Updating the system automatically using the management GUI

You can update the entire system in a coordinated process with no user intervention after the update is initiated.

Follow these steps to update to version 8.1.0 or later from version 7.7.0 or later.

Note: If you are updating from version 8.3.0.0 or earlier to any version before 8.3.1.2, configuring IP by using the cfgportip command with gateway 0.0.0.0 is not supported. If you already have any configured IP using cfgportip with gateway as 0.0.0.0, then either change the gateway address or update directly to 8.3.1.2 or later.

If you are updating to version 7.8.1 or later from an earlier code level for the first time, an extra reboot is required. This reboot might increase the total updating time by 10 - 20 minutes per node.

For the most recent information about restrictions before you update, see the following website:

http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ssg1S1003705

Before you update your system, review all of the topics in Updating to understand how the process works. Allow adequate time, such as up to a week in some cases to look for potential problems or known bugs. Additional information on updating the system is available at the following website:

www.ibm.com/support

When the system detects that the hardware is not running at the expected level, the system applies the correct firmware.

If you want to update without host I/O, shut down all hosts before you start the update.

The system update process can be done automatically or manually. Complete the following steps to update the system automatically:
  1. In the management GUI, select Settings > System > Update System.
  2. Click Test & Update.
  3. Select the test utility and the code package that you downloaded from the support site. The test utility verifies that the system is ready to be updated.
  4. Click Next. Select Automatic update.
  5. Select whether you want to create intermittent pauses in the update to verify the process. Select one of the following options:
    • Fully automatic update without pauses
    • Pause update after half of the nodes are updated
    • Pause update before each node updates
  6. Click Finish. As the canisters on the system are updated, the management GUI displays the progress for each canister.

Monitor the update information in the management GUI to determine when the process is complete.

If you selected a fully automated update without pauses and the process stalls during the update, click Resume to continue with the update or click Cancel to abandon the update and restore the previous level of code. You can also use the CLI command applysoftware -resume to resume the update.

If you selected to pause the update, click Continue to resume with the update. You can also use the CLI command applysoftware -continue to resume the update.

Important: If you update your system software to version 8.1.1 or later from a version earlier than 8.1.0, on a system where you have already installed more than 64 GB of RAM, all nodes return from the update with an error code of 841. Versions 8.1.0 and later allocate memory in a different way than previous versions, so the RAM must be "accepted" again. To resolve the error, complete the following steps:
  1. On a single node, run the svctask chnodecanisterhw command. Do not run the command on more than one node at a time.
  2. Wait for the node to restart and return without the error.
  3. Wait an additional 30 minutes for multipath drives to recover on the host.
  4. Repeat this process for each node individually until you clear the error on all nodes.