Troubleshooting Sun Fire[TM] Server Firmware Upgrade Failures Using "flashupdate"

Asset ID:	1-75-1012962.1
Update Date:	2010-08-09
Keywords:

Solution Type Troubleshooting Sure

Solution 1012962.1 : Troubleshooting Sun Fire[TM] Server Firmware Upgrade Failures Using "flashupdate"

Applies to:

Sun Fire V1280 Server
Sun Fire 3800 Server
Sun Fire 4800 Server
Sun Fire 4810 Server
Sun Fire 6800 Server
All Platforms

Purpose

Description
In order to provide you the most accurate fix, we need you to validate that each statement under the symptoms below are true for your environment.
Symptoms

The symptoms which would lead to using this resolution path are:

"flashupdate" does not start, gives an error, or does not complete.
The system controller may have reset, and is now unresponsive.
The installation or upgrade may seem to be corrupt, faulty or bad.
The system controller may hang, pause, become unresponsive, or similar behavior during the upgrade process.

System Type and Configuration

Sun Fire[TM] v1280
Sun Fire[TM] E2900
Netra[TM] 1280
Netra[TM] 1290
Sun Fire[TM] 3800 - Sun Fire[TM] E6900

Assumptions

SC is able to communicate via the network

Last Review Date

August 9, 2010

Instructions for the Reader

A Troubleshooting Guide is provided to assist in debugging a specific issue. When possible, diagnostic tools are included in the document to assist in troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting Details

Steps to Follow
The listed troubleshooting steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and be certain about the related fix. Please do not skip a step.

It's always recommended that you use the serial console to manage flashupdate, where possible.
1. Verify that the patch has been downloaded to a host that is able to communicate to the system controller.

The simplest way to confirm this is to telnet into the IP address of the SC from the host that contains the patch
Reference Document: 1005873.1 Sun Fire[TM] 3800/4x00/4810/6x00 Systems: flashprom update shortcut

2. Verify that the downloaded firmware patch on the host is not corrupt.

Reference Document: 1005042.1 How to check the integrity of Patch(es) downloaded from sunsolve.sun.com
The latest patch matrix can be found at the following url: http://sunsolve.sun.com/handbook_pub/Systems/

3. Verify this is not a known permissions issue related to being root user.

Reference Document: 1018210.1 Sun Fire[TM] Midframe Server:Symptom:Flashupdate fails when user is root No boards can be updated

4. Verify this is not a known permissions issue related to ftp login.

Reference Document: 1003105.1 Sun Fire[TM] (3800-6800) FTP login failure while doing flashupdate on a System Controller

5. While capturing "script" data, confirm that another attempt to upgrade the firmware with flashupdate has failed.

Reference Document: 1006281.1 5.17.x and 5.18.x firmware update procedure for Sun Fire[TM] midrange and entry-level midrange systems
Reference Document: 1004222.1 How to setup console logging and obtain diagnostic data from different types of SPARC and X64 servers

6. Verify scripted output is available and collaborate with next level of support.

Product
Sun Fire V1280 Server
Sun Fire E6900 Server
Sun Fire E4900 Server
Sun Fire E2900 Server
Sun Fire 6800 Server
Sun Fire 4810 Server
Sun Fire 4800 Server
Sun Fire 3800 Server

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