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NEC Express5800/320Fc Upgrade Guide

1. External Storage duet003 Finally the system restarts your applications including the Active Upgrade console from the Upgrade Side system disk Depending on the complexity of your applications and the upgrade you performed your applications may be back up and running in under a minute 7 After the system is successfully merged you can test your applications and verify the success of your upgrades with full access to the system s resources If you discover a problem you can still abort the upgrade process and restore the system to its previous state because the original copy of your system disk on the Production Side has not been overwritten yet 8 When you are certain that the upgrades were successful you can commit the changes to make them permanent When you commit the changes the Active Upgrade console resynchronizes the RDR disks in your system by overwriting the original Production Side system disk and stale Upgrade Side data disks with their partner disks which are up to date Figure 1 4 NOTE Because the original version of your system disk is erased during the commit process you cannot abort an upgrade session after initiating the commit process Overview 1 5 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process Figure 1 4 Committing the Upgrade Internal Storage Console Duplexed System
2. a Bi Remirror iP with RDR 3 ae Srem I l Old Data duet004 When the RDR disk resychronization is finished all critical system resources are running in duplex mode and the Active Upgrade process is complete You do not need to restart the system and because your application is already running on the upgraded software there is no additional downtime Related Topics Aborting the Active Upgrade Process Active Upgrade State Model on page 1 8 Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 System Prerequisites on page 2 2 Aborting the Active Upgrade Process Aborting the Active Upgrade process stops the current upgrade session and returns your system to its original state If necessary you can abort an upgrade session at any point up until you commit the upgrade If you abort the upgrade session while the system is in split mode no downtime is incurred Your applications continue to run on the Production Side while the Active Upgrade console restores the system to duplex mode 1 6 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Overview of the Active Upgrade Process If you abort the upgrade session while the system is in merge mode a short period of downtime is incurred while the Active Upgrade console initiates a system restart The Active Upgrade console shuts down the Upgrade Side and restarts the system from the Pr
3. Application services to start stop 2 16 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Pre Upgrade Tasks Table 2 1 Active Upgrade Process Worksheet Continued Custom actions to run Log files to back up Related Topics e Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 e Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 e System Prerequisites on page 2 2 e Recommendations on page 2 5 e Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process on page 2 6 e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 7 Pre Upgrade Tasks Copying Software Installation Packages to the System When the system runs in split mode the Upgrade Side has no access to the network or internal data disks therefore if you need to download or copy any High Priority updates hotfixes installation packages or disk images for example msi files to the system put them on one of the disks you want to upgrade before you split the system You might want to do so even before you run the Active Upgrade console Make note of the location of the installation packages so you can find them later NOTE If your installation packages are on CD ROM no action is necessary You can access the CD DVD drive on the Upgrade Side while the system is in split mode For more information about downloading updates with the Microsoft Windows Automatic Updates utili
4. By default the Custom Actions page supports executable files that are batch files bat application files exe or Visual Basic scripts vbs For other types of executable files see Executing Visual Basic Scripts and Other Types of Executable Files on page 3 18 NOTES 1 Custom actions run consecutively when called If one action fails to terminate it might prevent the next action from executing and ultimately prevent the upgrade process from continuing When you specify an executable file for a custom action verify that it runs successfully outside of the Active Upgrade process and ensure that it completes in a timely manner 3 12 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Configuring Custom Actions 2 Executable files for custom actions must be located on a system disk If a executable file is located on an external or network disk the Upgrade Side loses access to the file while the system is in split mode 3 For information about writing your own programs for custom actions see Programming Notes for Custom Actions on page 3 15 To configure a custom action 1 On the Custom Actions page do one of the following e Next to File type the full path name and file name of the executable file you want to run The file must already exist on the system For example C bin mybatchfile bat e Click Browse to locate the executable file using a file browser Click the file name in the f
5. T Server Actter Upgrade om oan 1 Server Configuration 5 fo fhe Gotive Lingrade oomai This 000 aloes pou ho soit your Server zan into two independentip sunning zare one ade of whch you upgrade whia fhe ohe re 00 to run 0 hoa innuon Ths pour fee Laing fhe Gotive Lingrade oomai sas the Help for intonation about Active Upgrade concept and termmnciogy the typar of rofyvase updater thal the Adine Lpg ade procezi SOPI Ord te 45 Ce ur upaaye ponis on you Sate Whio the acts Upgrade corode umng you cen ar na help by penro Fi c ty gt rg the Hep he upper right hand oone yma 2 To shat Confignaing pour bor the Achas Upgade poosis sekci one of the following options Deok Configuytion Fie Select to gereste and use anaa conbgursbon Me 3 cod Conbouraton File Baat to uve bed not rodiy on exiting confignastion lite Edt Corban File to readily and ure an gt File to proceed lie no setings Lids zal Ho confignastion fie Fak Toyi Ide Poot a Title bar Navigation bar Main window A O N Status bar Related Topics e Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console e Pre Upgrade Tasks e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Title Bar The title bar displays the name of the current page of the Active Upgrade console 2 22 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide
6. 3 16 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Configuring Custom Actions To pass multiple variables add a space between each variable as follows ACTIVE UPGRADE SIDE tACTIVE_ UPGRADE REQUEST Related Topics e Active Upgrade State Model on page 1 8 e Programming Notes for Custom Actions on page 3 15 e Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 Generating Exit Values An exit value of 0 indicates that the executable file exited normally Any other exit value indicates that there was an error which prevents the Active Upgrade process from continuing with the current upgrade request If this happens you must correct the problem and click Retry in the Active Upgrade console to retry the current upgrade request which also runs the custom action again The Active Upgrade process does not continue until the executable file for your custom action runs successfully Related Topics e Programming Notes for Custom Actions on page 3 15 e Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 Viewing Standard Output and Error Stream After your program executes you can view standard output and error output from the program in the Active Upgrade console as follows 1 Inthe activity log expand an Execute custom actions node There can be more than one Execute custom actions node depending on the types of custom actions you have created Find the node for the upgrade stage in which your custom action was set
7. 2 5 release notes 1 1 restarting Production Side 4 14 restarting Upgrade Side 4 12 split system 1 2 4 3 state model 1 8 status 4 21 troubleshooting 5 1 activity log 4 21 interpreting entries 4 2 4 23 saving to file 5 1 administrator account 2 8 Advanced Video Redirection 4 7 Index application controlling multiple 3 8 managing as service 3 9 managing during upgrade 2 6 4 14 managing with custom action 3 12 application service See service Application Services page 3 9 Automatic Updates See Windows Automatic Updates backing up files Event Viewer logs 3 10 with custom action 3 12 batch BAT file 3 12 C call defined Glossary 1 child configuration defined Glossary 1 color coding activity log 4 2 4 23 disk selection 3 6 commit upgrade 1 5 4 18 defined Glossary 1 illustrated 1 6 verifying Upgrade Side before 4 17 Commit Upgrade page 4 18 configuration file 2 15 3 1 controlling multiple applications 3 8 creating 3 2 default location 3 1 defined Glossary 2 describing 3 19 displaying summary 3 19 editing 3 4 loading 3 3 managing multiple systems 3 8 Index 1 Index nesting 3 7 saving 3 5 upgrading without 3 4 Configuration page 3 1 configuring administrator account 2 8 application services 3 9 Automatic Updates 2 18 custom actions 3 12 disks 3 5 firewall 2 10 log file backup 3 10 Remote Desktop 2 8 UPS 2 11 connecting to Upgrade Side 4 6 con
8. Do one of the following to open the file e In the Locate Configuration File dialog box type the full path name and file name for the configuration file next to Configuration File e Click Browse to locate the file using a file browser The browser displays only files with the Config extension Click the file in the file browser then click Open to select the file 3 Inthe Locate Configuration File dialog box click Load to open the configuration file When you edit a configuration file the file opens on the Disk Selection page Related Topics e Creating and Managing Configuration Files on page 3 1 e Saving a Configuration File on page 3 5 e Selecting Disks to Upgrade on page 3 5 e Displaying the Upgrade Summary on page 3 19 Performing an Upgrade with No Configuration File the upgrade you want to perform does not require any special settings you can proceed without a configuration file For example if you have only one system disk and you just want to split the system briefly to test how a hotfix would affect the operating system without committing the changes you might not need a configuration file To proceed without a configuration file click No Configuration File on the Configuration page The Active Upgrade console immediately displays the Active Upgrade page and runs a readiness check If your system meets the prerequisites for the Active Upgrade process you can split the system
9. Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface The title bar also contains a Help button which you can click to display the Help topic associated with the current page of the Active Upgrade console You can also access the Help from the Production Side or Upgrade Side by clicking Start All Programs ft ftUpgrade chm to open the Help viewer Related Topics e Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console e Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface e Pre Upgrade Tasks e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Navigation Bar The navigation bar displays your current location in the Active Upgrade console and in some cases allows you to control the Active Upgrade process The navigation bar is divided into three sections e Configuration e Active Upgrade e Links The Configuration section of the navigation bar Figure 2 5 displays entries specific to configuring your system for the upgrade process Figure 2 5 Navigation Bar Configuration Configuration Disk Selection Other Configurations Application Services Log File Backup Custom Actions Upgrade Summary Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 2 23 Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface If you are creating or editing a configuration file you can click any entry in the Configuration section to skip directly to the associated configuration page These pages have the following purposes Configurat
10. and click Next The next page displays the list of the updates you downloaded 3 Check the list of updates against the list of updates that have been evaluated by NEC Corporation of America for compatibility Make note of the updates you can install during the Active Upgrade process 4 Click Cancel to exit the Automatic Updates utility Do not select or install updates at this time NOTE You should plan to install all security related hotfixes but do not install other types of hotfixes such as Microsoft QFE patches that fix a particular problem before obtaining validation from NEC Corporation of America See Recommendations on page 2 5 and http www necam com support servers ft hotfixes htm for more information After you have verified and recorded the list of updates you need to install you are ready to run the Active Upgrade console To install your updates click the Automatic Updates icon in the system tray on the Upgrade Side after you have split the system See Running Software Installation Programs on page 4 10 for more information Related Topics e Copying Software Installation Packages to the System on page 2 16 e Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 2 20 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console NOTES 1 Your login account must be in the lo
11. e Displaying the Upgrade Summary on page 3 19 Programming Notes for Custom Actions The following topics describe some of the features available for programming and monitoring custom actions e Starting and Stopping Applications e Using Active Upgrade Environment Variables on page 3 16 e Generating Exit Values on page 3 17 e Viewing Standard Output and Error Stream on page 3 17 e Executing Visual Basic Scripts and Other Types of Executable Files on page 3 18 Starting and Stopping Applications If you write a program to control a critical application during the upgrade process ensure that your program not only stops and starts the application at the appropriate times but also disables and enables the default startup mechanism for the application for example the default Startup Type setting in the Services Control Manager or a startup item in the system registry If you do not disable the default startup type for an application it might interfere with or override your custom action See Selecting Application Services to Control on page 3 9 for information about how the Active Upgrade console changes the Startup Type for application services Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 3 15 Configuring Custom Actions Related Topics e Programming Notes for Custom Actions on page 3 15 e Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 Using Active Upgrade Environment Variables You can option
12. 10 5 8 5 9 firmware requirements for upgrade 2 4 upgrades supported 2 2 ftServer system duplex mode 2 2 hardware maintenance 4 4 merge mode 1 4 4 15 split mode 1 2 4 3 support for hotfixes 2 5 system software requirement 2 4 systems supported for upgrade 2 2 ftSMC viewing RDR disk status 5 5 Index 2 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Index G gathering information 2 15 glossary Glossary 1 H hardware maintenance 4 4 Hardware State 4 25 Help button 2 22 high priority update See hotfix host bus adapter HBA See external storage hotfix 2 1 configuring Automatic Updates 2 18 configuring WSUS server 2 19 defined Glossary 3 downloading before split mode 2 18 installing with Automatic Updates 4 10 recommendations for ftServer system 2 5 restarting system after installation 4 12 verifying list of updates to install 2 20 icon Active Upgrade console 2 21 Help 2 22 Windows Automatic Updates 4 10 installation program defined Glossary 3 installing software Active Upgrade console 2 9 downloading software before upgrade 2 18 hotfixes 4 10 location of application data files 2 1 modifying application data files 2 2 network requirements 2 2 2 18 running installation programs 4 12 support for upgrades 2 1 viewing list of software 5 3 L links 4 6 Remote Desktop 4 8 Remote KVM 4 7 Log File Backup page 3 10 M managing application during upgrade 2
13. 3 Upgrade State For more information about interpreting items in the status bar see Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Related Topics e Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console e Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface e Pre Upgrade Tasks e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 2 28 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Chapter 3 Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Configuring the Active Upgrade process involves the following tasks e Creating and managing configuration files e Selecting disks to upgrade e Selecting other configuration files to include e Selecting application services to control e Selecting event log files to back up e Configuring custom actions e Providing a description for a configuration file e Displaying the upgrade summary Creating and Managing Configuration Files Configuration files allow you to save upgrade configurations that you can use immediately or in the future If you frequently perform upgrades to your system you can create a configuration file to preserve your settings so you can perform similar upgrades as often as necessary If applicable you can create multiple configuration files each with different system settings to prepare the system for a particular type of system or application software upgrade In addition you can call one or more existing configuration files from the configuration file you are
14. 4 21 Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 Troubleshooting Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Committing the Upgrade After you have merged the system your critical applications including the Active Upgrade console are running from the software on the Upgrade Side system disks At this point you can test the software you installed and verify the general health of the system with full access to the system s resources including Network resources External storage Application data disks For example you might want to perform the following tasks before you commit the upgrade Verify that all of your critical applications have restarted on the Upgrade Side see Verifying the Status of Application Services on page 5 2 Verify that you have access to your network and application data disks Verify that client systems can reach all of the services that your system provides Verify the presence and version number of each software package see Verifying the Status of Installed Software on page 5 3 Verify that you can start and run any applications that you have installed or upgraded if they are not already running Check the configuration settings for your applications and the operating system which could have been altered by software installation If you are satisfied that everything is working correctly you can commit the upgrade to make the changes permanent If there are any problems you can abort the upgra
15. 4 5 e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Merging the System on page 4 15 e Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 e Troubleshooting Restarting the Upgrade Side 4 12 When the system is running in split mode if necessary you can restart the operating system on the Upgrade Side at any time You can either allow an installation program to restart the system automatically or you can perform the following procedure to restart the system manually A CAUTION Before you restart the system ensure that you are working on the Upgrade Side desktop through a remote connection Do not restart the Production Side Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Splitting the System CAUTION Do not shut down the Upgrade Side otherwise the Upgrade Side will not come back online and you must abort the upgrade process to recover If this happens any changes you made on the Upgrade Side are lost To manually restart the Upgrade Side 1 On the Upgrade Side click Shut Down in the Start menu 2 Inthe Shut Down Windows dialog box select Restart from the drop down menu and click OK you are using Remote KVM the AVR session remains connected while the Upgrade Side is restarting however you must log on again when the Upgrade Side is finished restarting To send the Ctrl Alt Del key sequence necessary for login select Ctrl Alt Del from the drop down menu at the bottom of
16. Activity Log 4 21 Status Bar 4 25 5 Troubleshooting 5 1 Saving the Activity Log to a File 5 1 Verifying the Status of Application Services 5 2 iv Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Contents Verifying the Status of Installed Software 5 3 Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing 5 5 General Problems and Solutions 5 6 Glossary Glossary 1 Index Index 1 Contents Vv Figures Figure 1 1 Figure 1 2 Figure 1 3 Figure 1 4 Figure 1 5 Figure 1 6 Figure 2 1 Figure 2 2 Figure 2 3 Figure 2 4 Figure 2 5 Figure 2 6 Figure 2 7 Figure 2 8 Figure 2 9 Figure 2 10 Figure 4 1 Figure 4 2 Figure 4 3 Figure 4 4 Figure 4 5 Figure 4 6 Figure 4 7 Figure 5 1 Figure 5 2 Duplexed System Splitting the System Merged System Committing the Upgrade Aborting the Upgrade Active Upgrade State Model Windows Firewall Exceptions Automatic Updates Control Panel Automatic Updates Icon in System Tray Active Upgrade console Navigation Bar Configuration Navigation Bar Active Upgrade Navigation Bar Links Main Window Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Main Window Activity Log Status Bar Links for Connecting to Upgrade Side Remote Desktop Title Bar Automatic Updates Icon in System Tray Activity Log in Active Upgrade Console Remote Activity Log Activity Log Detail Status Bar Service Control Manager Add or Remove Programs Control Panel iv Express5800 320Fc Active U
