DELL PowerVault ME Update Tool User Guide

Dell PowerVault ME Update Tool
User’s Guide
1.0.0.7

PowerVault ME Update Tool

Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
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Getting started

This guide provides information on how to update the drives in PowerVault ME Series enclosures to the latest firmware using the ME Update Tool.
Topics:

• Overview
• Before you begin
• Related publications

Overview
For smooth functioning of the device, it is crucial to keep drives in the PowerVault ME Series enclosures updated to the latest firmware revision. The ME Update Tool is an API-based application that discovers the drives in enclosures and compares the drive firmware version with the version in the update tool. If updates are available, the tool provides an option to update drives to the latest revision. Your computer does not have to be physically connected to the ME Series storage system, the update tool accesses the system via IP.
This tool supports both ME4 and ME5 Series storage systems with fiber channel, SAS, and iSCSI host interfaces.
Before starting the upgrade, make sure that you are using the latest version available of any upgrade documentation and software. The latest revisions of these documents can be found on the Dell support site at https://www.dell.com/support.
Before you begin

Before you install the tool, gather the following information:

• The management IP address from either one of the controller modules in a dual controller system.

• Username and password with manage role access to the enclosure.

• Download the MEUpdateTool_xxx_DriveFW.zip file from the Dell support site to your computer.
  NOTE: Only .fwh firmware files can be used with the ME Update Tool. These firmware files contain the information required by the tool to map firmware versions to existing drives. Only use the drive firmware files that are included with this tool.
  NOTE: You may receive disk firmware update notifications ahead of its availability as .fwh files on the support site. If the files are not available, check the site later.

• Plan a maintenance window and either shutdown hosts or logout connected host initiators or put connected hosts in maintenance mode.
  CAUTION: Do not perform the drive updates in a live environment. It may result in data corruption.
  Also, make sure that your computer meets the following requirements:

• Any of the following operating systems:
  ○ Windows 10 and later.
  ○ Windows Server 2016 and later.

• You must have administrative rights to install the tool.

• Microsoft .NET Core Desktop Runtime version 3.1.24 and later installed.

• For ME4 enclosures, the firewall must allow connections on port 21 for FTP to function properly.

• For ME5 enclosures, the firewall must allow connections on port 1022 for SFTP to function properly.

Related publications
The following documentation is available on the support site:

• ME4 Series Storage System Support Matrix
  Provides information about supported software and hardware for ME4 Series storage systems, and usage considerations, recommendations, and rules.

• ME4 Series Storage System Release Notes
  Provides information about new features and known and resolved issues for the ME4 Series storage system.

• ME5 Series Storage System Support Matrix
  Provides information about supported software and hardware for ME5 Series storage systems, and usage considerations, recommendations, and rules.

• ME5 Series Storage System Release Notes
  Provides information about new features and known and resolved issues for the ME5 Series storage system.

Install/Uninstall the ME Update Tool

This section provides the instructions to install and uninstall the ME Update Tool.
Topics:

• Install the ME Update Tool
• Uninstall the ME Update Tool

Install the ME Update Tool
About this task
To install the ME Update Tool, perform the following steps:
Steps

1. Extract the .zip file downloaded from the support site.
   Look at the FirmwireVersions.txt file for available updates for each drive model and known enhancements or fixes.

2. Open the _MEUpdateTool folder and double-click the MEUpdateTool.msi file.

3. If a Security Warning window opens, click Run anyway. If prompted to allow the app to modify the computer, click Yes.

4. The MEUpdateTool Setup Wizard opens. Follow the prompts to install the tool.

Uninstall the ME Update Tool
About this task
Perform the following steps to uninstall the ME Update Tool.
Steps

1. Click Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & features. The Apps & features window appears.
2. In the Search this list field, type “MEUpdateTool”.
3. Select MEUpdateTool.
4. Click Uninstall and follow the prompts to uninstall the application. If a dialog prompts, “This app and its related info will be uninstalled” click Uninstall again.

