Upgrade to HP-UX 11i v3 – process overview

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Why v3?		Process		Requirements		Case study		Learn more

Updating to HP-UX 11i v3 is a simple upgrade if your environment is completely current – but let’s be realistic! Your HP-UX environment is critical to your operation, and for many companies, has been running for over a decade. So let’s look at this very carefully.

Below find HP’s recommended structure approach, instructions and look-up tools for the smoothest, quickest path from HP-UX 11i v1 or v2 running on existing HP 9000 or Integrity servers, to HP-UX 11i v3.

»Listen to our HP-UX 11i v3 engineer's Webcast that describes how to update to HP-UX 11i v3

»Alternately, read the Webcast transcripts in eight languages

Steps for updating to HP-UX 11i v3

At the highest level, the steps for updating your HP-UX environment to HP-UX 11i v3 are given below. Take a look at the details that support these steps.

Update the first system:

Confirm that your existing system, its devices and firmware are supported by v3 and disk and memory supply is sufficient. Update as necessary
Identify in-house and third-party software on the existing system that needs to run on v3. Work with the third-party software supplier for their v3 version and satisfy your QA requirements for in-house software
Update to or cold-install HP-UX 11i v3
Install applications in a test environment
Move environment to production.

Update additional systems:

Use a ‘golden’ image from your first system or repeat the process used for the first system.

Print the checklist to track your systems’ information and update progress!

Check that your system will run HP-UX 11i v3

Verify firmware level, storage, drivers and I/O card support

HP invests in supporting our customers’ existing storage, as well as supporting new devices as quickly as possible, with HP-UX 11i v3.

If your system is running HP-UX 11i v2, retrieve the msv2v3check script from the HP Software Depot.

Run the msv2v3check script to validate whether the firmware, drivers, mass storage I/O cards and mass storage devices installed on your HP-UX 11i v2 system are supported on 11i v3. This script will report if any unsupported drivers, mass storage I/O cards and mass storage devices are found on your system.
This script also checks the minimum firmware versions required for cards or devices on your system to run properly on HP-UX 11i v3.

For more details on the msv2v3check script, refer to HP-UX 11i v2 to 11i v3 Mass Storage Stack Update Guide.

If your system is running HP-UX 11i v1, determine exactly what host bus adapters and storage devices you have using the HP-UX command ioscan. Compare your system I/O device list to the supported devices in the matrices below.

Determine what firmware revision your system is running using the HP-UX command machinfo and compare it to the minimum level required for the servers listed in the minimum firmware table.

If a firmware upgrade is indicated, visit the BizCentre to download the firmware. Update the firmware on an HP 9000 and Integrity system using the HP Firmware Manager (HP FM). HP FM is packaged with the firmware and distributed via the Web. Download the firmware with HP FM as required.

HP FM provides two methods of updating firmware. The method to use depends on whether or not the operating system is running on the system:

Use HP OS-Initiated Firmware Manager (HP OSIFM) if the HP-UX operating system is running. HP OSIFM provides a firmware package in a patch or product file for HP-UX. Download the patch or product, then use the operating system to update the firmware.
Use HP Offline Firmware Manager (HP OFM) if the operating system is not running or to update the firmware for a device in the boot path. HP OFM provides a firmware package as an .ISO image that you download to a system to create a CD. Then use the CD to boot the system and update the firmware. HP OFM is available only for HP Integrity systems.