The fw_version field does not update after a firmware update
Environment
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
Issue
- HBA was upgraded successfully on server. But the "fw_version" field doesnt get reflected with the latest version
- Updated version reflected only in field "optrom_fw_version"
Resolution
The output noted would be expected behavior.
Upgrading the kernel to the next y-stream release will fix the issue.
Root Cause
- The driver fw_version is installed from rpm package and updated with kernel/driver updates and located in /lib/firmware/ql*_fw.bin .The optrom_fw is the hba flash firmware revision whereas the fw_version is driver symbols used to interact with the hba flash firmware.
- In RHEL6, the firmware is provided by a separate rpm file. However, in RHEL 4/5 the "driver" firmware file is provided by the kernel and is located in ./drivers/scsi/qla2xxx/ source tree. So this means that in RHEL 4/5 the "driver" firmware file is provided by the kernel, therefore to upgrade the driver's fw_version would require upgrading the kernel itself.
- Simply installing the firmware upgrade on an existing 4/5 kernel will not update the fw_version field.
Diagnostic Steps
Run the command
systool -c scsi_host -v -d host5 | grep fw_version
Note the output in fw_version
84xx_fw_version = ""
fw_version = "5.06.03 (9496)"
optrom_fw_version = "7.02.00 33922"
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