17. NOTE For the latest information about Active Upgrade technology including any issues that were discovered after this release see the Express5800 320F c Active Upgrade User s Guide online at http support necam com servers ft Features Active Upgrade technology allows you to do the following e Install software updates with minimal disruption to your critical applications Your business critical applications continue to run on one side of the system while you install software on and even restart the other side There is only a brief disruption when you are finished installing updates as your critical applications are restarted on the upgraded software Overview 1 1 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process e Test the latest software updates in your environment before making the updates permanent After your critical applications are restarted on the upgraded software you can verify the success of your software updates in a production environment with real users and system load If you want to keep the changes there is no additional downtime Otherwise as quickly as your system can restart you can abort the upgrade to go back to the original version of your software Abort the upgrade process at any point until you commit the changes If for any reason you are not satisfied with an upgrade you can abort the upgrade session to return the system to its original state Nothing is permanent until you choose to commi
18. Related Topics Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Troubleshooting Troubleshooting 5 1 Verifying the Status of Application Services Verifying the Status of Application Services At various stages of the Active Upgrade process you can optionally verify the status of services you specified for control on the Application Services page of the Active Upgrade console To verify the status of a service 1 Right click My Computer on your desktop or in the Start menu 2 Select Manage from the shortcut menu Computer Management is displayed 3 If necessary click Services and Applications to expand it 4 Click Services to display the Service Control Manager Figure 5 1 in the right pane of the window 5 Search for a service in the list and view its current Status and Startup Type in the fields next to the service name For example while the system is in split mode any service you selected for control by the Active Upgrade console should be stopped blank Status field and its Startup Type should be Disabled on the Upgrade Side of the system as shown with the MSSQLSERVER service in Figure 5 1 5 2 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Verifying the Status of Installed Software Figure 5 1 Service Control Manager Event Viewer Shared Folders Local Users anc Groups Local System Local System ocal System VIMI Control ese Network Associates H internet Infor
19. Troubleshooting for information about resolving the problem When the system is split you can e Manage upgrade tasks on the Upgrade Side e Manage your applications on the Production Side e Verify the Upgrade Side before merging the system To perform upgrade tasks you must establish a remote connection to the Upgrade Side as explained in Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side on page 4 5 NOTE After you establish a connection to the Upgrade Side you can optionally check the status of your application services on the Upgrade Side to verify that they have been stopped by the Active Upgrade console See Verifying the Status of Application Services on page 5 2 Related Topics e Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side e Managing Your Applications on the Production Side on page 4 14 e Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Merging the System on page 4 15 e Merging the System on page 4 15 e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 e Troubleshooting Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side While the system is in split mode you can perform any of the following upgrade tasks on the Upgrade Side e Run software installation programs see Running Software Installation Programs on page 4 10 and Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 for restrictions e Restart the operating system if necessary see Restarting the
20. Upgrade Split System Merge System Commit Upgrade Abort Upgrade Finish 2 24 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface You can click Active Upgrade to perform a readiness check and if you are still modifying a configuration file you can click any page in the Configuration section to go back and make additional changes After you initiate an upgrade session by clicking Split on the Active Upgrade page the navigation bar reverts to a static mode in which it only indicates where you are in the upgrade process and does not allow you to skip between pages At that point you use the controls in the main window to complete the upgrade process The pages in the Active Upgrade section of the navigation bar have the following purposes Active Upgrade Allows you to perform a readiness test and if applicable to split the system for an upgrade Split System Indicates that the system is entering split mode and allows you to merge system resources or abort the upgrade after you finish running installation packages Merge System Indicates that the system is entering merge mode and allows you to commit or abort the upgrade after you have tested your changes Commit Upgrade Indicates that the system is committing the upgrade and allows you to finish the process by cleaning up system resources Abort Upgrade Indicates that the upgrade process has be
21. Upgrade Side on page 4 12 e Perform limited testing of the installed updates see Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Merging the System on page 4 15 Performing the Upgrade 4 5 Splitting the System If necessary you can also completely abort the upgrade process from the Active Upgrade console on the Production Side Because the Active Upgrade console itself runs on the Production Side of the system you need to establish a remote connection to the desktop on the Upgrade Side before you can complete any of these upgrade tasks as explained in Connecting to the Desktop on the Upgrade Side on page 4 6 Related Topics Connecting to the Desktop on the Upgrade Side Running Software Installation Programs on page 4 10 Restarting the Upgrade Side on page 4 12 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Merging the System on page 4 15 Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 Troubleshooting Connecting to the Desktop on the Upgrade Side While the system is in split mode the Active Upgrade console runs on the Production Side of the system To perform upgrade tasks you must establish a remote connection to the Upgrade Side 4 6 You can access the Upgrade Side using one of two methods Remote KVM Allows you to control the keyboard video and mouse of the Upgrade Side using the Advanced Video Redirection AVR feature of the VTM console You might prefer this option if you re
22. a 8 SE I I en ee ee i ty External Storage duet001 Figure 1 2 Splitting the System Console Internal Storage Production Side Live lt a ESE l 1 0 fen g l O S a g P n 23 i Mirror E a Remote X i 5 p i Disabled Connection No xX Connection xX Upgrade Side Isolated 8 E E f jh VT M ft aac 2 ee 4 Software Installation duet002 Overview 1 3 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process 1 4 As shown in Figure 1 2 when you split the system the Active Upgrade console disables any Rapid Disk Resync RDR mirroring between the internal disks in each CPU 1 O enclosure and isolates the Upgrade Side from system resources such as the network any user specified application data disks and any external PCI resources It also disables user specified applications and services on the Upgrade Side so they cannot restart if you restart the Upgrade Side Meanwhile the Production Side retains access to system resources and continues to run your applications uninterrupted After the system successfully enters split mode you establish a remote connection to the Upgrade Side of the system through
23. a brief summary next to Title and type additional details next to Comments For Comments you might want to include information such as e Purpose of the configuration file type of upgrade e Systems to which the file applies e Special settings required before using the file for an upgrade e Your name and contact information or contact information for a support provider e Date you created or updated the file When you have finished providing a description for the configuration file you can click Next to proceed with the next configuration step Related Topics e Creating and Managing Configuration Files on page 3 1 e Saving a Configuration File on page 3 5 e Displaying the Upgrade Summary on page 3 19 Displaying the Upgrade Summary When you finish creating a new configuration file or when you load or edit an existing configuration file you can display a summary of the upgrade configuration that the file contains To display the upgrade summary click Upgrade Summary in the navigation bar of the Active Upgrade console The summary window displays information including e Configuration file name title and description e Disks you selected for the upgrade e Other configuration files called by the current file e Application services to start and stop e Custom actions to run e Event log files to back up Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 9 Displaying the Upgrade Summary 3 20 If applicable
24. about resolving the problem Related Topics e Finishing the Upgrade e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing page 5 5 e Troubleshooting Finishing the Upgrade To complete the Active Upgrade process and clean up system resources after committing or aborting an upgrade click Finish on the Commit Upgrade page or Abort Upgrade page The finish process should take only a few minutes When the process completes the upgrade state is Fault Tolerant Idle Ready If the finish process fails the first time you can click Retry to try again If the problem persists see Troubleshooting for information about resolving the problem On the Finish page upon successful completion of the Active Upgrade process you can e Click Exit to close the Active Upgrade console e Click Save Log to save the activity log to a file 4 20 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status e Click Active Upgrade in the navigation bar to initiate another readiness test and upgrade with the same configuration e Click Configuration in the navigation bar to create edit or load another configuration file NOTE Though the Active Upgrade process is complete your RDR disks continue to resynchronize in the background If you intend to initiate another upgrade process you must wait for the resynchronization to complete before yo
25. computer and n al them Notify me but don t autometicaly download or install them Turn off Automatic Updates Your computer willbe more vulherable unless you Irctall updates regulsrly Instal updates from the Windows Update Web sie If your company pushes software updates from an enterprise wide service like Windows Server Update Services WSUS you might need to override the default Automatic Update policies for your system Typically WSUS clients are set to install all critical updates at a time specified by the WSUS administrator The Automatic Update control panel on the client system can be locked to enforce this policy If the control panel on your system is locked you must ask the WSUS administrator for permission to modify your update policies After you configure Automatic Updates the utility starts downloading updates in the background When it displays an icon indicating that updates are ready to install you can click the icon Figure 2 3 to see the list of updates that have been downloaded Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 2 19 Pre Upgrade Tasks Figure 2 3 Automatic Updates Icon in System Tray bws Server 2NN3 Enternrise Fditinn Updates are ready For your computer Click here to install these updates nS VY 8 26 Pm Fi Friday To verify the list of updates 1 Click the Automatic Updates icon to display the Automatic Updates dialog box 2 Select Custom Install Advanced
26. connected party did not properly respond Remote KVM browser window appears but does not open connection Remote Desktop connection fails with the error The client could not connect to the remote computer An application fails to be stopped by the Active Upgrade console during split If you have installed QLogic SANsurfer Fibre Channel HBA Software to upgrade the BIOS in your host bus adapter you should uninstall this utility when you are done upgrading the BIOS In this case the Active Upgrade console cannot split system resources because it cannot disable the HBA on the Upgrade Side To resolve the problem you must abort the upgrade uninstall SANsurfer restart the system or stop the SANsurfer service and restart the upgrade process If your system is running a network firewall solution check the firewall logs for blocked communications and explicitly add these items to your trusted zone For information about configuring Windows Firewall see Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade Process on page 2 10 Ensure that Java 2 Runtime Environment JRE is installed and running Also ensure that you have added the VTM console Web address to your Trusted Sites list and that you have allowed blocked Web based content See Connecting to the Upgrade Side with Remote KVM on page 4 7 for more information See Action under Remote Desktop is not enabled in Table 5 1 your application
27. currently editing so that the settings from the called files will also apply to the file you are editing This is called nesting The default location for Active Upgrade configuration files is Program Files ftsys ActiveUpgrade User Configurations but you can save a configuration file in any directory If you specify a different directory when saving or opening files the Active Upgrade console uses the same user specified directory on a per user basis the next time you open the file browser Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 1 Creating and Managing Configuration Files NOTE You can save a configuration file to any disk system or data internal or external The Active Upgrade console automatically copies configuration files to a staging area before beginning the upgrade to ensure that they are available throughout the upgrade process Related Topics e Creating a Configuration File e Loading a Configuration File on page 3 3 e Editing an Existing Configuration File on page 3 4 e Performing an Upgrade with No Configuration File on page 3 4 e Saving a Configuration File on page 3 5 e Selecting Other Configurations to Include on page 3 7 e Providing a Description for a Configuration File on page 3 19 Creating a Configuration File Creating a configuration file allows you to generate a configuration file that you can save and use immediately or at a later time To create a co
28. do you start and stop critical applications on the system you want to upgrade Are the applications configured as services in the Services snap in to Microsoft Management Console Or do you need to run custom actions executable files such as bat vbs exe to start your applications possibly in a particular order You need to identify these services and custom actions during configuration to allow the Active Upgrade console to start and stop your applications at the appropriate times during the upgrade process See Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process on page 2 6 for more information Do you want to preserve Event Viewer log entries that are generated on the Production Side while the system is running in split mode These log entries are typically lost during the commit process when the system resynchronizes your RDR disks If you want to save the files you can configure the Active Upgrade console to copy them to a backup directory before it commits the upgrade You can save the standard log files as well as any custom log files you have opened in the Event Viewer When you finish answering these questions you can use the worksheet in Table 2 1 to record your configuration information Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 5 Pre Upgrade Tasks Table 2 1 Active Upgrade Process Worksheet Disks to upgrade Disks that cannot be upgraded Software installation utilities to run
29. e Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 e System Prerequisites on page 2 2 e Recommendations on page 2 5 Installing the Active Upgrade Software NOTE Your login account must be in the Administrator group to install the Active Upgrade console To install the Active Upgrade console 1 Insert the Active Upgrade Software CD ROM into one of the CD DVD drives If the installation process does not start automatically do the following a Open My Computer b Right click the appropriate CD DVD icon and click Explore in the shortcut menu c Inthe CD DVD file listing double click install exe to start the installation utility The Active Upgrade Setup Wizard is displayed 2 Click Next to view the end user license agreement 3 If you agree to the terms of the license click the radio button for accept and click Next 4 Click Install to install the files 5 Click Finish to close the wizard The setup process installs the Active Upgrade console and associated files in C Program Files Stratus ActiveUpgrade It also creates Start menu items under ftSY and a shortcut on your desktop for the Active Upgrade console Related Topics e Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 2 9 Pre Upgrade Tasks Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade Process The Active Upgrade console requires network access to e Commun
30. host SystemRoot system32 cscript exe SystemRoot is an environment variable that automatically inserts your system root directory typically C WINNT e Next to Arguments type the full path name and file name of your executable file For example C bin myvbscript vbs If applicable you can type additional arguments that are specific to your script file or options that are specific to the session For example for a cscript session you might want to specify the T option to control the maximum amount of time your program is allowed to run C bin myvbscript vbs T 30 The preceding example would terminate the program and cscript session after 30 seconds Setting this type of time limit is a useful way of ensuring that your executable file cannot delay the upgrade process For more information about the cscript command open a Command Prompt session and enter cscript Related Topics e Programming Notes for Custom Actions on page 3 15 e Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 Express5800 320F c Active Upgrade User s Guide Providing a Description for a Configuration File Providing a Description for a Configuration File Use the Description page to specify a title and comments for your configuration file These items appear on the Other Configurations page the Upgrade Summary page and in the Locate Configuration File dialog box when you are selecting a configuration file to load or edit Type
31. information about the operation of a system Typographical Conventions The following typographical conventions are used in Express5800 320Fc system documents e The bold font emphasizes words in text or indicates text that you type the name of a screen object or the name of a programming element For example Before handling or replacing system components make sure that you are properly grounded by using a grounded wrist strap In the System Properties dialog box click the Hardware tab Call the RegisterDeviceNotification function gt The italic font introduces new terms and indicates programming and command line arguments that the user defines For example Many hardware components are customer replaceable units CRUs which can be replaced on site by system administrators with minimal training or tools copy filename filename2 Pass a pointer for the NotificationFilter parameter e The monospace font indicates sample program code and output including message text For example include lt iostream h gt The operation completed successfully viii Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Preface Getting Help If you have a technical question about Express5800 320Fc hardware or software try these online resources first Online support from NEC Technical Support You can find the latest technical information about an Express5800 320F c through online product support at the NEC Technical Support We
32. more information Related Topics Overview Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 Recommendations on page 2 5 Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process on page 2 6 Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 2 4 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Recommendations Recommendations When preparing your system for the Active Upgrade process also consider the following recommendations If possible assign static IP addresses for embedded Ethernet teams and VTM adapters your system is protected by Windows Firewall enable the exceptions for Active Upgrade console and Remote Desktop as shown in Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade Process on page 2 10 If Windows Firewall is running and these exceptions are not enabled communication between the Production Side and Upgrade Side might fail during the upgrade process your system is protected by an uninterruptible power supply UPS ensure that the CPU I O enclosure with A side power CPU enclosure 0 I O enclosure 10 is marked as the Primary enclosure in ESMPro before starting the upgrade process This configuration provides better protection for your system should power fail during an upgrade See Configuring a UPS Protected System for the Active Upgrade Process on page 2 11 for more information Use caution when applying hotfixes from any source Applying updates indiscrimi
