Snap Server Upgrade Notes

Upgrading from SnapOS Version 1.x to 2.0

Use this document to upgrade a Snap Server from SnapOS v1.0, 1.1, or 1.2 to v2.0. (The procedures presented here supersede those described in the Snap Server Administrator Guide for Version 1.0.) The upgrade procedure differs depending on your current SnapOS version.

v1.0 or v1.1 — Snap Servers that were originally shipped with v1.0 or v1.1 require a BIOS upgrade (to v1.2.180) before performing the SnapOS 2.0 upgrade.

v1.2 — Snap Servers that were originally shipped with v1.2 do not require a BIOS upgrade.

Note Some older Snap Servers may fail to upgrade because of hardware limitations. The upgrade program detects whether or not a unit needs a BIOS upgrade or if it cannot be upgraded to Version 2.0, and notifies you of the Snap Server's status.

New Disk Configuration Options in SnapOS v2.0

Caution If your Snap Server has two drives, upgrading to SnapOS v2.x offers new disk configuration options, such as disk mirroring, disk striping, and improved handling of failure conditions. (For details, see the online help on the Disk Utilities > Configure Disks screen of the Administration Tool.) You have two options:

If you do not need to take advantage of the new features, no further configuration is necessary. SnapOS v2.x is fully compatible with the Version 1.x disk layout.

If you choose to reconfigure your system, you will need to: (1) reformat your drives; and then, (2) reconfigure your disk configuration. Either procedure will overwrite all of the data you have stored on the Snap Server. To preserve the data that is on your disks, back up your data before you make any changes to the disk configuration, and restore the data after you are done.

Upgrade Requirements

To upgrade your Snap Server, you will need the following items:

The Snap Server's BIOS version number

To identify the BIOS version of a Snap Server, click the logo in the upper left corner of any screen in the browser-based Administration Tool. A window opens, displaying the version information.

The Snap Server's IP address

To identify the IP address of a Snap Server, navigate to the Network Settings > TCP/IP screen in the browser-based Administration Tool.

The upgrade files

Download the following files from http://www.snapappliance.com/download and save them to a local system, not on the Snap Server.

UpdateBIOS.exe - Updates the Snap Server BIOS.

UpdateSnap.exe - Updates the SnapOS software from version 1.x to 2.0.

Upgrade Instructions

Before you start the upgrade process, back up the data on the Snap Server. The upgrade process should not affect the data on your Snap Server. However, Snap Appliance recommends that you back up your data before implementing any system-wide changes as a precautionary measure.

Disconnect all active users before performing an upgrade procedure. Upgrading your Snap Server may take as long as 10 minutes. If the server is still in use during the upgrade, the process may not complete successfully, and data may be lost. Snap Appliance recommends you notify your users to log off before the scheduled down time to prevent any data loss and to ensure the success of the upgrade.

Do NOT interrupt an upgrade process or power off the server during the upgrade process. Interrupting or aborting an upgrade process may damage the server and cause data loss.

Step 1 - Putting your Snap Server in Update Mode

Connect to the Snap Server via the browser-based Administration Tool, logging in as the administrator.

Navigate to the System Utilities > Software Update screen. The Snap Server displays a confirmation page, which includes a list of users currently connected to the server.

Click Update to place your Snap Server in "update mode."

Make sure you allow at least 30 seconds to give the Snap Server time to switch into update mode.

Keep the Administration Tool open in preparation for the next step.

The next step describes how to upgrade your Snap Server's BIOS. If your server is already running BIOS Version 1.2.180, skip to Step 3.

Step 2 - Upgrading the BIOS

You will need BIOS v1.2.180 in order to upgrade to SnapOS v2.0.

Start the BIOS update utility, UpdateBIOS.exe, that you downloaded.

The program will instruct you to "put your server into update mode." If you have not already done so, place the Snap Server in update mode as described in Step 1. Make sure you allow at least 30 seconds to give the Snap Server time to switch into update mode.

Click OK to load the update utility.

Enter your Snap Server's IP address.

Click Continue to start the update process.

The Status Message displays the progress of the upgrade process, which will take a few minutes. Once the upgrade is complete, the Snap Server restarts automatically. The System light should blink steadily, once per second.

Keep the Administration Tool open. After the Snap Server has restarted, you must place your Snap Server back in "update mode."

In the Administration Tool, navigate to the System Utilities screen and click Update. Make sure you allow at least 30 seconds to give the Snap Server time to switch into update mode.

Keep the Administration Tool open in preparation for the next step.

Step 3 - Upgrading to SnapOS v2.0

Start the system software update utility, UpdateSnap.exe.

The program will instruct you to "put your server into update mode." If you have not already done so, place the Snap Server in update mode as described in the previous step. Make sure you allow at least 30 seconds to give the Snap Server time to switch into update mode.

Click OK to load the update utility.

Enter your Snap Server's IP address.

Click Continue to start the update.

The Status Message displays the progress of the upgrade process, which will take several minutes. Once the upgrade is complete, the Snap Server restarts automatically. When the upgrade is successfully completed, the System LED blinks three times for every blink of the Disk LED.

When the update completes successfully, exit the software upgrade utility.

Switch the power off. After all LEDs have turned off, wait 15 seconds and then switch the power back on.

Tip Now that you have upgraded your Snap Server to v2.0, you can upgrade to v4.x using the upgrading to v4.0 instructions. Before upgrading your Snap Server, you may want to change your disk configuration. For details, see the online help on the Disk Utilities > Configure Disks screen of the Administration Tool.

Copyright Notice

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Snap Appliance or any of its subsidiaries. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. The software may be used only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of Snap Appliance, Inc.

This product contains software licensed under version 2 of the GNU General Public License, version 2 of the GNU Library General Public License, and version 2.1 of the GNU Lesser General Public License. Source code of the software with this license is available on request from Snap Appliance.

Trademarks

Snap Appliance, the Snap Appliance logo, Snap Server, the Snap Server logo, SnapOS, and GuardianOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Snap Appliance, Inc. registered in the U.S.A. and other countries.

Products mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Snap Server is a trademark of Snap Appliance, Inc. DataKeeper is a trademark of PowerQuest Corporation. Backup Express is a trademark of Syncsort Incorporated. Windows, Windows NT, Internet Explorer, and Active Directory are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Java and Solaris, are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Netscape is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corp. AppleShare, AppleTalk, Macintosh, and MacOS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer. AIX is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation. OpenView and HP-UX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company. BrightStor, Unicenter TNG, ARCserve, InoculateIT, and Unicenter are trademarks or registered trademarks of Computer Associates, Inc. Smart UPS and APC are registered trademarks of American Power Conversion Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. XFS is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Backup Exec, VERITAS NetBackup BusinessServer, and VERITAS NetBackup DataCenter are trademarks or registered trademarks of VERITAS Software Corporation. Legato NetWorker is a trademark of Legato Systems, Inc. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other brand names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Revisions

Snap Appliance, Inc. provides this publication “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Snap Appliance and its subsidiaries reserve the right to revise this publication and to make changes in the content hereof without the obligation of Snap Appliance to notify any person of such revision or changes.