HP Smart Update Best Practices Planning Guide

6. Review the results and logs from the update to ensure the update installed correctly.
7. Use HP SUM to generate a report of the currently installed firmware to save for your records.
Compare the new report to the report you ran before performing the updates to see what you
changed.
Downtime causes
The following items frequently cause downtime when you perform updates.
• Driver installation requires a reboot to load the driver.
• Firmware updates require a reboot to activate the new firmware.
• Firmware updates require exclusive access to hardware.
• Dependencies between updates require offline deployment.
• Hot fixes and customer advisories.
• The method of installation.
Methods to reduce downtime
The following tips help develop a server update plan that minimizes downtime.
OA
• Before performing an OA update, perform a VC health check. If you update the OA when
the VC is in an unhealthy state, you risk losing the network connection.
• If OA version 1.x, you must update to 2.32 before updating to newer versions.
VC
• Perform a health check on the VC modules. Make sure the VC modules are healthy.
• Make sure that the VC modules are set up in a redundant configuration.
• Make sure you perform the updates in the correct order if the VC firmware is older than 3.00.
For more information, see “Best practices quick review” (page 6).
• Monitor customer advisories for VC firmware update issues.
• Validate the NICs and the FC HBA and CNA firmware and driver compatibility.
Servers
• Use HP SUM to generate reports of firmware and software currently installed on targets. Use
the report to determine recommended updates for each target before deploying updates.
NOTE: Some updates require an offline update. For information on which updates require
offline updates, see the HP Support Pack for ProLiant Release Notes.
• Use a well-tested baseline, preferably the HP SPP or Integrity bundle.
• Check for ProLiant hot fixes or Integrity bundles classified as critical or recommended that
apply to your systems.
• Perform updates online using HP SUM or HP SIM first. This limits, or eliminates, the number
of updates required in offline mode.
• Perform infrastructure updates in parallel or prior to performing updates to servers.
• Install the firmware and drivers together. This allows a single reboot to activate the maximum
amount of updates.
Downtime causes 11