Equallogic PS series Firmware Updates

Sorry you had trouble. I've got a PS6100XS and have applied at least 5 firmware updates to it during production over the last couple of years and never had any trouble.

As Don indicated, the firmware update requires a restart, however a restart in “EqualLogic speak” is in actuality only a control module failover and not a power cycle of the array.

So, provided that ALL your hosts iSCSI initiators (physical and/or Virtual) are configured properly to “ride out” the failover from one controller to the other you should not see any outage.  But, please note that some DB applications behave strange and might need to be shut down (so doing a firmware update during off hours is needed in these cases), but this is the exception rather than the norm.

Testing the controller failover and your host connectivity is important in the initial setup of your group, requiring proper wiring, inter-switch links, etc. All this is outlined in the configuration guide:

en.community.dell.com/.../2639.equallogic-configuration-guide.aspx

To ensure all your physical hosts, and VM’s have the proper iSCSI disk timeout’s setup properly (so they can ride out the restart/failover), you need to ensure that the setting are correct, please refer to the “iSCSI Initiator and Operating System Considerations “  located on the firmware download page (this document can change between major version of the FW, so always refer to it prior to updating firmware).

Lastly, we do have a solution for multi-member groups to do a “rolling update”.  This method is designed to prevent any outage, and handles mission critical application (that can’t be taken off line, even for a few minutes).  This type of update typically takes several days to complete the FW update to all the members.  Again on the support site you can find the steps to do this (login to the support.equallogic.com, search the KB for “Updating a multi-member group without down-time”)

And as Don indicted as a good practice…. “My personal preference is to do upgrade via a serial terminal server.  That way I can monitor the entire process. I watch both primary and secondary at the same time.  It's not required, but I find it helpful”

-joe

I'm actually trying to update mine from 7.1.12 (Backplane 62532) but apparently I can't download firmware updates without a support contract and my one piece of equipment is not enough to warrant one. I can't seem to find these updates anywhere else and Dell doesn't seem to offer anything for this either.

Hello, 

 You are correct.  You can only download firmware and other bundled software if you have an array with an active support contract.  That contract also maintains your license to use the firmware and applications. There is no other way to get that firmware. 

 Regards, 

Don 

I guess that leaves me out of luck because they don't sell support for the PS4000 anymore either and even if it was an imaginable financial option, which it's not, I can't see going out and buying an entirely new array that I can get a support contract on just to get a download for an older end of life one.

Hello, 

 The PS Series SAN is no longer sold.  So you couldn't get a new one.  You can get hardware support up to 12 years from ship date but that doesn't include firmware.  

 Sorry. 

 Regards,

Don 

I do understand this now, though admittingly I find it all a bit absurd and ridiculous.

1. It's not a "support agreement" issue because I can't even get one. It's not something even sold so it's not a monetary issue at all.

2. Exception: If it is Dell's desire that by denying firmware updates the system which otherwise functions perfectly and could still get serviced if it broke, would become more likely to be replaced with a new system because of this denied access, then I would classify such a motivation no differently than the immoral planned obsolescence Apple and Samsung were found guilty of and regardless of its legality would ethically be reason enough in itself to motivate me to no longer do business with Dell.

3. This system can still be serviced if it broke, but that's not the problem, I simply need to update the firmware.

4. The system was under support when the firmware was released. It simply at the time was a risk in updating that was appropriate to delay until more necessary (such as now). 

5. Had I known, I would have simply made sure to download each of the firmware updates as it was released and simply delayed installing them.

Regardless, at least I am now aware of the stance and how it is treated, it is my fault for not knowing to ask such things before becoming invested. I now at least know better what questions to ask and ensure I compensate for when I shop for a company to buy my next array from. Lesson learned, life moves on.

Thank you for the answers.

Farewell. 

Hello, 

 I am sorry that you were not aware of how the array is licensed.and sorry to lose you as a Dell customer. 

Equallogic founders sought to do something very different with storage.  At the time the industry tended to be a license each feature and related software individually. Then add support contracts for both the hardware and software features you licensed. Making the management of those contracts complicated and time-consuming. 

 If you ever had to install VMS on a Digital VAX you know what I mean.  Right down to serial and network ports. Each had a long license to fill in to activate them. 

The PS broke that mold. You bought the HW, got a one year warranty.  You got both software and hardware support.  Any new firmware or bundled software was included during that first year.   Keep a support contract keep getting support and firmware.  Simple, one contract for both.  Many arrays were sold with four or five year contracts just to make it easier. 

The "firmware" is much more than simple 'code'.  It's not Linux leveraging open source software in a nice package.  NetBSD boots the controller HW, and loads the EQL OS, other than telnet, ftp, ssh, and http all the code for iSCSI, networking, RAID, replication, snapshots, etc were written by EQL engineers.  The bundled software too is written by EQL.  Which is expensive and time consuming to write, debug, QA release and support.  So giving all the away forever isn't a practical business option.  

Since the HW cost was not extreme the support contract becomes the license to keep it up to date.  Especially since you got all the existing features and any new features that came along.  That cost has to be covered somehow.  Either up front or over the lifetime of the product by contract. 

 Microsoft did something similar.  You could get a contract for a period of time and whatever OS's were released you got a now additional cost.  

 Sorry to see you go,  I sincerely wish you well. 

  Regards, 

Don 

That is a beautifully long spiel that as perfectly reasonable as it sounds has absolutely nothing to do with the problem I face at all.

I really don't care that it is charged for. I really don't care that it's sold with a support contract and I have done and dealt with both of these issues.

The comparison and justification of support contracts is a beautiful waste of wording that although makes Dell's end of the situation sound reasonable, it is not.

The problem at hand is that it is NOT OBTAINABLE.

The firmware exists for the hardware I purchased.

I can NOT buy this firmware.
I can NOT obtain a support contract for it.
I can NOT under any terms available at all purchase, license, obtain, etc. the firmware for my hardware without purchasing entirely new conflicting hardware which would actually defeat the entire purpose.

There is no way to technically sound logical or justified in this.
It is moronic.

Edit: But I can still get my hardware fixed if it was physically broken. I can still get parts for it. I just can't obtain upgrades in any way. That is not a problem I've ever faced with any company.

Even the notion of a company being unwilling to sell already existing firmware upgrades to products still being serviced sounds ridiculous and is. Not a problem I've faced with Microsoft or any other company before a product was totally out of service dead.

Most companies as long as they still maintain the capacity to take your money will.