, Glossary-3 Help button, 2-20 disk selection, 3-6 high-priority update merge system, 1-4, 4-15 See hotfix defined, Glossary-4 host bus adapter (HBA).
  • Page 116 Upgrade Side, 4-12 defined, Glossary-5 prerequisite for location, 2-1 timing field, 3-14 troubleshooting, 5-1 SANsurfer software, 2-5, 5-9 saving activity log to file, 5-1 configuration file, 3-5 uninterruptible power supply (UPS), 2-11 Index-4 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...
  • Page 117 Index upgrade fault tolerance during, 2-3 session, 1-8, Glossary-5 status, 4-21 support, 2-1 tasks, 4-5 Upgrade Side connecting to, 4-6 defined, Glossary-6 managing, 4-5 verifying before commit, 4-17 verifying before merge, 4-15 Upgrade State, 4-26 Upgrade Summary page, 3-19 verifying list of hotfixes, 2-18 status of installed software, 5-3 status of services, 5-2...
  • Page 118 Index Index-6 Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade™ User’s Guide...

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