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When the SP/BMC uses the network interface for firmware updates

An SP firmware update that is triggered from ONTAP supports using an IP-based file transfer mechanism over the SP network interface.

Note
This topic applies to both the SP and the BMC.

An SP firmware update over the network interface is faster than an update over the serial interface. It reduces the maintenance window during which the SP firmware is being updated, and it is also nondisruptive to ONTAP operation. The SP versions that support this capability are included with ONTAP. They are also available on the Lenovo Data Center Support site and can be installed on controllers that are running a compatible version of ONTAP.

The following firmware upgrade behaviors apply:

  • An SP firmware update that is automatically triggered by ONTAP defaults to using the network interface for the update; however, the SP automatic update switches to using the serial interface for the firmware update if one of the following conditions occurs:

    • The SP network interface is not configured or not available.

    • The IP-based file transfer fails.

    • The SP API service is disabled.

  • An SP firmware update that is manually triggered from ONTAP (system service-processor image update) uses the network interface for the firmware update only when the -update-type parameter is set to network-full .

    Otherwise, the serial interface is used for the firmware update.

Regardless of the SP version you are running, an SP firmware update triggered from the SP CLI always uses the SP network interface for the update.