Configuring remote code load

Remote code load (RCL) is a service that enables IBM service personnel to securely connect and complete code updates on IBM Storage Scale Systems from a remote location. The RCL service is the preferred method for delivering code updates, which does not require an onsite visit from IBM service personnel. It provides a secure and efficient alternative to on-premises microcode upgrades. You can use the RCL to update firmware for host adapters, enclosures, and drives. If a firmware update fails during a standard deployment, use the RCL to retry the update instead of restarting the entire upgrade procedure.

Important: RCL is available only to customers with Expert Care offerings.
To update the code through the RCL service, complete the following steps on the IBM® Storage Scale System Utility Node:
  1. Verify the supported versions and system requirements.
  2. Verify that the prerequisites are met for the RCL service.
  3. Set up the IBM Storage Scale System RCL service container.
  4. Set up the IBM Storage Scale System API server container.
  5. Contact IBM service personnel to perform the code update through the RCL service. For more information, see IBM Remote Code Load in the IBM Support page.

Supported versions and system requirements

The minimum supported version from which you can run the RCL is the N-3 version of 6.2.3.0.

The RCL service uses Utility Node to perform the code update for other systems and it is supported only for the following systems:
  • IBM Storage Scale System 6000 (MTM 5149-F48)
  • IBM Storage Scale System Utility Node (MTM 5149-23E)
  • IBM Storage Scale System management server (EMSVM-23E)
Note: RCL supports mixed environments that include only supported systems.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites must be met on the system before setting up containers:
  • Ensure that the Utility Node can access the public network through the campus network interface. This access is required for IBM service personnel to connect to the system remotely and perform the code update by using the RCL service.
    Note:
    • The campus interface must have a single IPv4 addresses configured.
    • If direct access to the public network is not available, use a proxy server to establish the internet connectivity for the Utility Node.
  • Ensure that the system administrator has root access to create other users, which are required to host containers. To verify that a user has root access, run the whoami command. If the output is root, the user has root privileges.
  • Ensure that the root (/) file system has at least 60 GB of available space to support the RCL and API server operations.
  • Before you set up the containers on the Utility Node, make sure that the Podman and guestfs-tools packages are installed.
  • Before you start any containers, make sure that the host file is saved at /etc/hosts on the Utility Node. Verify that the IP address specified in the hosts file matches the IP address of your system. A sample host file includes the following details:
    127.0.0.1  localhost localhost.localdomain localhost4 localhost4.localdomain4
::1     localhost localhost.localdomain localhost6 localhost6.localdomain6

# ****************************************************************************
# IBM Utility Node (virbr1) (where EMSVM-23E running)
# ****************************************************************************
10.23.16.1 utilityBareMetal

# ****************************************************************************
# EMSVM-23E (ras interface IP on EMSVM-23E)
# ****************************************************************************
10.23.16.2 emsvm
    Important:
    • Add only the required host entries to the /etc/hosts file to minimize security risks and prevent exposure of information about other nodes in the environment.
  • Get familiar with the IBM Storage Scale native REST API feature, which is used to perform the RCL service through the API server container. For more information about the IBM Storage Scale native REST API, see IBM Storage Scale native REST API.
    Note: The API server container is a streamlined version of the IBM Storage Scale native REST API server and does not include core IBM Storage Scale functions. The API server container is intended for deployment in a single-host environments and does not support communication or state exchange with other API server containers.