Obtaining packages

The update packages are provided on FixCentral.

Package types

The following table shows different packages that are published to FixCentral:
Table 1. Packages published to FixCentral
Fix Type Example FixID Description
Main product software

Storage-IBM_FlashSystem9100-8.6.0.2

This Fix contains the 8.6.0.2 release of IBM Storage Virtualize

This fix contains a full image of software that can be used to update your system.

Note:
  • Before installing this software, run the upgrade test utility.
Drive Bundle

Storage-IBM_FlashSystem9100-DriveMicrocode-231019

This bundle contains firmware for all supported drives and was created on 19 October 2023.

This fix contains the latest firmware for all supported drives.

The fix contains various file bundles. The exact file bundle that you need to use depends on your system, and is described in the “Which Drive File Should I use” text file.

Note: Before installing this firmware, run the upgrade test utility.
Software Upgrade Test Utility

Storage-IBM_FlashSystem9100-SwUpgradeTestUtility

Note: This FixID never changes.

This fix is a lightweight utility that performs a validation of planned update (either drive update or software update) to make sure that there are no known issues with the update.

It is essential to always use the latest upgrade test utility to protect against known issues.

When downloading either the drive bundle or the main firmware from FixCentral, the upgrade test utility is automatically included in the download.

Patches These fixes are not available from FixCentral without a direct download link. Under some scenarios, IBM releases a patch that fixes or updates a small part of the product, and can be updated without any interruption to I/O processing.
Generally available patches These fixes are available from FixCentral without a direct download link. Under some scenarios, IBM releases a patch that fixes or updates a part of the product, and can be updated without any interruption to I/O processing.

Transferring packages

If Call Home with cloud services is enabled, the system connects to Fix Central and directly transfer the latest software update available to the storage system. The user can also transfer specific packages directly to the system by using the GUI. For more information, see Call Home.

To transfer a specific package to the system, select Transfer on the Update System panel in the GUI. The package can also be obtained by using the satask downloadsoftware CLI command.
Note: Fix ID or Patch ID can be provided with access key, if one is required. For example, specify Storage_Disk-2076-8.6.2.0-ifix4:17241343604005011 to install package Storage_Disk-2076-8.6.2.0-ifix4 with access key 17241343604005011.

If patch auto-update is enabled, select View available patches on the Update System panel in the GUI to view and transfer generally available patches.

To obtain a package from FixCentral without using Call Home, access the following site http://www.ibm.com/support.

The packages are available under Downloads > Fixes, updates and drivers.
Note: The md5sum files are available on FixCentral to enable users to confirm a successful file transfer.

Once the update package is on your machine, select Upload on the Update System panel in the GUI to transfer the update package to the system. If using the CLI, copy the relevant file to the /update directory on the config node.