33. must edit that configuration file separately When you have finished specifying child configuration files you can click Next to proceed with the next configuration step 3 8 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Selecting Application Services to Control Related Topics e Creating and Managing Configuration Files on page 3 1 e Saving a Configuration File on page 3 5 e Displaying the Upgrade Summary on page 3 19 Selecting Application Services to Control Use the Application Services page to select the critical application services you want the Active Upgrade console to automatically stop and restart during the upgrade process If you select a service on the Application Services page the Active Upgrade console controls the service as follows e When the system is split the console saves the current Startup Type for the service changes the Startup Type to Disabled on the Upgrade Side and then stops the service on the Upgrade Side e When the system is merged the console stops the service on the Production Side restores the previous Startup Type for the service on the Upgrade Side and starts the service on the Upgrade Side This ensures continuous availability of the service allows for comprehensive testing on the Upgrade Side and prevents any conflicts associated with two instances of a service running at the same time gt When an upgrade is aborted if the system is in merge mode the conso
34. the private network that exists between the VTM adapters in each CPU I O enclosure Using this remote connection you can perform any of the following upgrade tasks on the Upgrade Side e Run software installation programs see Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 for restrictions e Restart the operating system if necessary e Perform limited testing of the installed updates The Upgrade Side has no access to the network or application data disks during this stage You can also completely abort the upgrade from the Active Upgrade console if necessary When you are finished installing software on the Upgrade Side you disconnect the remote connection to the Upgrade Side and initiate the merge process When you merge the system the Active Upgrade console stops your applications on the Production Side and unmounts any application data disks to ensure that pending disk updates are flushed to disk It then merges system resources so that the network and application data disks become available to the whole system again With the exception of the internal disks all critical system resources return to duplex mode Figure 1 3 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Overview of the Active Upgrade Process Figure 1 3 Merged System Internal Storage l l l I I I l I I l Console Duplexed Seal l Old Systemy Current a Mirror X Disabled
35. to run Double click a specific custom action to display more information about it In the detail window view the output for your program under Status If necessary scroll down in the Status box to see the full output Or move your cursor over the Status box to view the output as ToolTip help If you save the activity log to a file you can also view the output in that file See Saving the Activity Log to a File on page 5 1 for more information Related Topics e Programming Notes for Custom Actions on page 3 15 e Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 7 Configuring Custom Actions Executing Visual Basic Scripts and Other Types of Executable Files 3 18 By default the File field on the Custom Actions page accepts only batch files bat application files exe and Visual Basic scripts vbs However if necessary you might be able to run another type of executable file Such as a Perl script by implementing the command line script host for the file You can also optionally run the command line script host for Visual Basic scripts cscript exe if you need to enable options that are available only in that environment For example to run your Visual Basic script in a command line script host do the following when performing the procedure in Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 e Next to File type the full path and file name of the command line script
36. to select the disks that contain the software you want to upgrade with the Active Upgrade process By marking these disks in your upgrade configuration you ensure that they will be available to the Upgrade Side of the system when the system is in split mode When you open the Disk Selection page the Active Upgrade console scans for and displays the disks in your system Only internal disks mirrored with RDR are displayed because these are the only disks that can be configured Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 5 Selecting Disks to Upgrade You can mark each disk as a system disk or a data disk e System disk A disk that contains the system or application software you want to upgrade Only disks marked as System are available to the Upgrade Side while the system is split The Active Upgrade console automatically marks some disks as system disks These mandatory system disks contain either boot files or paging files virtual memory files that are currently in use by the running operating system For more details see the mandatory system disk glossary entry You cannot change a mandatory system disk to a data disk CAUTION You cannot use a system disk for storing persistent data for example database files related to your critical applications Any new data written to the original system disk by the Production Side while the system is in split mode is overwritten when you commit the upgrade See the Overview for i
37. upgraded If possible configure the settings for any applications you installed or upgraded If you are satisfied that everything is working correctly you can merge the system to stop your applications on the Production Side and restart them on the Upgrade Side for final verification If there are any problems you can abort the upgrade to return the system to its original state Aborting the upgrade while the system is in split mode does not incur downtime because your critical applications are still running on the Production Side Related Topics Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side on page 4 5 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Merging the System on page 4 15 Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 Troubleshooting Merging the System After you are finished performing upgrade tasks on the Upgrade Side of the system you can merge the system to verify your changes before you permanently commit them Performing the Upgrade 4 15 Merging the System Merging the system e Stops your applications and services on the Production Side e Merges system resources so that the network and application data disks become available to the Upgrade Side e Restarts your applications including the Active Upgrade console from the Upgrade Side To merge the system 1 Verify that all installation processes are complete and that you have exited any installation programs 2 Optionally termin
38. with the help available at these online sites and the Express5800 320Fc system is covered by a service agreement please contact NEC Technical Support 866 269 1239 5 10 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Glossary Active Upgrade technology A process that allows you to upgrade system software and applications on an Express5800 320Fc system while its critical applications remain online and accessible to users For more information see the Overview application service A program that runs in the background and performs tasks related to other programs on the local system or on remote systems For example a server may run an Exchange service which can process email for local and remote systems The Active Upgrade console allows you to specify services that are related to your applications so that when necessary the applications and services may be started or stopped simultaneously See also custom action advanced video redirection AVR session See Remote KVM call To declare a program script or file that will be referenced by the current file See also nesting for configuration files child configuration A configuration file that is called into a parent configuration file in a nested configuration commit upgrade The stage of the Active Upgrade process during which the system makes the upgrade permanent by remirroring the upgraded system disk and the current data disk with their older part
39. 0 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Pre Upgrade Tasks Installing Java Runtime Environment Java Runtime Environment is necessary for running Active Upgrade Install the following Java Runtime Environment Sun Microsystems Java Runtime Environment Version 5 0 Update 8 1 5 0_08 or later Configuring IP address in Virtual Technician Module VTM IP addresses must be configuredin VTM to run Active Upgrade Configure IP addresses in VTM as described in this section IMPORTANT The following IP addresses must be configured in VTM 192 168 1 1 192 168 1 2 192 168 1 3 192 168 1 4 192 168 1 5 If the address specified in the network adapter and VTM is the same the active Upgrade process does not run properly If the IP addresses above are the same as the ones in the network adapter be sure to change the IP addresses specified in VTM by performint the following Changing VTM IP Address Information before performing the procedure described in Configuring IP Address in VTM Changing VTM IP address Log on as an administrator or member of Administrators group and change the IP addresses specified in VTM using the following procedures 1 Open C Program FileslftsysIVTM in Windows Explorer and open the VTMNETConfig vbs file by clicking Edit after right clicking the VTMNetConfig vbs file Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 3 Pre Upgrade Tasks Const DefaultGateway 192 168 1 1 Const VTMOlpAddre
40. 05a The state model helps to demonstrate the sequence of events in the Active Upgrade process as follows 1 All upgrade sessions start in the Idle state where you can run the readiness check as many times as necessary to verify that your system meets the prerequisites of the upgrade process The system continues to run normally and both sides of the system continue to be synchronized 2 When you start an upgrade session the Active Upgrade console switches to the PrepareSplit state during which it runs a final readiness check and additional background tasks If the system is ready the console immediately switches to the Split state and proceeds to divide the system into two independently running systems 1 8 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Overview of the Active Upgrade Process NOTE After the upgrade session leaves the Idle state you must complete the full upgrade process in sequence or abort the process altogether You cannot go back to a previous state or skip states and you cannot proceed to the next state if the upgrade is in a Broken or Busy operational state 3 When you are done installing software on the Upgrade Side and you start the merge process the Active Upgrade console switches to the PrepareMerge state during which it runs additional readiness tests and background tasks If the system is ready the console immediately switches to the Merge state and restarts your applications on the Upg
41. 6 configuration files 3 1 Production Side 4 14 Upgrade Side 4 5 mandatory system disk defined Glossary 3 disk selection 3 6 merge system 1 4 4 15 defined Glossary 4 illustrated 1 5 verifying Upgrade Side before 4 15 Merge System page 4 15 N navigation bar 2 23 nesting defined Glossary 4 network connectivity during upgrade 2 2 4 3 4 16 4 17 performance during upgrade 2 4 requirements for upgrade 2 2 non maskable interrupt NMI 4 27 0 Operational State 4 26 Other Configurations page 3 7 overview 1 1 P parent configuration defined Glossary 4 Partner State 4 27 performance considerations 2 4 performing an upgrade 4 1 persistent data file See data file power considerations 2 11 PowerPath software 4 4 PrepareMerge mode 1 8 PrepareSplit mode 1 8 preparing for upgrade 2 1 prerequisites 2 2 2 5 4 1 pre upgrade tasks 2 7 problems 5 6 Index 3 Index Production Side defined Glossary 4 managing 4 14 programming notes custom actions 3 15 Q QLogic Fibre Channel adapter See external storage R Rapid Disk Resync checking resync progress 5 5 data loss on Production Side 3 11 3 12 disabling during split process 1 4 prerequisite for upgrade process 2 1 2 4 3 5 resyncing during abort process 1 7 4 19 resyncing during commit process 1 5 1 6 4 18 running verify process 2 8 RDR See Rapid Disk Resync readiness check 4 1 troubleshooting 5 6 rebooting Se
42. Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide NEC Corporation of America 456 01720 000 Notice The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice UNLESS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN A WRITTEN AGREEMENT SIGNED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF NEC NEC MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN INCLUDING WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PURPOSE NEC assumes no responsibility or obligation of any kind for any errors contained herein or in connection with the furnishing performance or use of this document Software described in NEC a is the property of NEC and or its licensees b is furnished only under license and c may be copied or used only as expressly permitted under the terms of the license NEC documentation describes all supported features of the user interfaces and the application programming interfaces API developed by NEC and or its licensees Any undocumented features of these interfaces are intended solely for use by NEC personnel and are subject to change without warning This document is protected by copyright All rights are reserved No part of this document may be copied reproduced or translated either mechanically or electronically without the prior written consent of NEC Corporation of America The NEC Corporation of America logo Express5800 320Fc and the Express5800 320F c logo are trademarks of NEC Corpor
43. ally use the environment variables specified in Table 3 5 in any program that you write for a custom action These environment variables are useful if you want to write a conditional statement in your program that for example runs only ona particular side of the system or only during a particular stage of the Active Upgrade process Table 3 5 Environment Variables for Custom Actions Environment Variable Description ACTIVE_UPGRADE_SIDE Describes the side of the system on which the program is running Values Production Upgrade ACTIVE_UPGRADE_STATE Describes the current upgrade state Values Idle PrepareSplit Split PrepareMerge Merge Commit Abort ACTIVE_UPGRADE_REQUEST Describes the current task that the Active Upgrade console is executing Values Idle CheckReadiness PrepareSplit ExecuteSplit PrepareMerge ExecuteMerge Commit Abort Start Stop Backup ACTIVE_UPGRADE_HW_SPLIT Describes whether or not the system is running in split mode Values Yes No By default these environment variables are available to any child process of the Active Upgrade console including executable files for custom actions However if necessary you can also pass the environment variables to your executable files as arguments For example to pass only the ACTIVE_UPGRADE_SIDE variable to an executable file append the following string to the Arguments for the custom action on the Custom Actions page sACTIVE UPGRADE SIDE
44. at this time 3 4 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Selecting Disks to Upgrade Related Topics e Creating and Managing Configuration Files on page 3 1 e Performing the Upgrade Saving a Configuration File The Active Upgrade console automatically prompts you to save your configuration file if you leave the Configuration section of the application or exit the application To save the configuration file click Yes otherwise click No or Cancel You can also optionally click Save or Save As on the Upgrade Summary page as described in the following procedure To save the current configuration file 1 Click Upgrade Summary in the navigation bar 2 On the Upgrade Summary page do one of the following e Click Save to save the configuration file with the file name and path name you previously specified Your file is saved e Click Save As to save the configuration file with a new file name or path name Continue with step 3 3 Inthe Save Configuration File dialog box specify a name for the new file When you save the file a Config extension is automatically appended to the file name 4 Next to Save in select the directory in which to save the configuration file 5 Click Save to save the file Your file is saved Related Topics e Creating and Managing Configuration Files on page 3 1 e Displaying the Upgrade Summary on page 3 19 Selecting Disks to Upgrade Use the Disk Selection page
45. ate any Remote KVM or Remote Desktop sessions NOTE You can remain logged on to the Upgrade Side if you want to maintain the current desktop session After the merge you will be using the Upgrade Side desktop 3 Verify that the upgrade state as reported in the status bar is Production Side Split Ready If the status is Busy you must wait for the current task to complete If it is Broken you might need to abort the upgrade 4 Click Merge NOTE Your screen might flicker and you might briefly lose control of your keyboard and mouse as the system is merged Depending on the complexity of your applications and the upgrade you performed your applications should be back up and running in under a minute After the merge process completes the upgrade state is Fault Tolerant Merge Ready indicating that the system is currently merged and the upgrade is ready to be committed You can test your applications to verify that the upgrade was successful If the merge process fails the first time you can click Retry to try again If the problem persists you can click Abort to abort the upgrade process or see Troubleshooting for information about resolving the problem 4 16 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Merging the System Related Topics Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Committing the Upgrade Committing the Upgrade on page 4 18 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page
46. ation of America ActiveService Network and Active Upgrade are trademarks of Stratus Technologies Bermuda Ltd All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners Manual Name Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Part Number 456 01720 000 Express5800 320Fc Software Release Number 5 0 1391 Publication Date August 2007 NEC Corporation of America 10850 Gold Center Drive Suite 200 Rancho Cordova CA 95670 2007 NEC Corporation of America All rights reserved Contents Preface vii 1 Overview 1 1 Features 1 1 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process 1 2 Aborting the Active Upgrade Process 1 6 Active Upgrade State Model 1 8 2 Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 2 1 Software Upgrade Support 2 1 System Prerequisites 2 2 Recommendations 2 5 Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process 2 6 Pre Upgrade Tasks 2 7 Installing the Active Upgrade Software 2 9 Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade Process 2 10 Configuring a UPS Protected System for the Active Upgrade Process 2 11 Installing Java Runtime Environment 2 13 Gathering Information 2 15 Copying Software Installation Packages to the System 2 18 Configuring Windows Automatic Updates 2 18 Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console 2 21 Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface 2 22 Title Bar 2 22 Navigation Bar 2 23 Main Window 2 26 Status Bar 2 27 3 Configuring
47. b site http support necam com servers ft Online product support for Microsoft products Your primary source for support is the computer manufacturer who provided your software or an authorized Microsoft Support Provider You can also find the latest technical information about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products through online product support at the Microsoft Help and Support Web site http support microsoft com If you are unable to resolve your questions with the help available at these online sites and the Express5800 320Fc system is covered by a service agreement please contact NEC Technical Support 866 269 1239 Notices All regulatory notices are provided in the site planning guide for your system Preface ix Preface Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Chapter 1 Overview Active Upgrade technology allows you to upgrade system and application software on an Express5800 320Fc system with minimal downtime Instead of taking your system offline to run upgrade procedures you can use Active Upgrade technology to split the system into two independently running systems one side of which you upgrade while the other side continues to run your applications without interruption To learn more about Active Upgrade technology see the following topics e Features e Overview of the Active Upgrade Process on page 1 2 e Active Upgrade State Model on page 1 9
48. cal applications while merging the system Run backups of the system Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 2 7 Pre Upgrade Tasks 10 11 12 13 Verify the integrity of all RDR disks as follows a Inthe RDR Utility click Logical Disk Information b Right click an RDR virtual disk c Select Verify RDR Virtual Disk A message appears stating that the operation completed successfully meaning that the command has been executed d Repeat for each RDR disk If necessary upgrade the BMC and VTM firmware to support Active Upgrade technology If necessary create a user account for yourself in the local Administrators group on the system To install and run the Active Upgrade console your user account must be in the Administrators group Furthermore because the Upgrade Side of the system has no access to the network while the system is in split mode your administrator account must be a local system account not a domain account Install Java Runtime Environment as described in Installing Java Runtime Environment on page 2 13 Install the Active Upgrade console as described in Installing the Active Upgrade Software on page 2 9 If necessary enable access for Remote Desktop connections from the Production Side to the Upgrade Side of the system while the system is in split mode as follows a Open the System control panel b Click the Remote tab to display remote settings c Under Remote D