Update the drives using the ME Update Tool

This section provides the instructions to update the drive firmware using the update tool. Before the update, ensure that the connected host is in maintenance mode or the I/O to the host is stopped. During the update, all volumes will be temporarily inaccessible to hosts. Volume access will restore after the update completes.
Topics:

• Run the ME Update Tool
• Home page options
• Update the drive firmware

Run the ME Update Tool
About this task
This section describes how to run the ME Update Tool.
Steps

1. Go to C: \Program Files (x86) \ Dell \ MEU pdate Tool.

2. Open the ME_DU.exe file to start the application.
   The login screen opens.

3. Enter the IP address of the enclosure, username, and password.

4. Click Login.
   The ME Update Tool home page appears. The header displays the system information, enclosure information, service tag, total number of disks, and disk group information.
   

5. Verify the status of the FTP (ME4 enclosure) or SFTP (ME5 enclosure). If it is disabled, click Enable FTP (or Enable SFTP).
   NOTE: The ME Update Tool will be in read-only mode when the FTP/SFTP is disabled in the ME4/ME5 enclosure. Once the protocol is enabled, all the features will be available in the tool.

Home page options
This section describes the options displayed in the tool.
Check Boxes:

• Force Update: Discovers the drives that are eligible for the firmware downgrade. If you don’t select this check box, the tool will discover the drives that are eligible for firmware upgrade.

• Smart Parallel Update: Enables the tool to update the drives in different disk groups simultaneously.
  Buttons:

• Add Firmware File(s): Adds firmware files to the tool and matches the revision of each disk to the revision of the uploaded firmware file and indicates whether the disk is eligible for upgrade or downgrade. If the firmware files product id does not match the disk product id, no status will appear for such devices.

• Add Firmware Folder: Adds the folder containing firmware files. The tool does the same steps as above for all the firmware files in the folder.

• Clear All Pending Firmware: Cleans the firmware files that are added and you don’t need any action on those files.

• Update: Updates the disks.

• Refresh Disks: Gets the latest disk information from the enclosure and refreshes the UI.
  NOTE: Sometimes when an update is done, disk revisions will not update instantly. Refresh Disks updates all information on the home page with current data.

• Log out: Click this to log out of the enclosure.

Update the drive firmware
You can update the drive firmware by loading the firmware files to the update tool. Once you have uploaded the firmware files, you can specify to update all eligible disks or only specific disks that you wish to update.
Upgrading drives to the latest version of the firmware
About this task
Perform the following steps to upgrade the drive firmware:
Steps

1. Select the Smart Parallel Update check box to update the drives in different disk groups at once.

2. Click Add Firmware File(s) or Add Firmware Folder. In the pop-up window, select the firmware file or folder and click Open.

3. Check all items that need to be upgraded.

4. Click Update. All features will be disabled while the disks are updating.

5. When the update is finished, click Refresh Disks.
   The tool reads the latest disk information from the enclosure.

6. Click Clear All Pending Firmware to clean all the unused firmware files.

7. Click Log Out.

Downgrading drives to the older versions of firmware
About this task
If it is recommended by a Dell support personnel, drives can be downgraded to the older versions. Make sure that you are not using outdated or unsupported firmware files for the downgrade.
CAUTION: Do not perform the downgrade without the direction of Dell support personnel. It may result in data corruption or data loss.
Perform the following steps to downgrade the drive firmware:
Steps

1. Select the Force Update check box.

2. Select the Smart Parallel Update check box to update the drives in different disk groups at the same time.

3. Click Add Firmware File(s). In the pop-up window, select the firmware file(s) provided by support or specifically chosen for the current issue and click Open.

4. Check all items that need to be downgraded.

5. Click Update. All features will be disabled while the disks are updating.

6. When the downgrade is finished, click Refresh Disks.
   The tool reads the latest disk information from the enclosure.

7. Click Clear All Pending Firmware to clean all the unused firmware files.

8. Click Log Out.

9. If all drive firmware operations are complete, restart the host IO.

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