Re: [Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions?
This may go without saying but I think an important point is to standardise as much as possible. This will make future troubleshooting and stability easier to control. Very often your library vendor will dictate the level of firmware for tape devices but more importantly they will recommend for all the devices to be on the same version of firmware. Regarding HBA firmware I would probably look for advice from the switch manufacturer they connect to. Again - as much as possible - try to ensure you are using common, hba, firmware revisions and drivers across the estate. This isn't always easy - especially when you order kit over various timelines and they could ship with different firmware revisions but it is a good goal. When you start to mix firmware things can get quite confusing as sometime you could end up with SAN problems and not necessarily know exactly which initiator/target/switch is causing a problem Regards, Tal From: veritas-bu-boun...@mailman.eng.auburn.edu [mailto:veritas-bu-boun...@mailman.eng.auburn.edu] On Behalf Of Ed Wilts Sent: 12 May 2010 15:04 To: Marianne Van Den Berg Cc: veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu Subject: Re: [Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions? On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 6:54 AM, Marianne Van Den Berg mvdb...@stortech.co.za wrote: In a big SSO environment with mixed O/S media servers attached to tape and disk (via different HBA's) - who dictates what driver/firmware versions should be used on tape drives, hba's, switches? The NBU hardware compatibility list is very basic and list 'tested' versions for tape drives, not recommended. As far as switches and HBA's are concerned, the compatibility guide says: Consult the hardware vendor's web site for up-to-date firmware and driver updates. My viewpoint is that the tape vendor should supply all these compatibilities. I'd like to know how it's done in your environment and who initiates the whole process... For tape drives, we rely on the opinion of our field service rep - whenever he's out here, we ask what's a recommended release for the drives and the library and schedule accordingly. I don't think we've seen specific firmware issues on the tape side. On the host side, to some extent we are starting to lose control, and that's not a bad thing. Multipathing software is coming out of the OS vendors (MPIO, DMP, etc.). Every now and then we go through and do a firmware/driver update but I don't think we've been the 100% supported/current in over 3 years (when we did a McData to Brocade switch migration). For the SAN switches, we upgrade the firmware when we get around to it. I'm a few releases behind but we can't upgrade continually or we'd be doing nothing else. If there's a bug that I've run into that I need to fix, then I'll bump the priority. It's always a fine juggling act between being current, supported, and meeting the business requirements, all the time balancing that with your available time. .../Ed Ed Wilts, RHCE, BCFP, BCSD, SCSP, SCSE ewi...@ewilts.org Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/in/ewilts ___ Veritas-bu maillist - Veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu http://mailman.eng.auburn.edu/mailman/listinfo/veritas-bu
[Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions?
Another Off Topic question: In a big SSO environment with mixed O/S media servers attached to tape and disk (via different HBA's) - who dictates what driver/firmware versions should be used on tape drives, hba's, switches? The NBU hardware compatibility list is very basic and list 'tested' versions for tape drives, not recommended. As far as switches and HBA's are concerned, the compatibility guide says: Consult the hardware vendor's web site for up-to-date firmware and driver updates. My viewpoint is that the tape vendor should supply all these compatibilities. I'd like to know how it's done in your environment and who initiates the whole process... Regards Marianne ___ Veritas-bu maillist - Veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu http://mailman.eng.auburn.edu/mailman/listinfo/veritas-bu
Re: [Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions?
I don't see that at all - the switches and HBAs are SAN/Network technology that deal with the transport of data and aren't directly addressed by NetBackup per se. NetBackup compatibility should have to do with what OS they'll run on and what storage medium they'll work on - it should be up to the HBA and storage vendors to determine what will get data between the two of them. In any scenario where you have multiple vendors involved you're apt to find something in your overall solution that isn't on everyone's compatibility list. There's been many a complicated environment I've worked on where one piece or another wasn't supported but worked just fine and had to be there. If you hold back on constituent applications or hardware waiting for it to be in the matrix you're apt to find that by the time it is something else has gone EOL so no longer is. From: veritas-bu-boun...@mailman.eng.auburn.edu [mailto:veritas-bu-boun...@mailman.eng.auburn.edu] On Behalf Of Marianne Van Den Berg Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 7:54 AM To: veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu Subject: [Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions? Another Off Topic question: In a big SSO environment with mixed O/S media servers attached to tape and disk (via different HBA's) - who dictates what driver/firmware versions should be used on tape drives, hba's, switches? The NBU hardware compatibility list is very basic and list 'tested' versions for tape drives, not recommended. As far as switches and HBA's are concerned, the compatibility guide says: Consult the hardware vendor's web site for up-to-date firmware and driver updates. My viewpoint is that the tape vendor should supply all these compatibilities. I'd like to know how it's done in your environment and who initiates the whole process... Regards Marianne Proud partner. Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Please consider our environment before printing this e-mail or attachments. -- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail may contain privileged or confidential information and is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of this information is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please reply immediately to the sender that you have received the message in error, and delete it. Thank you. -- ___ Veritas-bu maillist - Veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu http://mailman.eng.auburn.edu/mailman/listinfo/veritas-bu
Re: [Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions?