49. cal Administrators group to run the Active Upgrade console You cannot use a domain account 2 The Active Upgrade console is not supported over remote connections To start the Active Upgrade console do one of the following Double click the Active Upgrade console icon on your system s desktop On the Start menu click All Programs select the ftSYS folder and click Active Upgrade To exit the Active Upgrade console click the close button J in the upper right hand corner of the window NOTES 1 If you are currently editing a configuration file save the file before exiting the Active Upgrade console 2 If you exit the Active Upgrade console by mistake during an upgrade task the program maintains its state For example if you exit the Active Upgrade console while you are in the process of splitting the system the split process continues to run in the background You can safely restart the Active Upgrade console to continue where you left off Related Topics Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface Pre Upgrade Tasks Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 1 Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface The Active Upgrade console window Figure 2 4 is divided into four major parts a title bar a navigation bar a main window and a status bar Figure 2 4 Active Upgrade console
50. cause the system overwrites these system disks which contain the old version of your software with the newer Upgrade Side disks to complete the upgrade If you need to preserve files from the original system disks you can save them to a data disk NOTE Be careful when switching between the Production Side desktop and the remote connection to the Upgrade Side desktop When you resume software installation or restart the system always ensure that you are on the Upgrade Side Related Topics e Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side on page 4 5 e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Merging the System on page 4 15 e Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 e Troubleshooting 4 14 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Merging the System Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Merging the System After you have upgraded or installed software on the Upgrade Side you can perform limited testing on the Upgrade Side system disks as long as your activities do not require access to the following resources which are currently unavailable Network Internal data disks Application data disks For example you might want to perform the following tasks before you merge the system Verify the presence and version number of each software package see Verifying the Status of Installed Software on page 5 3 If possible verify that you can start the applications you installed or
51. critical errors or warnings that were indicated by the readiness check 2 Exit any non essential applications 3 Click Split on the Active Upgrade page When the system successfully enters split mode e The Active Upgrade console continues to run on the Production Side of the system e The Active Upgrade console switches to the Split System page e The upgrade state reported in the status bar is Production Side Split Ready indicating that the system is currently split and ready to be merged after your software installation Splitting the system should take only a few minutes The process will time out if it takes longer than 5 minutes NOTES 1 Throughout the upgrade process icons appear and disappear in the system tray as PCI devices such as Ethernet PCI adapters are reconfigured or disabled for the current upgrade operation This is normal Do not attempt to enable or reconfigure any of these PCI devices while the upgrade session is in progress 2 If your system is running EMC PowerPath software for an external storage system you might experience a brief delay 10 15 seconds when the system splits as PowerPath reroutes storage operations through the Production Side 4 4 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Splitting the System If the split process fails the first time you can click Retry to try again If the problem persists you can click Abort to abort the upgrade process or see
52. ction Side to run on UPS power provides better protection for your system should power fail during an upgrade Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 1 Pre Upgrade Tasks To set the enclosure with A side power as primary ONOARwWN Open the ft Server utility Expand FTServer Expand CPU Module Expand CPU Module ID 1 Under BringUp BringDown click the Down button Click Ok in the Confirmation box Click Ok in the Information box Skip steps 9 13 if the Power Switch is illuminated on the CPU IO module 0 Expand PCI Module Expand PCI Module ID 1 Under BringUp BringDown click the Down button Click Ok in the Confirmation box Click Ok in the Information box Expand PCI Module ID 1 Verify that the current status is removed Under BringUp BringDown click the Down button Click Ok in the Confirmation box Click Ok in the Information box Skip steps 20 24 if the Power Switch is illuminated on the CPU IO module 0 Expand PCI Module ID 11 Verify that the current status is removed Under BringUp BringDown click the Down button Click Ok in the Confirmation box Click Ok in the Information box NOTE After this procedure you might need to wait 5 10 minutes for the system components to stabilize and return to full duplex mode before running a readiness check Related Topics Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 2 12 Express580
53. ction during every step of the Active Upgrade process including interim steps such as PrepareSplit and PrepareMerge which occur prior to the Split and Merge operations This control type allows you to have more precise control over a custom action Your executable file runs each time the upgrade process switches states but you can write a program with conditional statements based on Active Upgrade environment variables to specify exactly when and where particular tasks should be executed For example you can write a conditional statement that triggers only on the Upgrade Side if the system is in merge mode See Using Active Upgrade Environment Variables on page 3 16 for more information If you have more than one custom action the Advanced control type also allows you to control the order in which the custom actions are executed step 4 Executes the custom action when the system is merged allowing you to back up files that were modified on the Production Side system disk while the system was in split mode before these files are lost during the commit process 4 If you selected the Advanced control type optionally select an item from the Timing drop down list which best describes the order in which you want this custom action to run with your other custom actions Table 3 4 describes the timing options If the timing does not matter keep the Default setting NOTE Timing does not affect the order in which custom action
54. ctive Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Troubleshooting Troubleshooting 5 5 General Problems and Solutions General Problems and Solutions Table 5 1 describes some common problems that could prevent your system from passing the readiness check J CAUTION Never perform hardware maintenance such as removing and replacing system components while the Active Upgrade process is running If you experience a problem that prevents the Active Upgrade process from completing successfully you should always be able to abort the upgrade session to restore your system to its original state If you cannot abort an upgrade session contact NEC Technical Support or your authorized support representative for assistance NOTE For the latest troubleshooting information including any issues that were discovered post release see the Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide online at http support necsam com servers Table 5 1 Troubleshooting Readiness Check board nn is Verify that all critical system resources including disks unsafe to pull Ethernet PCI adapters and VTMs are configured correctly and duplexed See System Prerequisites on page 2 2 for more information RDR disk is not If you recently ran an upgrade session wait for the RDR duplexed resynchronization process to complete before running another upgrade session See Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing on page 5 5 for
55. de to return the system to its original state However aborting the upgrade while the system is in merge mode incurs downtime because the Active Upgrade console must stop your critical applications on the Upgrade Side before it can restart them on the Production Side Related Topics Committing the Upgrade Performing the Upgrade 7 Committing the Upgrade e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 e Troubleshooting Committing the Upgrade When you are finished testing your applications on the merged system and you are satisfied that everything is working correctly you can commit the upgrade to make it permanent Committing the upgrade e Reestablishes the mirror of any internal RDR system disk by overwriting the original partner disk with its newer upgraded partner disk e Reestablishes the mirror of any internal RDR data disk by overwriting the stale partner disk with its newer live partner disk the disk to which your applications have been writing data throughout the upgrade process e Does not restart your applications as they are already running on the upgraded system There is no additional downtime CAUTION You cannot abort the upgrade process after you commit an upgrade because the original state of the system is lost overwritten as a result of completing the upgrade process Ensure that your system is working as expected before clicking Com
56. does not gracefully handle the loss of the network or disks on the Upgrade Side it might not stop in a timely manner when the system enters split mode and the Active Upgrade process will time out in a Broken state If this happens restart the Upgrade Side before performing upgrade tasks to restore the Upgrade Side to an expected state If configured correctly any applications that the Active Upgrade console controls should not restart on the Upgrade Side in split mode Troubleshooting 5 9 General Problems and Solutions Related Topics e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Troubleshooting Getting Help you have a technical question about Express5800 320Fc hardware or software try these online resources first e Online support from NEC Technical Support You can find the latest technical information about an Express5800 320Fc through online product support at the NEC Technical Support Web site http support necam com servers ft e Online product support for Microsoft products Your primary source for support is the computer manufacturer who provided your software or an authorized Microsoft Support Provider You can also find the latest technical information about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products through online product support at the Microsoft Help and Support Web site http support microsoft com If you are unable to resolve your questions
57. e current Active Upgrade operation applicable if your system is in the merge state initiates a system restart It shuts down the Upgrade Side and restarts the system from the Production Side which automatically restarts your applications from your original Production Side system disks If applicable reestablishes the mirror of any internal RDR system disk by overwriting the upgraded partner disk with the original partner disk If applicable reestablishes the mirror of any internal RDR data disk by overwriting the stale partner disk with its newer live partner disk the disk to which your applications have been writing data throughout the upgrade process If applicable brings the Upgrade Side online to enable fault tolerant duplex mode To abort an upgrade click the Abort button on the Active Upgrade page the Split System page or the Merge System page Performing the Upgrade 4 19 Finishing the Upgrade NOTES 1 Your screen might flicker and you might briefly lose control of your keyboard and mouse as the system recovers its original state The abort process should take only a few minutes When the process completes the upgrade state is Fault Tolerant Abort Ready You can click Finish to clean up system resources as described in Finishing the Upgrade If the abort process fails the first time you can click Retry to try again If the problem persists see Troubleshooting for information
58. e restarting recommendations 2 5 release notes 1 1 Remote Desktop Connection configuring before Upgrade 2 8 connecting to Upgrade Side 4 8 defined Glossary 4 terminating connection 4 9 Windows Firewall exception 2 10 Remote KVM connecting to Upgrade Side 4 7 defined Glossary 4 terminating connection 4 8 requirements 2 2 2 5 restarting applications 2 6 Production Side 4 14 Upgrade Side 4 12 5 SANsurfer software 2 5 5 9 saving activity log to file 5 1 configuration file 3 5 service defined Glossary 1 managing during upgrade 2 6 3 9 startup type 3 9 3 15 verifying status of 5 2 session defined Glossary 5 sequence 1 8 severity 4 23 4 24 simplex mode defined Glossary 5 upgrade fault tolerance 2 3 software See installing software solutions 5 6 split system 1 2 4 3 defined Glossary 5 illustrated 1 3 Split System page 4 3 standard output 3 17 startup type 3 9 3 15 state model 1 8 state sensitive recovery SSR 4 27 static IP address 2 5 status bar 4 25 Hardware State 4 25 Operational State 4 26 Partner State 4 27 Upgrade State 4 26 summary of upgrade 3 19 support for upgrades 2 1 system disk copying installers to 2 18 defined Glossary 5 preserving event logs 3 11 selecting before upgrade 3 6 verifying installed software 4 17 5 3 system resource defined Glossary 2 T temporary file defined Glossary 5 prerequisite for location 2 1 timing field 3 14 tro
59. en aborted and allows you to finish the process by cleaning up system resources You can abort the upgrade process at any point prior to committing the upgrade Finish Indicates that the upgrade process is complete and allows you to save a copy of the activity log to a file start another upgrade or exit the Active Upgrade console The navigation bar also contains the Links shown in Figure 2 7 which are active only while the system is running in split mode Figure 2 7 Navigation Bar Links Links Remote KVM Remote Desktop Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 2 25 Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface These links have the following purposes e Remote KVM Allows you to establish an Advanced Video Redirection session to the Upgrade Side while the system is split to perform upgrade tasks e Remote Desktop Allows you to establish a Remote Desktop Connection session to the Upgrade Side while the system is split to perform upgrade tasks For more information about any of these navigation bar entries click the name of the entry in this Help topic Related Topics e Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console e Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface e Pre Upgrade Tasks e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Main Window The main window contains controls associated with the configuration and execution of the Active Upgrade process During the configuratio
60. erforming the Upgrade 4 9 Splitting the System Related Topics Connecting to the Upgrade Side with Remote KVM on page 4 7 Running Software Installation Programs on page 4 10 Restarting the Upgrade Side on page 4 12 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Merging the System on page 4 15 Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 Troubleshooting Running Software Installation Programs The following topics describe how to run software installation programs on the Upgrade Side while the system is split Windows Automatic Updates Other Installation Packages on page 4 12 To review the types of upgrades that Active Upgrade technology supports see Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 Windows Automatic Updates If you are using Windows Automatic Updates and you previously downloaded all of the required software updates the Automatic Updates icon should be present in the system tray and it should report that updates are ready for your computer Figure 4 3 If so you are ready to apply the updates Figure 4 3 Automatic Updates Icon in System Tray hws Server 2003 Enternrise Feitinn Updates are ready for your computer Click here to install these updates 1 11 45pm i Friday NOTE You should install all security related hotfixes but do not install other types of hotfixes such as Microsoft QFE patches that fix a particular problem before obtain
61. ervices and configuration information the Windows registry A disk that contains active Windows operating system components boot partition paging files is automatically marked as a mandatory system disk and cannot be changed to a data disk Other disks default to data disks but can be changed to system disks per user configuration if they contain only application binaries and configuration data temporary file A file that stores data only for a short time such as a cache file Glossary 5 Glossary Upgrade Side The side of a split mode system on which you can upgrade software See also Production Side volume A fixed amount of storage on a hard disk or spanning many hard disks that is defined and managed as a single device in the operating system Glossary 6 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide A abort upgrade 1 6 collecting dump files 4 20 executing 4 19 illustrated 1 7 Abort Upgrade page 4 19 Actions 3 12 Active Upgrade console 2 22 activity log 4 21 installing 2 9 main window 2 26 navigation bar 2 23 starting and exiting 2 21 status bar 4 25 title bar 2 22 Active Upgrade page 4 1 Active Upgrade process 1 1 abort upgrade 1 6 4 19 commit upgrade 1 5 4 18 configuring 3 1 defined Glossary 1 finish upgrade 4 20 general steps 1 2 merge system 1 4 4 15 network connectivity 2 2 4 3 4 16 4 17 performance considerations 2 4 preparing for 2 1 prerequisites 2 2
62. esktop click the check box next to Allow users to remotely connect to this computer to activate it d Click OK or Apply to save the setting You need to use either Remote Desktop or Remote KVM to connect to the Upgrade Side to perform upgrade tasks For more information see Connecting to the Desktop on the Upgrade Side on page 4 6 If applicable enable the exceptions for Active Upgrade console and Remote Desktop in Windows Firewall properties as shown in Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade Process on page 2 10 applicable ensure that the CPU I O enclosure with A side UPS protected power CPU enclosure 0 I O enclosure 10 is the primary active enclosure as shown in Configuring a UPS Protected System for the Active Upgrade Process on page 2 11 Gather information about your system using the worksheet in Gathering Information on page 2 15 If necessary copy any required software installation packages to the system as described in Copying Software Installation Packages to the System on page 2 18 2 8 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Pre Upgrade Tasks When you are finished preparing for the upgrade start the Active Upgrade console Follow the on screen instructions and this document to configure the process then run a Readiness Check to verify if your system is ready to upgrade Related Topics e Installing the Active Upgrade Software
63. ethod of calling one or more existing configuration files from the configuration file you are currently editing so that the settings from the called files will also apply to the file you are editing See also child configuration and parent configuration parent configuration A configuration file that calls child configuration files and incorporates their settings in a nested configuration persistent data file A file that stores permanent records for an application such as a database file Production Side The side of a split mode system that continues to run your applications and serve live users during the upgrade process See also Upgrade Side Remote Desktop Connection A Microsoft Windows component that allows you to control the keyboard video and mouse of a remote system from your local system as though you were sitting at that system s console You can click the Remote Desktop link in the Active Upgrade console to open a Remote Desktop Connection to the Upgrade Side of a split system Remote KVM A Web browser based utility that allows you to control the keyboard video and mouse of a remote system from your local desktop as though you were sitting at that system s console Remote KVM employs the Advanced Video Redirection AVR feature of the VTM console Unlike Remote Desktop Connection Remote KVM can control the remote system even when the remote operating system is not running You can click the Remote KVM link i
