Before you use ThinkSystem SAN Manager to upgrade multiple storage arrays, review the key considerations as part of your planning.
You can view the current ThinkSystem OS software versions from the Manage page of SAN Manager for each discovered storage array. The version is shown in the ThinkSystem OS Software column. The controller firmware and NVSRAM information is available in a pop-up dialog box when you click on the ThinkSystem OS version in each row.
As part of the upgrade process, you might also need to upgrade the host's multipath/failover driver or the HBA driver so that the host can interact with the controllers correctly.
For compatibility information, refer to the Lenovo Interoperability Matrix. Also, see the procedures in the Express Guides for your operating system.
If a storage array contains two controllers and you have a multipath driver installed, the storage array can continue to process I/O while the upgrade occurs. During the upgrade, the following process occurs:
After the upgrade completes, you might need to manually redistribute volumes between the controllers to ensure volumes return to the correct owning controller.
You can activate the upgrade immediately or stage it for a later time. You might choose to activate later for these reasons:
To activate staged software, go to .
A health check runs as part of the upgrade process, but you can also run a health check separately before you begin (go to ).
The health check assesses all storage system components to make sure that the upgrade can proceed. The following conditions might prevent the upgrade: