topic Re: BMC firmware installation in ONTAP Hardware

BMC firmware installation

PeterMekes — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:13:46 GMT

Hi,

Has the installation\upgrade of the BMC ( https://mysupport.netapp.com/NOW/download/tools/serviceimage/30803872_ontap/) impact on production data ( NFS ) ?

In the article it is not mentioned that it could be disruptive.

Thanks

Re: BMC firmware installation

aborzenkov — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 08:14:06 GMT

It shoud normally be non-disruptive. But as general recommendations, any work on production equipment should happen during scheduled maintenance window where accidental downtime can be tolerated.

Re: BMC firmware installation

paul_stejskal — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 14:45:17 GMT

Think of the SP/BMC as a separate computer on the motherboard. That's what I tell customers. It has connectivity to the main FAS unit to do certain things, but it really is a secondary computer.

Re: BMC firmware installation

andris — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 18:24:28 GMT

+1 to Paul's comment.

Upgrading service processors (SP) or baseboard management controllers (BMC) on FAS/AFF is nondisruptive to system data-serving operations, barring unforeseen issues.

It's always a great idea to reboot the SP or BMC before you perform any firmware upgrades (which is also nondisruptive). It potentially resolves any lingering/hidden issues that may exist and puts the SP/BMC in a "fresh" operating state for the maintenance. It's also a useful way to find out if there are any issues between ONTAP and the SP/BMC before you perform the upgrade.