64. example the readiness check ensures that The system is currently running in duplex mode The disks you selected as system disks are present and are mirrored with RDR The system contains two properly configured VTM adapters The embedded Ethernet PCI adapters in your system are configured into Ethernet teams and each team contains at least one adapter from each physical enclosure The application services you specified for control are currently running and can be stopped when necessary The executable file for any custom action is present on the system and ready to run To perform a readiness test do one of the following Click Next on the Upgrade Summary page if you are using a configuration file Click Active Upgrade on the navigation bar the readiness test starts automatically if you have recently opened or changed your configuration Click Retry on the Active Upgrade page Performing the Upgrade 4 1 Performing a Readiness Check The activity log reports the overall results of the readiness check as well as the results for each individual test Table 4 1 describes the general meaning of the activity log entries Table 4 1 Activity Log Entries Black Warning A problem that should be addressed but will not block an upgrade Error A problem that must be corrected before continuing with upgrade The status bar at the bottom of the window indicates one of the following states for the current operation Bu
65. files in the present working directory are displayed If you call a configuration file and that file itself has one or more child configuration files those child configuration files also become part of your configuration If a setting in a child configuration conflicts with a setting in the parent configuration the Active Upgrade console uses the setting in the parent configuration Also the parent configuration always ignores disk selections from child configurations If you call a configuration that you created on a different system configuration items for example application services and custom actions must be present and applicable on the current system otherwise the parent configuration fails the readiness check To call a child configuration file into the current file 1 3 On the Other Configurations page select the check box next to the configuration files you want to call into the current file In the file window verify that you have selected the correct configuration files Also if any of the files contain additional child configurations ensure that you are including only the configurations that apply to the current parent file When you are finished editing the current configuration save the configuration file To remove a child configuration file from the current configuration clear the check box next to that configuration file If you need to remove a child configuration from another configuration file you
66. gured for load balancing or link aggregation there might be a decrease in network performance when the system is split because the network adapters on the Upgrade Side lose access to the network Are running Express5800 320Fc System Software Release 5 0 or higher Have been updated with the latest firmware to support Active Upgrade technology including required BMC and VTM updates Furthermore the Active Upgrade process has the following storage requirements e All internal hard disks must be configured with RDR and must be duplexed synchronized before the upgrade process starts The operating system boot volume and all active Windows operating system components must be located on internal RDR disks This includes any volumes that contain paging virtual memory files for the operating system Any disk that contains software you want to upgrade cannot contain persistent data files for your business critical applications those applications that continue to run during the upgrade process You must store your data files on separate data disks either internal or external Data volumes that reside on the same physical disk as a system or paging volume are also not supported External storage devices are always considered data disks You cannot upgrade software on external storage devices as these devices not available to the Upgrade Side of the system while the system is in split mode Also see Recommendations on page 2 5 for
67. he Upgrade Side desktop 3 Close the browser window that contains the VTM console Related Topics e Connecting to the Upgrade Side with Remote Desktop e Running Software Installation Programs on page 4 10 e Restarting the Upgrade Side on page 4 12 e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Merging the System on page 4 15 e Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 e Troubleshooting Connecting to the Upgrade Side with Remote Desktop Remote Desktop allows you to control the keyboard video and mouse of the Upgrade Side through the Windows Remote Desktop component To establish a Remote Desktop Connection to the Upgrade Side 1 Click Remote Desktop in the navigation bar of the Active Upgrade console on the Production Side The system opens a Remote Desktop Connection window 2 When the window displays the login screen for the remote system enter your administrative username and password and click OK Remember you can use only an account in the local Administrators group not a domain account The Upgrade Side desktop is displayed After you initiate the remote connection see Related Topics for more information about what you can do on the Upgrade Side and how you can merge the system after you have finished performing upgrade tasks 4 8 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Splitting the System NOTES 1 If you want to refer to the Active Upgrade Help file
68. he upgrade process NOTE If you modify the configuration of your Ethernet PCI adapters and Ethernet teams to meet these prerequisites it could impact network connectivity for the system You should schedule this work to minimize impact to your critical applications See the Express5800 320Fc User Guide for more information about configuring Ethernet PCI adapters and Ethernet teams Contain Virtual Technician Modules VTMs The VTMs provide the connection between the Production Side and Upgrade Side during the Active Upgrade process Both VTMs must be configured properly and connected to the same subnetwork preferably on a dedicated maintenance network Can tolerate running in simplex mode for a brief period during the upgrade Because each side of the system runs in simplex mode during the upgrade an interruption on the side that is actively running your critical applications can result in downtime J CAUTION You cannot restart the operating system on the Production Side during an upgrade though you can restart the Upgrade Side as many times as necessary Also it is unsafe to pull an enclosure from a split mode simplexed system because doing so terminates all processes running on that enclosure Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 2 3 System Prerequisites e Can tolerate a potential decrease in performance during the upgrade For example if your system contains teamed network adapters that are confi
69. ibes the general meaning of activity log entries that appear in the local and remote activity logs Table 4 2 Activity Log Entries on Tricor Deeipion CE ee Penny 7 Black Warning A problem that should be addressed but will not block an upgrade Error A problem that must be corrected before continuing with upgrade Some upgrade items are collapsed into a single line To display all of the associated items click the expand button to the left of the item To collapse them again click the collapse button to the left of the item Double click any item in the activity log to open a detail window with more information about that item Performing the Upgrade 3 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status Figure 4 6 Activity Log Detail lt Error event at 1 6 2006 x 1 26 2006 7 27 44 PM Custom Action C Progem Fies STRATUS ActiveJogade User Conligurchons S tart pp bet Statux The executable C Piogrom Files S TRATUS AchvelU proce 151 Conligurebonr S la bet does not east Additonal nfomation Ux Show severe Erce Previous Nert In the detail window you can click the Previous and Next buttons to review other items of the same severity For example if you are viewing an error you can click Next to see the next error item To change the severity level of the items you want to review select an option from the Show severity pulldown menu A severity ty
70. icate with system components and underlying services in the ftServer System Software e Allow communication between the Production Side and the Upgrade Side while the system is split so you can perform upgrade tasks If you have enabled Windows Firewall to protect your system it might prevent you from using some of the features of Active Upgrade console therefore you should enable the exception for the Active Upgrade console in your Windows Firewall settings NOTES 1 Install the Active Upgrade software before modifying your Windows Firewall settings If Windows Firewall is enabled on your system the installation process adds an entry for the Active Upgrade console to the list of Windows Firewall exceptions This entry is disabled by default 2 If you enable Windows Firewall after installing the Active Upgrade software you can reinstall the Active Upgrade software to add the exception to Windows Firewall To configure Windows Firewall 1 Open the Windows Firewall control panel 2 Click the Exceptions tab to display the list of exceptions Figure 2 1 3 Click the check box next to Active Upgrade Software to activate it 4 Click the check box next to Remote Desktop to activate it This allows you to connect to the Upgrade Side with Remote Desktop while the system is in split mode See Connecting to the Desktop on the Upgrade Side on page 4 6 for more information 5 Click OK to enable this exception and close the c
71. ile browser then click Open to select the file 2 Next to Arguments type any arguments that you need to run with your executable file No arguments are required however see Programming Notes for Custom Actions on page 3 15 for information about optionally passing Active Upgrade environment variables to your executable file 3 In the drop down list for Control type select the option that best describes when the Active Upgrade console should execute your custom action as described in Table 3 3 Table 3 3 Control Types for Custom Actions Control Type Start Application Stop Application Readiness Check Executes the custom action whenever the Active Upgrade console needs to start applications For example the console needs to restart applications on the Upgrade Side when you merge the system Executes the custom action whenever the Active Upgrade console needs to stop applications For example the console needs to stop applications on the Upgrade Side when you split the system It also stops applications on the Production Side when you merge the system Executes the custom action once during the readiness check before you initiate the Active Upgrade process This control type allows you to build your own verifications into the readiness check Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 3 Configuring Custom Actions Table 3 3 Control Types for Custom Actions Continued Advanced Executes the custom a
72. ing validation from NEC Corporation of America See Recommendations on page 2 5 for more information 4 10 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Splitting the System NOTE Before installing any software ensure that you are working on the Upgrade Side desktop through a remote connection Do not install software on the Production Side To apply the downloaded updates 1 Click the Automatic Updates icon in the Upgrade Side system tray to display the Automatic Updates dialog box Select Custom Install and click Next The next page displays a list of the updates you downloaded and allows you to select which ones to install at this time Select only the updates that you previously checked for compatibility with your Express5800 320Fc system then click Install During the installation process the Automatic Updates dialog box minimizes to the system tray When the installation is complete you can display the dialog box again It should report that all updates were successfully installed Some updates might require you to restart the operating system on the Upgrade Side You can click Restart Now to allow Automatic Updates to restart the Upgrade Side automatically or you can manually restart later You can restart the Upgrade Side as many times as necessary to complete the installation See Restarting the Upgrade Side on page 4 12 for information about reconnecting to the Upgrade Side after y
73. ion Allows you to create or select a configuration file to modify or to start the upgrade process with no configuration file When you start the Active Upgrade console it opens on this page e Disk Selection Allows you to select the disks that contain the software you want to upgrade e Other Configurations Allows you to select other configuration files to incorporate into the current configuration e Application Services Allows you to select the application services that need to be stopped and restarted during the upgrade process e Log File Backup Allows you to select the event log evt files from the Production Side that the Active Upgrade console preserves upon merging the system Otherwise any event messages generated on the Production Side while the system is in split mode are lost when you commit the upgrade e Custom Actions Allows you to specify executable files that the Active Upgrade console can use to stop and start your applications or to perform special tasks during the upgrade process e Description Allows you to specify a title and comments for the current configuration file e Upgrade Summary Displays a summary of the current upgrade configuration and allows you to save the current configuration file The Active Upgrade section of the navigation bar Figure 2 6 contains entries specific to the executing the upgrade process Figure 2 6 Navigation Bar Active Upgrade Active
74. irroring between the internal disks in each CPU I O enclosure Isolates the Upgrade Side from system resources such as the network any user specified application data disks and any external PCI resources Disables any user specified applications and services on the Upgrade Side so they cannot restart if you restart the operating system on the Upgrade Side Queues any ActiveService Network alerts generated on the Upgrade Side until the system is merged You can split a system only if it meets the prerequisites for the Active Upgrade process and has passed the readiness check NOTES 1 When in split mode the Upgrade Side has no access to the network If you need a network resource to obtain any software installation packages you intend to run transfer the software to the system before you initiate split mode Furthermore put the software on one of the system disks because these are the only disks you can access on the Upgrade Side while the system is in split mode Performing the Upgrade 4 3 Splitting the System 2 Split the system only when you are sitting at the console for your Express5800 ft series system The Active Upgrade console is not supported over remote connections J N CAUTION Do not perform any hardware maintenance including the removal of either CPU 1 O enclosure after you have initiated the Active Upgrade process by clicking Split To split the system 1 Ensure that you have addressed any
75. ivel paai savice h tying up B5713 P_ SoltPubbohes BO Patan ieacrert tes 101246 59 44 44 lt saa Chec B By Check Ce 101246 93 101244 check 10 Siha 6 G Check onion actors sidie 101244_ AgpMenager BO 0 da tn 101244_ DekNorege a o Check VIN zisa 101244 Virdlnage BO 06 CPU 9 101244 PUMaaps B E Prepase the Mere zten tr ben EEEEE 102101 500079 vale pe Eres 0 Spi Sytem 11 Erie Procucton VTM 206 mode EEEEE 102105 Virblanaga r BO EL 102105 6 BO Chect dik statue 102105 DekNerege check 20 ad woke cordguet nanm DakNorege For more information about viewing and interpreting items in the activity log see Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Related Topics e Starting and Exiting the Active Upgrade Console e Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface e Pre Upgrade Tasks e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Status Bar The status bar Figure 2 10 which is located at the bottom of the Active Upgrade console window reports a quick summary of the status of the upgrade Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 7 Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface Figure 2 10 Status Bar Hotfix Confip Produsticn Side Slt Q Patre 05 Up 4 1 2 3 4 5 1 Configuration file name 4 Operational State 2 Hardware State 5 Partner State
76. le shuts down the Upgrade Side which automatically stops the service and restarts the Production Side which automatically starts the service based on its default Startup Type This returns the system to its previous fault tolerant state NOTES 1 Standard operating system services do not require control during the Active Upgrade process Select only services that pertain to your critical applications for example Exchange SQL and IIS 2 The Active Upgrade console never changes the default Startup Type for a service on the Production Side Maintaining the default Startup Type on the Production Side ensures that a service is always able to restart on the Production Side if the upgrade process is aborted or fails Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 3 9 Selecting Event Log Files to Back Up Each service on the Application Services page has a three state check box as described in Table 3 2 Table 3 2 Selection of Application Services Check Box State Description Checked Selected in the current configuration file Checked Selected in a child configuration file If applicable you can click the Gray check box to explicitly select the service in the current configuration file but you cannot deselect it without editing the child configuration To select a service for the Active Upgrade console to control 1 On the Application Services page find a service you want to stop and start 2 Click the check box to
77. llation program A program file that installs a software package mandatory system disk A disk that is automatically marked as a system disk on the Disk Selection page of the Active Upgrade console and cannot be changed to a data disk A mandatory system disk contains either boot files or paging files virtual memory files that are currently in use by the running operating system In detail a disk becomes a mandatory system disk if It contains a volume or part of a volume that the operating system identifies as a system volume It contains a volume or part of a volume that contains an operating system paging file It contains a volume or a part of a volume that contains a mount point for a volume that is either a system volume or contains a paging file Note that volumes can span multiple disks and that disks can contain multiple volumes The operating system defines as a system volume the volume that was used to perform the initial low level boot of the system and the volume that contains the Windows directory These are typically the same volume but they need not be Glossary 3 Glossary merge system The stage of the Active Upgrade process during which the system restarts your applications on the Upgrade Side When the system is in a merged state it has access to critical system resources which you can use to test your applications and verify if the upgrade was successful nesting nested configuration files A m
78. m Prerequisites on page 2 2 Overview 1 9 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process 1 10 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Chapter 2 Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process Preparing for the Active Upgrade process involves the following tasks e Learning about the types of upgrades that the Active Upgrade process supports e Learning about the prerequisites and recommendations for your Express5800 320Fc system e Learning how the Active Upgrade console can control your critical applications e Performing pre upgrade tasks on your system such as e Installing the Active Upgrade console e Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade process e Configuring a UPS protected system for the Active Upgrade process e Gathering information about your system e Copying any software installation packages to the system before the upgrade starts e Configuring Microsoft Windows Automatic Updates e Starting the Active Upgrade console e Understanding the Active Upgrade console Software Upgrade Support Active Upgrade technology currently supports the installation of high priority updates also known as hotfixes for the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system It also supports the installation or upgrade of application software that meets the following criteria e The application s executable files configuration files and temporary files for example cache files reside on internal sys
79. mation You must correct the problem and click Retry in the Active Upgrade console to retry the current upgrade request which also runs the custom action again The Active Upgrade process cannot continue until the executable file for your custom action runs successfully If possible test and debug the executable file outside of the Active Upgrade process Ensure that it terminates with exit value 0 and that it completes in a timely manner Table 5 3 describes miscellaneous problems Table 5 3 Troubleshooting Miscellaneous Problems Error Problem Active Upgrade console Wait a minute and try to start Active Upgrade console again fails to start If the problem persists it might mean that the Active Upgrade console cannot communicate with related services on your local system If your system is running a network firewall solution check the firewall logs for blocked communications and explicitly add these items to your trusted zone For information about configuring Windows Firewall see Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade Process on page 2 10 5 8 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide General Problems and Solutions Table 5 3 Troubleshooting Miscellaneous Problems Continued Error Problem Failed to disable PCI device QLogic Fibre Channel Adapter The underlying connection was closed Unable to connect to the remote server A connection attempt failed because the