Thanks Jeff Hoping to get as many responses as possible. We were asked by a customer in a (fairly) large environment to provide recommended firmware and driver info. I am merely prepared to give what is in the Compatibility List. There are separate teams for everything - SAN, O/S (separate Windows and Unix team), Backup. Backup team has VERY limited access to servers (sudo access to NBU commands only on Solaris servers, local admin on Windows). Which team should be responsible for gathering and implementing firmware/driver updates? The installation is about 2 years old and no updates have been done since the original installation. NetBackup has been patched several times. From: Lightner, Jeff [mailto:jlight...@water.com] Sent: 12 May 2010 02:03 PM To: Marianne Van Den Berg; veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu Subject: RE: [Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions? I don't see that at all - the switches and HBAs are SAN/Network technology that deal with the transport of data and aren't directly addressed by NetBackup per se. NetBackup compatibility should have to do with what OS they'll run on and what storage medium they'll work on - it should be up to the HBA and storage vendors to determine what will get data between the two of them. In any scenario where you have multiple vendors involved you're apt to find something in your overall solution that isn't on everyone's compatibility list. There's been many a complicated environment I've worked on where one piece or another wasn't supported but worked just fine and had to be there. If you hold back on constituent applications or hardware waiting for it to be in the matrix you're apt to find that by the time it is something else has gone EOL so no longer is. From: veritas-bu-boun...@mailman.eng.auburn.edu [mailto:veritas-bu-boun...@mailman.eng.auburn.edu] On Behalf Of Marianne Van Den Berg Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 7:54 AM To: veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu Subject: [Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions? Another Off Topic question: In a big SSO environment with mixed O/S media servers attached to tape and disk (via different HBA's) - who dictates what driver/firmware versions should be used on tape drives, hba's, switches? The NBU hardware compatibility list is very basic and list 'tested' versions for tape drives, not recommended. As far as switches and HBA's are concerned, the compatibility guide says: Consult the hardware vendor's web site for up-to-date firmware and driver updates. My viewpoint is that the tape vendor should supply all these compatibilities. I'd like to know how it's done in your environment and who initiates the whole process... Regards Marianne Proud partner. Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Please consider our environment before printing this e-mail or attachments. -- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail may contain privileged or confidential information and is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of this information is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please reply immediately to the sender that you have received the message in error, and delete it. Thank you. -- ___ Veritas-bu maillist - Veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu http://mailman.eng.auburn.edu/mailman/listinfo/veritas-bu
Re: [Veritas-bu] Off Topic: Firmware and driver versions?
On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 6:54 AM, Marianne Van Den Berg mvdb...@stortech.co.za wrote: In a big SSO environment with mixed O/S media servers attached to tape and disk (via different HBA’s) – who dictates what driver/firmware versions should be used on tape drives, hba’s, switches? The NBU hardware compatibility list is very basic and list ‘tested’ versions for tape drives, not recommended. As far as switches and HBA’s are concerned, the compatibility guide says: “Consult the hardware vendor's web site for up-to-date firmware and driver updates.” My viewpoint is that the tape vendor should supply all these compatibilities. I’d like to know how it’s done in your environment and who initiates the whole process… For tape drives, we rely on the opinion of our field service rep - whenever he's out here, we ask what's a recommended release for the drives and the library and schedule accordingly. I don't think we've seen specific firmware issues on the tape side. On the host side, to some extent we are starting to lose control, and that's not a bad thing. Multipathing software is coming out of the OS vendors (MPIO, DMP, etc.). Every now and then we go through and do a firmware/driver update but I don't think we've been the 100% supported/current in over 3 years (when we did a McData to Brocade switch migration). For the SAN switches, we upgrade the firmware when we get around to it. I'm a few releases behind but we can't upgrade continually or we'd be doing nothing else. If there's a bug that I've run into that I need to fix, then I'll bump the priority. It's always a fine juggling act between being current, supported, and meeting the business requirements, all the time balancing that with your available time. .../Ed Ed Wilts, RHCE, BCFP, BCSD, SCSP, SCSE ewi...@ewilts.org Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/in/ewilts ___ Veritas-bu maillist - Veritas-bu@mailman.eng.auburn.edu http://mailman.eng.auburn.edu/mailman/listinfo/veritas-bu
