Under Construction
Updating the Firmware
The 7063-CR2 HMC has two different components with firmware. On the one hand the baseboard management controller and on the other hand the power hypervisor. To update the firmware versions, the HMC must be shut down. The BMC firmware is updated first, then the PNOR firmware. The HMC can then be started again.
Warning: The update process as shown below is valid for the firmware versions obmc-mowgli-op940.hmc-24.ubi.mtd.tar and IBM-mowgli-ibm-OP9_v2.5_4.125-prod. For later firmware versions it is possible that the update process is different. Therefore, when updating firmware, it is always essential to read the manufacturer’s description first!
Before starting the firmware update, the HMC must be shut down. This could be done with the LPAR tool and “hmc shutdown“, but since the OpenBMC GUI is used for the firmware update anyway, it can also be done via the OpenBMC GUI.
The HMC can be shut down via “Server control” and “Server power operations“.
The server (HMC) should be shut down in an orderly manner. Therefore select the option “Orderly – OS shuts down, then server shuts down” (default) and then click on the “Shut down” button.
A dialog to confirm the shutdown is displayed. The “Shutdown” button must be clicked in the dialog to start the orderly shutdown.
Shutting down the server (HMC) takes some time. During this time, no power operations are available in the OpenBMC GUI. The status of the server (HMC) is displayed as “Unreachable“.
Once the shutdown is complete, the status of the server (HMC) in the display changes to “Off” and the “Power on” operation is displayed.
After the HMC has been shut down, the BMC firmware update can start. To do this, the “Firmware” menu item must be selected under “Server configuration”.
In the firmware view of the OpenBMC GUI, the BMC firmware can be seen in the upper part. The version currently in use is marked “Functional” and is usually the first entry in the list.
The arrows can be used to change the order of the firmware versions for the next boot of the BMC.
To upload a firmware image (BMC or PNOR) you must scroll to the end of the page and press the “Choose a file” button.
The new BMC firmware image can then be selected in the displayed file upload dialog. The selection must be confirmed by pressing “Open“.
The selected BMC firmware image can then be uploaded to the BMC by pressing “Upload firmware“.
Uploading the BMC firmware image may take a minute or two. It will then be visible in the top area under “BMC images”.
In order to use the new firmware version, it must be activated and the BMC must be rebooted. This can be done by pressing the “Activate” action.
The activation of the new BMC firmware must be confirmed. There are two choices here:
- Activate the firmware without rebooting the BMC.
- Activate the firmware and automatically reboot the BMC.
The BMC must be rebooted to use the new firmware. Therefore, the second selection should be made accordingly and confirmed with “Continue”.
Activating the new BMC firmware and rebooting the BMC may take some time. The “Activating” state is displayed in the OpenBMC GUI.
After the BMC has rebooted, the status of the new BMC firmware changes to “Functional“.
The BMC firmware update is now complete.
Next, the PNOR firmware (server firmware) must be updated.
To upload a firmware image, the “Choose a file” button must be pressed again.
The new PNOR firmware image can then be selected in the displayed file upload dialog. The selection must be confirmed by pressing “Open“.
The selected PNOR firmware image can then be uploaded to the BMC by pressing “Upload firmware”.
The uploaded PNOR firmware image is listed under “Server images” and can be activated by pressing “Activate“.
The activation of the new PNOR firmware must be confirmed. There are two choices here:
- Activate the firmware without rebooting the server.
- Activate the firmware and automatically reboot the server.
The server must be rebooted to use the new firmware. Therefore, the second selection should be made accordingly and confirmed with “Continue”.
After a while the new firmware will be in active use (Functional).
After the firmware updates are completed, the HMC (server) can be started again. To do this, “Server control” and then “Server power operations” must be selected.
The HMC (Server) state should still be Off. In order to start the HMC (server) again, the “Power on” button must be clicked.
Shortly after the HMC (server) is started, the state is updated to “Running” in the OpenBMC GUI. However, the HMC boot usually takes a little longer.
This completes the 7063-CR2 HMC firmware update.
You must be logged in to post a comment.