80. maton Service SByNetwork Associates Related Topics e Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process on page 2 6 e Selecting Application Services to Control on page 3 9 e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Troubleshooting Verifying the Status of Installed Software While you are running in split or merge mode or after you have finished the Active Upgrade process you might want to verify the status of the software packages that you installed If necessary you can view a list of most of the programs present on your system in the Add or Remove Programs control panel Figure 5 2 Troubleshooting 5 3 Verifying the Status of Installed Software Figure 5 2 Add or Remove Programs Control Panel 5 Add or Remove Programs Currently iretaled programs ond updates F Shor updates Sort by fryame Change or GB Intel R PROSE for Wired Comections Ste y 1256 Runtime Erwrormert 5 0 Update 5 ee 118 0008 P mac ze 18 848 dd New aT McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 10 098 z E Microsoft SQL Server 2000 St 82 6708 m Recerder 1 1 636 dd Remove Windows Sagit 5 9 136 Components Stratus Active Upgrade g Stratus Gigabk Network Adapters and Drivers Straus Auntme p Windows Server 2009 Software Updates Ey Hotfix for Windows Server 2003 HBE97040 Insaled Cn 5 Ey Hotfix for Windo
81. mit To commit the upgrade 1 Close all non essential applications 2 Verify that the upgrade state as reported in the status bar is Fault Tolerant Merge Ready 3 Click Commit NOTE Your screen might flicker and you might briefly lose control of your keyboard and mouse as the system commits the upgrade The commit process should take only a few minutes After it completes the upgrade state is Fault Tolerant Commit Ready You can click Finish to clean up system resources as described in Finishing the Upgrade on page 4 20 4 18 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Aborting the Upgrade If the commit process fails the first time you can click Retry to try again If the problem persists see Troubleshooting for information about resolving the problem Related Topics Finishing the Upgrade on page 4 20 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing on page 5 5 Troubleshooting Aborting the Upgrade If necessary you can abort the Active Upgrade process and restore the system to its original state at any point of the upgrade process prior to committing the upgrade CAUTION You cannot abort the upgrade process after you commit an upgrade because the original state of the system is lost overwritten as a result of completing the upgrade process When you abort an upgrade the Active Upgrade console Cancels th
82. more information Embedded NIC not Use the PROset utility to configure your Ethernet PCI teamed adapters into teams All embedded Ethernet PCI adapters must be teamed See System Prerequisites on page 2 2 and Recommendations on page 2 5 for more information about configuring Ethernet PCI adapters 5 6 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide General Problems and Solutions Table 5 1 Troubleshooting Readiness Check Continued No IP address on Use the Network Connections control panel to assign an IP Upgrade ready team address preferably a static IP address to the Ethernet team or renew your DHCP lease See System Prerequisites on page 2 2 and Recommendations on page 2 5 for more information about configuring Ethernet PCI adapters Team does not have Ensure that an embedded Ethernet team has at least one link on both sides adapter in each CPU I O enclosure with an active network link Verify that the network cables are plugged in on both sides and that the Ethernet team has a valid IP address See System Prerequisites on page 2 2 and Recommendations on page 2 5 for more information about configuring Ethernet PCI adapters Active Upgrade may The Active Upgrade console cannot obtain IP adresses from fail Check DHCP your DHCP server If possible assign static IP addresses to server your Ethernet teams and VTMs to avoid problems during the Active Upgrade process Remote Deskto
83. n ONeneon Spi Syetan 11 Erte Prockcton VTM zpi reode EEEEE 102105 Vinnage lca ee BO sca nics 1020 Nebowkintetace 69 Check drk statue 102105 0090 werd Upgrade check dik and woke wam DekNonege If you want to check the status of the upgrade process when you are logged on to the Upgrade Side of the system while in split mode you can also double click the Active Upgrade icon J in the system tray to open the remote activity log Figure 4 5 Figure 4 5 Remote Activity Log M server Actove Upgrade in Progress Upgodetide So Rast Potret Op Pept fhe Meray opia Fo bag ap Enn m us upgede tite poderi 11 2951 Erte Procucton VIN p rode on BO NC BO 0 dk sa Check dh ard vohres coriguaton 22 Enter Ungas VTH owode on 11 8 nan 8 69 iph ha Have acter 1 304 6 haaye 2 sae on Uog 1 004 Eidkih ramak conection mih Pr Procucton bedge P 180 11 3010 BO S100 aoobosiors BO Execute custom 11 3013 O sence n BO Wa fee PC deve 11 3202 O Dak dk ond whine conkgursion n B O Urmcurt afl dete vorser nw gt 4 22 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status NOTE You can only view status in the remote activity log To control the remaining steps of the Active Upgrade process you must minimize or close the connection to the Upgrade Side and use the Active Upgrade console on the Production Side Table 4 2 descr
84. n phase the main window allows you to specify settings for your system Figure 2 8 which you can save to a configuration file Figure 2 8 Main Window Configuring the Active Upgrade Process T therm Acttew Upgrade mo neme tServer Disk Selection 9 oe Confipasion Fe each herd dik oa the dik bp a 3 o a cits ck a Duk Seietan Fiho dik contain sohase thet pou mord b upgesde gt he Spat radio button ithe di corian paariet dea ec deftebare Hisz and rect be Iot pou kva on You connai ungas 0 pacers obok fhe Dala the Apphcaban Sevres dt Other Configastions Log Fie Bacto When pou ase frexhed relecting dobr cheb Meret to proceed mih the cor gzakon peocers bd Custom Actors 1 es oe NSA DATAN Upgrack Surmaey Das 156308 56308 O Canter fective Upgrade Debt 74538 cy 1 2 26 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface When you perform a readiness test and begin the upgrade process the configuration settings in the main window are replaced with an activity log Figure 2 9 that allows you to track the progress and success of the upgrade process Figure 2 9 Main Window Activity Log h Server Active Upgrade Hotit Configuration f 10 URPEAN ares LEED a awe im Sauce Aot
85. n the Active Upgrade console to open an AVR session to the Upgrade Side of a split system Glossary 4 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Glossary service See application service session One complete Active Upgrade process from split mode to finish Or a remote connection to the upgrade side of the system as in a Remote KVM or AVR session simplex mode simplexed The state of an ftServer system when one or more of its individual components is operating without a redundant partner component If a hardware failure occurs system operations may terminate You cannot initiate an Active Upgrade on a simplexed system because there are insufficient system resources to keep the system operational during the upgrade process split mode The state of an ftServer system when its elements are split into two independent simplexed systems a Production Side and an Upgrade Side split system The stage of the Active Upgrade process during which the system enters split mode Also a system that is running in split mode system disk An internal RDR disk that is resynchronized from the Upgrade Side to the Production Side upon completion of the Active Upgrade process Only software located on system disks can be upgraded online System disks are available on both sides of the system when it is running in split mode They typically contain binary files for example operating system drivers and application s
86. nately may introduce serious problems to your system You should install all Microsoft Security hotfixes identified by the prefix MS Do not install other types of hotfixes such as Microsoft patches that fix a particular problem before obtaining validation from NEC Corporation of America Please refer to NEC Corporation of America s support website for infromation pertaining to the application of Microsoft Windows patches hotfixes and service packs http support necam com servers ft Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 2 5 Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process Related Topics e Overview e Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 e System Prerequisites on page 2 2 e Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process on page 2 6 e Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process 2 6 The Active Upgrade console allows you to specify how business critical applications are started and stopped during the Active Upgrade process If your system runs business critical applications such as Microsoft Exchange Server or SQL Server these applications can run on only one side of the system the Production Side when you split the system They must be stopped on the other side the Upgrade Side to prevent resource conflicts and to allow you to proceed with upgrade tasks Furthermore when you merge the system the same applications mus
87. nection failed 5 8 5 9 control type field 3 13 critical application See application critical system resource defined Glossary 2 cscript session 3 18 custom action control types 3 13 defined Glossary 2 managing applications during upgrade 2 6 order of execution 3 12 3 14 programming notes 3 15 troubleshooting 5 8 Custom Actions page 3 12 D data disk defined Glossary 2 on UPS protected system 2 11 selecting before upgrade 3 6 data file defined Glossary 4 modifying during upgrade 2 2 prerequisite for location 2 1 Description page 3 19 DHCP address 2 5 disk drive See also Rapid Disk Resync color coding 3 6 in child configuration 3 8 requirements for upgrade 2 4 selecting for upgrade 3 5 Disk Selection page 3 5 downloading software to system 2 18 dump files 4 20 duplex mode defined Glossary 2 requirement for upgrade 2 2 E element defined Glossary 2 EMC storage system 4 4 enclosure defined Glossary 3 environment variables 3 16 error stream 3 17 Ethernet PCI adapter performance during upgrade 2 4 requirements for upgrade 2 2 2 5 static IP address 2 5 Ethernet team See Ethernet PCI adapter event log files 3 10 EXE file 3 12 executable file defined Glossary 3 prerequisite for location 2 1 exit values 3 17 external storage 1 4 PowerPath software 4 4 requirements for upgrade 2 4 2 5 SANsurfer software 2 5 5 9 F Finish Upgrade page 4 20 firewall 2
88. ner disks You cannot abort the Active Upgrade process after you commit the upgrade because the original version of your system is erased as a result of reestablishing the RDR mirrors Glossary 1 Glossary configuration file A file that contains all of the settings pertaining to the Active Upgrade process for your system You can create multiple configuration files each for a different type of upgrade that you regularly perform on your system You can also use nesting to incorporate the settings of one configuration file into another configuration file critical system resource A system component such as a hard disk or network adapter that is required to run mission critical applications custom action A mechanism for controlling your critical applications during the Active Upgrade process By specifying executable files and certain parameters in the Active Upgrade console you can ensure that your applications are stopped or restarted at the appropriate times when the system is split or merged data disk An internal RDR disk that is resynchronized from the Production Side to the Upgrade Side upon completion of the Active Upgrade process Data disks are available only on the Production Side while the system is running in split mode They typically contain live data for example database files and transaction logs required by your applications A disk that contains active Windows operating system components boot par
89. nfiguration file 1 On the Configuration page click Create Configuration File 2 Inthe Create Configuration File dialog box specify a file name for the new file When you save the file a Config extension is automatically appended to the file name 3 Next to Save in select the directory in which to save the configuration file You can specify any directory on the system The default location is Program Files ftsys ActiveUpgrade User Configurations however if you choose a new configuration directory the Active Upgrade console uses the new directory the next time you create or open a file 4 Click Save to start editing the configuration After you create a configuration file the configuration process opens on the Disk Selection page 3 2 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Creating and Managing Configuration Files Related Topics e Creating and Managing Configuration Files on page 3 1 e Saving a Configuration File on page 3 5 e Providing a Description for a Configuration File on page 3 19 e Selecting Disks to Upgrade on page 3 5 Loading a Configuration File Loading a configuration file allows you to open an existing configuration file for use After you load a configuration file you can view the Upgrade Summary and if applicable proceed with the upgrade as configured but you cannot modify the configuration NOTE To modify a configuration file use the Edit Configura
90. nformation about the steps of the Active Upgrade process e Data disk A disk that contains persistent data for your critical applications Any disk marked as Data is available only to the Production Side while the system is split You cannot upgrade software on a data disk See the prerequisites for the Active Upgrade process for additional restrictions Volumes on the Disk Selection page are color coded as described in Table 3 1 Table 3 1 Hard Disk Color Coding Unassigned disk space Light Green System disk Mandatory system disk 0 4 Disk is currently simplexed because it is being resynchronized with RDR 3 6 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Selecting Other Configurations to Include For more information about any volume move your cursor over the volume to display ToolTip help To select system and data disks e For any disk you want to mark as a system disk click System This automatically marks any volume that the disk contains as a System volume e For any disk you want to mark as a data disk click Data NOTE Volumes can span multiple physical disks and physical disks can contain multiple volumes If a volume spans two or more disks and you mark one of the disks that contains that volume as a system disk any disk that contains a part of that volume automatically becomes a system disk When you are finished selecting disks you can click Next to proceed with the next configu
91. oduction Side which automatically restarts your applications from the Production Side The period of downtime is only as long as it takes your system and applications to restart In either case the abort process uses RDR resynchronization to restore the internal disks to their original state by overwriting the unwanted Upgrade Side system disk and stale Upgrade Side data disks with their original partner disks Figure 1 4 Figure 1 5 Aborting the Upgrade Internal Storage Console Duplexed System a Q pen Remirror with RDR Storage 0066 After you abort the upgrade process you can start another upgrade session as soon as the RDR disk resynchronization is complete Related Topics e Active Upgrade State Model on page 1 8 e Overview of the Active Upgrade Process on page 1 2 e Active Upgrade State Model on page 1 8 e Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 e System Prerequisites on page 2 2 Overview 7 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process Active Upgrade State Model The state model in Figure 1 6 shows all of the possible Active Upgrade states and the order in which they occur during the Active Upgrade process Figure 1 6 Active Upgrade State Model Finish Prepare Split Commit Execute Merge Execute Split Prepare Split Mode Merge duet0
92. ontrol panel 2 10 Express5800 320Ma Active Upgrade User s Guide Pre Upgrade Tasks Figure 2 1 Windows Firewall Exceptions Windows Firewall x Genaral Exceplions Advanced Windows Firevvall is tumad off Your computer is at ish of atlacke and intrusions trom outside sources such as the Intenet We recommend thet you cick the General lab and zeleci On Programs aid Servicer Nome O File and Printer 5 having O Remote Desktop O Stratus Active Upgrade S oftware CUPP Add Progian Add Patt i Disolay a noliication when windows Firewall blocks a progiam Related Topics e Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Configuring a UPS Protected System for the Active Upgrade Process If your system is protected by a UPS and you have configured the UPS power connections as specified in the Express5800 320Fc Site Planning Guide it is best to ensure that the CPU 1I O enclosure with A side UPS protected power CPU enclosure 0 I O enclosure 10 are Primary before starting the Active Upgrade process When you initiate the upgrade process and split the system the primary active CPU I O enclosure becomes the Production Side of the system Because the Production Side controls the upgrade session for most of the Active Upgrade process and also contains the most current version of your data disks during the upgrade process allowing the Produ
93. ou might want to preserve them for future reference These log files contain the only record of log messages your live applications generated while the system was split The Log File Backup page allows you to select from all event logs available in the Windows Event Viewer including user created logs NOTES 1 For information about creating a Custom Action that preserves other files from the Production Side system disk see Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 2 You must save the log files to an internal data disk or an external disk Do not save the files to a system disk or network share 3 There is no default directory You must specify a directory otherwise the Active Upgrade console displays a warning message To preserve event log files 1 Specify a directory in which to save the files by doing one of the following e Inthe Staging Directory dialog box type the full path name of the directory e Click Browse to locate a folder using the Browse for Folder dialog box Click a folder and click OK to select it 2 For each log you want to save click the log name to highlight it then click the check box to the left of the log name to preserve the file When you have finished selecting event log files to preserve you can click Next to proceed with the next configuration step Related Topics e Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 e Displaying the Upgrade Summary on page 3 19 Configuring the Acti
94. ou restart it Related Topics Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side on page 4 5 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Merging the System on page 4 15 Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 Troubleshooting Performing the Upgrade 4 11 Splitting the System Other Installation Packages If you previously downloaded individual installation packages to a system disk open the Upgrade Side folder that contains the installation packages Run each installation program one 81 8 time NOTE Before installing any software ensure that you are working on the Upgrade Side desktop through a remote connection Do not install software on the Production Side Some installation programs might require you to restart the operating system on the Upgrade Side You can allow these installation programs to restart the Upgrade Side automatically or you can manually restart later You can restart the Upgrade Side as many times as necessary to complete the installation however you might want to avoid restarting until you have run additional installation programs to reduce the total number of times you need to restart See Restarting the Upgrade Side on page 4 12 for information about reconnecting to the Upgrade Side after you restart it Related Topics e Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 e Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side on page
95. p is To perform installation tasks while the system is in split not enabled mode you need to establish a remote connection from the Production Side to the Upgrade Side If you want to use Remote Desktop to connect to the Upgrade Side you must enable access for Remote Desktop connections in the System control panel Or you can optionally use Remote KVM instead of Remote Desktop to connect to the Upgrade Side See Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 and Connecting to the Desktop on the Upgrade Side on page 4 6 for more information If you are running Windows Firewall also ensure that the exceptions for Active Upgrade console and Remote Desktop are enabled See Configuring Windows Firewall for the Active Upgrade Process on page 2 10 for more information Troubleshooting 5 7 General Problems and Solutions Table 5 2 describes some common problems with custom actions Table 5 2 Troubleshooting Custom Actions The executable Ensure that the executable file associated with your custom filename does not action is located in the directory you specified during the exist configuration process Also ensure that the custom action is located on a system disk otherwise the Upgrade Side loses access to the executable file while the system is in split mode Custom action Check the output for the custom action for errors See failed with exit Viewing Standard Output and Error Stream on page 3 17 value n for more infor
96. pe is unavailable if there are currently no items of that severity in the activity log If necessary you can save the items from the activity log in the Active Upgrade console to a file For example you might need to send this file to NEC Technical Support or your authorized service representative for troubleshooting purposes See Saving the Activity Log to a File on page 5 1 for more information Related Topics e Status Bar e Saving the Activity Log to a File on page 5 1 e Troubleshooting 4 24 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status Status Bar The status bar Figure 4 7 which is located at the bottom of the Active Upgrade console window reports a quick summary of the status of the upgrade Figure 4 7 Status Bar Hotfix Confio Produsticn Side Enit 0 05 Up P 1 Configuration file name Hardware State Table 4 3 Upgrade State Table 4 4 Operational State Table 4 5 Partner State Table 4 6 a A U PY The Hardware State reports whether or not your critical applications are running in lockstep Table 4 4 describes the possible hardware states Table 4 3 Status Hardware State Fault tolerant The system is duplexed Production Side The system is currently running in split mode and your applications are running from the Production Side the original copy of your software The Upgrade Side is available for installation
97. pgrade User s Guide Figures ee ee ee NOG OO 1 8 2 11 2 17 2 18 2 20 2 21 2 22 2 23 2 24 2 25 2 26 4 9 4 10 4 22 4 22 4 24 4 25 5 3 5 4 Table 2 1 Table 3 1 Table 3 2 Table 3 3 Table 3 4 Table 3 5 Table 4 1 Table 4 2 Table 4 3 Table 4 4 Table 4 5 Table 4 6 Table 5 1 Table 5 2 Table 5 3 Active Upgrade Process Worksheet Hard Disk Color Coding Selection of Application Services Control Types for Custom Actions Timing for the Advanced Control Type Environment Variables for Custom Actions Activity Log Entries Activity Log Entries Status Hardware State Status Upgrade State Status Operational State Status Partner State Troubleshooting Readiness Check Troubleshooting Custom Actions Troubleshooting Miscellaneous Problems Tables 2 14 3 6 3 10 3 13 3 14 3 16 4 23 4 25 4 26 4 26 4 27 5 6 5 8 5 8 Tables Vv Tables vi Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Preface Purpose of This Manual The Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide describes the Active Upgrade process which allows you to upgrade system software and applications on an Express5800 320Fc system while its critical applications remain online and accessible to users The manual provides an overview of the Active Upgrade process specifies the requirements and procedures necessary to prepare the system for the upgrade process and explains how to configu
98. played in Command Prompt before proceeding 2 14 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Pre Upgrade Tasks Gathering Information Before you start configuring the Active Upgrade process on your system considering the following questions After you complete this upgrade will you ever want to run the same type of upgrade again If so plan to create a configuration file with the details of your upgrade so you can use it again at a later date Did your support provider give you a configuration file that you could use as a template for your specific system and the type of upgrade you are performing Or do you have settings from other existing configuration files that you want to incorporate into your current configuration If applicable you might be able to use more than one configuration file at a time by nesting them Which disks in your system contain the software you want to upgrade Which disks cannot or should not be upgraded given the prerequisites of the Active Upgrade process You need to select these disks before splitting the system Which software installation utilities are you going to run during the Active Upgrade process If you are copying these to the system from a network resource you need to do so before initiating split mode Do any of these installation programs require access to the network or data disks during the upgrade If so you cannot use them with Active Upgrade technology How
99. quire access to the BIOS settings and troubleshooting information that are available in the VTM console Remote Desktop Allows you to control the keyboard video and mouse of the Upgrade Side through the Windows Remote Desktop component You might prefer this option if you are more familiar with it or if it runs faster in your environment To use either connection method click the associated link Figure 4 1 in the navigation bar of the Active Upgrade console For more information see Related Topics Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Splitting the System Figure 4 1 Links for Connecting to Upgrade Side Links Remote KVM Remote ment Hotfix Config Related Topics e Connecting to the Upgrade Side with Remote KVM e Connecting to the Upgrade Side with Remote Desktop on page 4 8 Connecting to the Upgrade Side with Remote KVM Remote KVM allows you to control the keyboard video and mouse of the Upgrade Side using the Advanced Video Redirection AVR feature of the VTM console To initiate a Remote KVM session with the Upgrade Side 1 Click Remote KVM in the navigation bar of the Active Upgrade console on the Production Side The system opens a Web browser window to load the VTM console which runs as a Java applet If the browser displays a warning indicating that the Web site is being blocked click Add to display the Trusted Sites dialog box Click Add to add the site to your Tru
100. rade Side 4 When you are satisfied that everything is working correctly and you start the commit process the Active Upgrade console switches to the Commit state during which it starts the resynchronization of your RDR disks You can subsequently start the finish process during which the Active Upgrade console switches to the Finish state cleans up system resources and then returns the system to the Idle state The upgrade session is complete If necessary you can abort the upgrade process from the PrepareSplit Split PrepareMerge and Merge states When you abort an upgrade session the Active Upgrade console switches to the Abort state during which it restores your system to its original configuration and starts the resynchronization of your RDR disks You can subsequently initiate the finish process as you would after committing an upgrade Alternatively you can retry any of the Active Upgrade states to recover the system from a transient failure and move on to the next states without aborting the entire upgrade session All of these Active Upgrade states are reported in the activity log and status bar of the Active Upgrade console during the upgrade process See Understanding the Active Upgrade Console Interface on page 2 20 for more information Related Topics e Overview of the Active Upgrade Process on page 1 2 e Active Upgrade State Model on page 1 9 e Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 e Syste
101. rade process is ready to enter the next upgrade state Busy The current operation is still in progress Allow time for the operation to complete Broken The Active Upgrade console could not complete the current operation Check the activity log for errors You must correct the errors and click Retry to complete the operation or click Abort to abort the current upgrade session The Partner State reports the status of the partner system For example while the system is in split mode the Active Upgrade console is running on the Production Side and this field reports the health of the Upgrade Side of the system Table 4 6 describes the possible partner states 4 26 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status Table 4 6 Status Partner State DC On The partner operating system is shut down but system power is still on DC Off The partner operating system is shut down and system power is off but the system still has housekeeping power BIOS POST The partner system is performing a BIOS Power On Self Test POST Hung BIOS POST The partner system hung in the BIOS POST OS Booting The partner operating system is booting Hung OS Booting The partner system hung in the boot process The partner operating system is up However the system might not be available for use until other system resources finish loading Hung OS Shutting Down The partner system hung while the operating s
102. ration step Related Topics e System Prerequisites on page 2 2 e Displaying the Upgrade Summary on page 3 19 Selecting Other Configurations to Include Use the Other Configurations page to optionally call one or more existing configuration files into the configuration file you are currently editing so that the settings from the called files will also apply to the file you are editing This is known as nesting files or creating nested files The configuration files that you call into the current configuration file are child configurations and the file from which you call the child configurations is the parent configuration Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 7 Selecting Other Configurations to Include Potential uses for nested files include Your support provider creates a configuration file that you can call into an existing configuration file for your system You create separate configuration files each for upgrading a different application which you can enable or disable at will in your parent configuration You create a configuration file for an application that runs on several of your systems and call that file into a parent configuration file that is specific to each system The following restrictions apply to nested files Child configuration files must be located in the same directory as the files in which they are called When you select configuration files in the Active Upgrade console only
103. re and execute the upgrade process using the Active Upgrade console It also provides information about troubleshooting the Active Upgrade process if a problem occurs NOTES 1 The information in this manual is also contained in the Active Upgrade Help file which is available in the Active Upgrade console and in the Start menu of your system in the Express5800 320Fc folder after you install the Active Upgrade software 2 For the latest information about Active Upgrade technology including any issues that were discovered after this release see the Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide online at http support necam com servers ft Audience This manual is intended for system administrators who will prepare for and execute an Active Upgrade on an Express5800 320Fc system It assumes that you are familiar with administering Express5800 320Fc systems Notation Conventions This document uses the notation conventions described in this section Warnings Cautions and Notes Warnings cautions and notes provide special information and have the following meanings Preface vii Preface A WARNING A warning indicates a situation where failure to take or avoid a specified action could cause bodily harm or loss of life CAUTION A caution indicates a situation where failure to take or avoid a specified action could damage a hardware device program system or data NOTE A note provides important
104. s run with other Active Upgrade tasks Use this option only if you want to ensure that one custom action runs before or after another custom action Table 3 4 Timing for the Advanced Control Type Default Executes the custom action in the default consecutive order Late Executes the custom action late in the list of custom actions after items marked as Early or Default Early Executes the custom action early in the list of custom actions before items marked as Default or Late 3 14 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Configuring Custom Actions Custom actions run consecutively according to their timing options Subsequent custom actions do not start until the current custom action terminates 5 Click Add to accept the custom action If the Add button is inactive ensure that you typed the File path name and file name correctly The executable file must exist to be added You can view the custom actions you have created at the bottom of the Custom Actions page If you want to remove a custom action from the list select it and click Remove When you have finished specifying custom actions to run or if you have no custom actions to specify you can click Next to proceed with the next configuration step Related Topics e Programming Notes for Custom Actions e Selecting Application Services to Control on page 3 9 e Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process on page 2 6
105. sites Active Upgrade technology is supported only on Express5800 320Fc systems that Are running in duplex mode prior to starting the upgrade process The CPU 1I O enclosures must be duplexed and all critical resources in the enclosures must be duplexed A critical resource is a device such as a CPU hard disk or host bus adapter that is necessary to maintain fault tolerance Non fault tolerant resources such as tape drives connected to the system do not affect the Active Upgrade process Contain teamed embedded Ethernet PCI adapters All embedded Ethernet PCI adapters must be teamed with the Intel PROSet utility and each Ethernet team must contain at least one Ethernet PCI adapter from each CPU I O enclosure Furthermore at least one team of embedded Ethernet PCI adapters must have an active network link in each CPU I O enclosure 2 2 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide System Prerequisites All ports on any dual port adapter must be either teamed or not teamed You cannot have only one port on an adapter teamed You do not need to team non embedded Ethernet PCI adapters for the Active Upgrade process but it is best to do so to ensure that the network connectivity provided by these adapters continues to be available throughout the upgrade process The readiness check in Active Upgrade console displays a warning for each unteamed Ethernet PCI adapter but the warnings do not prevent you from proceeding with t
106. ss 192 168 1 2 Const VTM1IpAddress 192 168 1 3 Const Host0lpAddress 192 168 1 4 Const Host1lpAddress 192 168 1 5 Const SubNetMask 255 255 255 0 Const DnsServerlpAddress 0 0 0 0 Const DhcpEnabled false 6 0 ow 1 Figuring default gateway a To change the setting of the default gateway edit the IP address information in a Configuring the network for Remote KVM Connection b c The IP address in b and c is used to access the Upgrade Side from the Production Side using Remote KVM when the system is in split mode Specify one IP address for each module Edit the IP address information 5 Configuring the network for Remote Desktop Connection d e The IP address in d and e is used to access the Upgrade Side from the Production Side using Remote Desktop Connection when the system is in split mode Specify one IP address for each module Edit the IP address information 3 Save the information edited in step 2 Configuring the VTM IP address Log on as an administrator or member of Administrators group and change the IP addresses specified in VTM using the following procedure 1 Start Command Prompt by clicking Start All Programs Accessories and Command Prompt 2 Run the following command in Command Prompt gt CScript nologo C Program Files ftsys VTM UTMNetConfig vbs After running the command above make sure that Finished is dis
107. sted Sites zone then click Close to dismiss the dialog box If the browser displays additional warning messages about running Web based content click Close or OK to dismiss these messages If the browser displays a message asking you to trust the signed applet distributed by NEC Corporation of America click Yes to continue When the Java applet is finished loading the Upgrade Side desktop is displayed After you initiate the remote session see Related Topics for more information about what you can do on the Upgrade Side and how you can merge the system after you have finished performing upgrade tasks NOTE If you want to refer to the Active Upgrade Help file while you are using the Upgrade Side desktop click Start on the Upgrade Side desktop then click All Programs ftSYS and Active Upgrade Help to open the Help viewer Performing the Upgrade 7 Splitting the System For more information about managing an AVR session see the Express5800 320Fc Virtual Technician Module User s Guide To terminate a Remote KVM session with the Upgrade Side 1 Verify that any installation processes are complete and that you have exited from any installation programs 2 Optionally click Log Off in the Start menu of your remote session In the Log Off Windows dialog box click Log Off NOTE you are about to merge the system you can remain logged on to maintain the current desktop session After the merge you will be using t
108. sy A readiness check is in progress Allow time for the task to complete Ready The system meets the prerequisites for the Active Upgrade process You can proceed with the upgrade process by splitting the system Broken One or more components in the system does not meet the prerequisites for the Active Upgrade process You must resolve the problem before you can continue with the upgrade For more information about interpreting Active Upgrade status see Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 If the check is successful you can click Split to proceed with splitting the system See Splitting the System If one of the readiness tests fails you must resolve the problem then click Retry to run the readiness test again When the problem is resolved you can click Split to proceed with splitting the system 4 2 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Splitting the System Related Topics System Prerequisites on page 2 2 Splitting the System Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 Saving the Activity Log to a File on page 5 1 Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 Troubleshooting Splitting the System Splitting an Express5800 320Fc system divides it into two independently functioning systems the Production Side which continues to run your applications and the Upgrade Side which you can safely upgrade Splitting the system Disables RDR m
109. t be stopped on the Production Side and restarted on the Upgrade Side so you can test the applications with the newly upgraded system disk and possibly commit the upgrade Typically critical applications are started and stopped automatically by the operating system For example your application might be configured to start as a service in the Services Control Manager or as a startup item in the system registry But these resources control your applications only when the operating system itself is started or stopped In most cases to minimize downtime the Active Upgrade console executes upgrade operations like split and merge without restarting the operating system Therefore if you want your applications to start and stop at the appropriate times during the upgrade process you must configure the Active Upgrade console itself to control the applications Active Upgrade console provides two methods for controlling your critical applications during the upgrade process The method you use for each application depends on the type of application you want to control e Application services Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Pre Upgrade Tasks If your application runs as a standard service that already accounts for interdependencies with other services and requires no special handling you can specify it on the Application Services page of the Active Upgrade console during the configuration process On the Application Ser
110. t the changes Also if you abort the upgrade early enough in the process before testing the software in your production environment your critical applications are not disrupted Related Topics e Overview of the Active Upgrade Process e Active Upgrade State Model on page 1 8 e Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 e System Prerequisites on page 2 2 Overview of the Active Upgrade Process The Active Upgrade process involves the following basic steps 1 You prepare your system to ensure it meets the prerequisites of the upgrade process You use the Active Upgrade console to select the disks that are affected by the software upgrade and to provide information about any applications or services that require special handling during the upgrade process You run a readiness check in the Active Upgrade console to confirm that your system meets the prerequisites for the upgrade process You start the upgrade process by initiating split mode which divides the fault tolerant duplexed system Figure 1 1 into two independent simplexed systems Figure 1 2 a Production Side which continues to run your applications and an Upgrade Side on which you can run software installation packages 1 2 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Overview of the Active Upgrade Process Figure 1 1 Duplexed System Internal Storage l a a l Console Duplexed System i l T 5 l
111. tasks The Upgrade State reports the stage of the upgrade your system is entering or has entered Table 4 4 describes the possible upgrade states Performing the Upgrade 4 25 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status Table 4 4 Status Upgrade State The current upgrade session is idle The Active Upgrade process has just finished or it has not been initiated yet Prepare Split The Active Upgrade console is preparing to split the system by running a final readiness check and additional background tasks Split the operational state is Ready the system is running in split mode Otherwise the Active Upgrade console is in the process of initiating split mode Prepare Merge The Active Upgrade console is preparing to merge the system by running additional readiness tests and background tasks Merge If the operational state is Ready the system is merged Otherwise the Active Upgrade console is in the process of merging the system Commit The Active Upgrade console is in the process of committing your changes making them permanent Abort The upgrade process has been aborted and the Active Upgrade console is in the process of restoring the system to its previous state The Operational State reports the status of the last operation that was requested Table 4 5 describes the possible operational states Table 4 5 Status Operational State Ready The previous operation has been completed successfully The Active Upg
112. tem disks that are mirrored with RDR e The application s persistent data files reside on separate data disks either internal or external Data volumes that reside on the same physical disk as a system volume are not supported Preparing for the Active Upgrade Process 1 System Prerequisites The application s installation or upgrade utility does not involve changes to files or databases on the data disks while the system is in split mode For example the utility cannot create new databases or convert existing data records to be compatible with the new version of the application The Upgrade Side has no access to the data disks while the system is split Active Upgrade technology does not support the following types of upgrades Any upgrade that requires network connectivity during the upgrade process For example you cannot use an installation program that downloads its installation files from the Internet as the upgrade progresses If possible you must download the complete installation package to the system prior to initiating split mode BIOS BMC or VTM firmware updates which you can already perform while the system is duplexed and online See the Express5800 320Fc User Guide for more information Related Topics Overview System Prerequisites Recommendations on page 2 5 Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process on page 2 6 Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 System Prerequi
113. the disk For information about interpreting the LEDs see the operation and maintenance guide for your system You can also view the status of your disks using one of the following methods e Runa readiness check On the Active Upgrade page click Retry If the disks are still resynchronizing the upgrade state is reported as Fault Tolerant Idle Broken and the activity log displays errors indicating that the disks are not ready e View the disks on the Disk Selection page Any volume that is red is simplexed and thus probably still resynchronizing When a disk volume is only green it is duplexed and you can start another upgrade See Selecting Disks to Upgrade on page 3 5 for more information about disk states on the Disk Selection page e View the disks in ftServer Management Console ftSMC using the following procedure To view the status of an RDR virtual disk in ftSMC 1 Open the RDR Utility 2 Click Logical Disk Information 3 Click one of the RDR Virtual Disk nodes 4 Check the value of the Status property which displays Resyne nn where nnis the percentage completed while the disk is resynchronizing When the resync process is finished the value is None Ensure that the value of the Status property for all RDR Virtual Disks is None before you retry the Active Upgrade process Related Topics e Selecting Disks to Upgrade on page 3 5 e Performing a Readiness Check on page 4 1 e Viewing A
114. the Active Upgrade Process 3 1 Creating and Managing Configuration Files 3 1 Contents iii Contents Creating a Configuration File 3 2 Loading a Configuration File 3 3 Editing an Existing Configuration File 3 4 Performing an Upgrade with No Configuration File 3 4 Saving a Configuration File 3 5 Selecting Disks to Upgrade 3 5 Selecting Other Configurations to Include 3 7 Selecting Application Services to Control 3 9 Selecting Event Log Files to Back Up 3 10 Configuring Custom Actions 3 12 Programming Notes for Custom Actions 3 15 Starting and Stopping Applications 3 15 Using Active Upgrade Environment Variables 3 16 Generating Exit Values 3 17 Viewing Standard Output and Error Stream 3 17 Executing Visual Basic Scripts and Other Types of Execut able Files 3 18 Providing a Description for a Configuration File 3 19 Displaying the Upgrade Summary 3 19 4 Performing the Upgrade 4 1 Performing a Readiness Check 4 1 Splitting the System 4 3 Managing Upgrade Tasks on the Upgrade Side 4 5 Connecting to the Desktop on the Upgrade Side 4 6 Running Software Installation Programs 4 10 Restarting the Upgrade Side 4 12 Managing Your Applications on the Production Side 4 14 Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Merging the System 4 15 Merging the System 4 15 Verifying the Upgrade Side Before Committing the Upgrade 4 17 Committing the Upgrade 4 18 Aborting the Upgrade 4 19 Finishing the Upgrade 4 20 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status 4 21
115. the left of the service name 3 Repeat these steps for each service you want to stop and restart To deselect a service clear the check box to the left of the service name By default the services on the Application Services page are listed alphabetically If you prefer to sort them by other criteria click one of the column headings For example if you want to group services by those you have selected and not selected click the heading above the check boxes When you have finished selecting services to control or if you have no services to control you can click Next to proceed with the next configuration step Related Topics e Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 e Managing Critical Applications During the Upgrade Process on page 2 6 e Displaying the Upgrade Summary page 3 19 Selecting Event Log Files to Back Up Use the Log File Backup page to optionally preserve Windows Event Viewer log files from the Production Side of your system during the Active Upgrade process 3 10 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Selecting Event Log Files to Back Up When you commit an upgrade the system reestablishes the RDR mirrors of any system disks by overwriting the Production Side disks which contain the old version of your software with the newer Upgrade Side disks which contain your newly upgraded software Because the event log files on the Production Side are lost during this process y
116. the window then click Send Key Sequence you are using Remote Desktop Connection the connection to the Upgrade Side is terminated and the Production Side desktop is displayed While the Upgrade Side is restarting you can view its status in the activity log and the status bar of the Active Upgrade console When the console displays the message Partner OS Up you can click Remote Desktop to log on to the Upgrade Side again NOTE Though the Active Upgrade console reports that the Upgrade Side operating system is up it might take another minute or two for all services to finish loading and for login to be possible Related Topics e Running Software Installation Programs on page 4 10 e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Merging the System on page 4 15 e Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 e Troubleshooting Performing the Upgrade 4 13 Splitting the System Managing Your Applications on the Production Side While the system is split you can continue to access and use your applications on the Production Side however you must avoid doing any of the following on the Production Side desktop e Installing or upgrading software e Creating or modifying any files on the system disk including the system registry e Restarting the operating system J CAUTION Any changes you make to files on the Production Side system disks are lost during the commit process be
117. tion File option To load a configuration file 1 On the Configuration page click Load Configuration File 2 Do one of the following to select the configuration file e Inthe Locate Configuration File dialog box type the full path name and file name for the configuration file next to Configuration File You must include the Config file extension e Click Browse to locate the file using a file browser The browser displays only files with the Config extension Click the file in the file browser then click Open to select the file 3 In the Locate Configuration File dialog box click Load to open the configuration file You can also drag a configuration file onto the Configuration page of the Active Upgrade console window to load it When you load a configuration file the file opens on the Upgrade Summary page Related Topics e Creating and Managing Configuration Files on page 3 1 e Displaying the Upgrade Summary on page 3 19 e Performing the Upgrade Configuring the Active Upgrade Process 3 3 Creating and Managing Configuration Files Editing an Existing Configuration File Editing a configuration file allows you to open and edit a configuration file that you have previously saved After you edit the configuration file you can view the Upgrade Summary and if applicable proceed with the upgrade as configured To edit a configuration file 1 On the Configuration page click Edit Configuration File 2
118. tition paging file cannot be a data disk see system disk duplex mode duplexed The state of an ftServer system when most or all of its individual components are paired with redundant partner components that can keep the system operational if a hardware failure occurs It is safe to initiate an Active Upgrade on a duplexed system because redundant components continue to run your applications during the upgrade process element Glossary 2 Redundant segments of an ftServer system that contain components such as processors hard drives PCI slots and certain I O ports Each system comes with a minimum of two CPU elements and two I O elements usually distributed over two or more enclosures The elements in an enclosure operate with each other or if necessary with elements in another enclosure to emulate a single logical system Express5800 320F c Active Upgrade User s Guide Glossary enclosure A physical container that includes at least one CPU element and at least one I O element In a system with more than one physical enclosure you may be able to remove or upgrade one enclosure while the other continues to run your applications uninterrupted executable file A program file such as a exe bat or vbs file that you can assign to a custom action fault tolerant mode Same as duplex mode high priority update hotfix Critical update that should be installed as soon as it becomes available insta
119. ty see Configuring Windows Automatic Updates Related Topics e Configuring Windows Automatic Updates e Pre Upgrade Tasks on page 2 7 e Configuring the Active Upgrade Process Configuring Windows Automatic Updates When the system runs in split mode the Upgrade Side has no access to the network Windows Automatic Updates requires network access to download software updates therefore if you manage High Priority updates hotfixes with Automatic Updates you must use it to download all of the updates you need to the system before you split the system You can optionally configure Automatic Updates to automatically download the software updates for you however you must be able to install the updates on your own schedule while the system is split To configure Automatic Updates 1 Open the Automatic Updates control panel Figure 2 2 2 Select Download updates for me but let me choose when to install them 3 Click OK to save the configuration 2 18 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Pre Upgrade Tasks Figure 2 2 Automatic Updates Control Panel Automatic Updates Autometic Updabes Windows can reguarly check for important updates and install them for you Tuning on Automatic Undates may automaticaly update windows Update softwere first before eny other updates How doas Automatic Undates wark C Automatic recommended Automatically download recommended updatas for my
120. u do so See Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing on page 5 5 for more information Related Topics e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing on page 5 5 e Troubleshooting Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status You can view the status of the Active Upgrade process at any point during the upgrade The Active Upgrade console indicates status in two ways e Activity Log e Status Bar page 4 25 Activity Log The activity log Table 4 4 which reports details about each upgrade operation is displayed in the main window of the Active Upgrade console after you have initiated a readiness test or upgrade session Performing the Upgrade 4 21 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status Figure 4 4 Activity Log in Active Upgrade Console T Acttew Upgrade Configuration ee EE 4 Darn ihiel paaie service i tating up B5713 P_ 50 payer BO Patan iwactrec tes 101246 SpltPubicher Ses BO sas 101244 too arege A Check MC 1012 45 5 BO 00 10 Siha 101244 Check cursors actors siehe 101244 AggM erage 0 BO 0 ou ten TO1244_ DikNonege Senet O Check VIN 101244 VirManege jpg ecis S urmas BO 7 CPU Sy 1024 PUH E Pepas the ere zdan br ben 14444 102103 5 44 0 Eris seye upgrade wate peo ta
121. ubleshooting 5 1 U uninterruptible power supply UPS 2 11 Index 4 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Index upgrade fault tolerance during 2 3 session 1 8 Glossary 5 status 4 21 support 2 1 tasks 4 5 Upgrade Side connecting to 4 6 defined Glossary 6 managing 4 5 verifying before commit 4 17 verifying before merge 4 15 Upgrade State 4 26 Upgrade Summary page 3 19 V verifying list of hotfixes 2 20 status of installed software 5 3 status of services 5 2 Upgrade Side before commit 4 17 Upgrade Side before merge 4 15 Virtual Technician Module configuring for upgrade 2 3 Remote KVM 4 7 static address 2 5 upgrading firmware 2 2 2 4 usage during upgrade 1 4 Visual Basic script VBS 3 12 3 18 volume defined Glossary 6 VTM See Virtual Technician Module W Windows Automatic Updates downloading before upgrade session 2 18 installing updates 4 10 restarting system for update 4 12 Windows Firewall 2 10 Windows Server Update Services WSUS 2 19 Index 5 Index Index 6 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide
122. ve Upgrade Process 1 Configuring Custom Actions Configuring Custom Actions Use the Custom Actions page to customize the way that the Active Upgrade process runs in your environment You can create custom actions to perform the following types of tasks e Specify how a critical application is stopped and started during the upgrade process For example if you use special executable files to start and stop your applications you can use the controls on the Custom Actions page to specify when these executable files will run during the upgrade process and if you have several files you can specify the order in which they will run e Check if a certain condition exists before starting the upgrade process For example you can write a program to verify that a critical backup has completed if the load on the system is acceptable or if itis a certain time of day before starting the upgrade process e Back up files during the upgrade process Any files that are modified on the Production Side system disks while the system is in split mode are lost during the commit process when the RDR mirrors are resynchronized If applicable you can write a program to save copies of important files before you commit an upgrade For example you can save a copy of an application specific log file that does not appear in the system Event Viewer For information about saving Event Viewer logs see Selecting Event Log Files to Back Up on page 3 10
123. vices page you can select each service you want to manage from the list of services on your system and when you start the upgrade process the Active Upgrade console automatically starts and stops these services at the appropriate times See Selecting Application Services to Control on page 3 9 for more information Custom actions If you have a custom application or integrated applications from several different software vendors and you have special executable files that start and stop these applications you can specify the executable files on the Custom Actions page of the Active Upgrade console during the configuration process Using the controls on the Custom Actions page you can specify when your executable files will run during the upgrade process and if you have several files you can specify the order in which they will run See Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 for more information Related Topics e Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 e Selecting Application Services to Control on page 3 9 e Configuring Custom Actions on page 3 12 Pre Upgrade Tasks To prepare for upgrading the system do the following 1 Ensure that your system meets the requirements and recommendations discussed in Software Upgrade Support on page 2 1 System Prerequisites on page 2 2 and Recommendations on page 2 5 If necessary plan for the brief downtime associated with restarting your criti
124. while you are using the Upgrade Side desktop click Start on the Upgrade Side desktop then click All Programs ftSYS and Active Upgrade Help to open the Help viewer 2 If you maximize the Remote Desktop connection window its title bar Figure 4 2 might disappear from view autohide Only the Upgrade Side desktop is visible as if it is your local desktop If you want to redisplay the title bar to access its controls push the mouse pointer to the top of the screen 3 The Remote Desktop title bar is a helpful reminder that you are using the Upgrade Side desktop If you have maximized the window for Remote Desktop and you want the title bar to be displayed for the duration of your connection click the pin button pushpin on the left side of the title bar The pin button is displayed only when the window is maximized Figure 4 2 Remote Desktop Title Bar g 192 168 1 5 For more information about managing a Remote Desktop session see the Windows online Help To terminate a Remote Desktop Connection to the Upgrade Side 1 Verify that any installation processes are complete and that you have exited any installation programs 2 Click Log Off in the Start menu of your remote session 3 In the Log Off Windows dialog box click Log Off NOTE If you are about to merge the system you can remain logged on to maintain the current desktop session After the merge you will be using the Upgrade Side desktop P
125. ws Server 2003 HBS05061 Insaled On 12 6 2006 BRP Security Updete for Windows Server 2005 KBBSE 22 Insaled On 12 9 2005 BY Security Updote For Windows Server 2003 KB696358 Inctaled On 12 9 2005 y secunty Update for vandows Server 2003 KBE90096 Instaled On 12 9 2005 Br security Update for Windows Server 2003 HBE9S756 Insaled On 1279 2005 BP Security Update for Windows Server 2003 KBEQE658 Instaled On If you installed any Windows updates select the Show updates check box in the control panel to display the updates in the list of programs NOTE If your system is in split or merge mode remember to view the Add or Remove Programs control panel on the Upgrade Side The same control panel on the Production Side does not list the new software you installed on the Upgrade Side Related Topics e Running Software Installation Programs on page 4 10 e Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status on page 4 21 e Troubleshooting 5 4 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing Verifying If RDR Disks Are Resynchronizing When you complete or abort the Active Upgrade process the system reestablishes the mirrors between the RDR partner disks in each CPU I O enclosure If you intend to initiate another upgrade process you must wait for the full resynchronization to complete before you do so You can tell if a disk is resynchronizing by viewing the LEDs on the front panel of
126. you can also save the current configuration file from the Upgrade Summary page When you are finished viewing the Upgrade Summary and if necessary saving the configuration file you can click Next to proceed with the Active Upgrade process If you have changed your configuration file since you last saved it the Active Upgrade console displays a message indicating that you should save the file To save the file click Yes otherwise click No or Cancel In the next step the Active Upgrade console runs a readiness check to verify that your system meets the prerequisites for an online upgrade If necessary you can abort the process before you split the system or at any point up until you commit the upgrade Related Topics e Saving a Configuration File on page 3 5 e Performing a Readiness Check on page 4 1 e Aborting the Upgrade on page 4 19 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Chapter 4 Performing the Upgrade Performing the Active Upgrade process can involve the following tasks Performing a readiness check Splitting the system Merging the System Committing the upgrade Aborting the upgrade if necessary Finishing the upgrade Viewing Active Upgrade process status Performing a Readiness Check Before you can initiate split mode on a system the system must pass a readiness check The readiness check verifies that your system meets the prerequisites for the Active Upgrade process For
127. ystem was shutting down State Sensitive Recovery The partner operating system has crashed NMI issued State Sensitive Recovery The system controller is performing a hard reset of the partner Reset system Related Topics Activity Log on page 4 21 Saving the Activity Log to a File on page 5 1 Troubleshooting Performing the Upgrade 7 Viewing Active Upgrade Process Status 4 28 Express5800 320Fc Active Upgrade User s Guide Chapter 5 Troubleshooting If necessary you can collect information about the Active Upgrade process and resolve problems by Saving the activity log to a file Viewing the status of application services Viewing the status of installed software Verifying If RDR disks are resynchronizing Learning about general problems and solutions Getting help Saving the Activity Log to a File If necessary you can save the contents of the activity log to a file for later viewing To save the activity log to a file 1 2 3 Right click the activity log and select Save to File in the shortcut menu Next to Save in select a folder in which to save the file Next to File name type a name for the file Activity log files are saved in XML format which you can view in Internet Explorer The xml extension is added automatically Click Save NOTE If you have just completed an upgrade session you can also save the activity log by clicking Save Log on the Finish page

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