/Dell EqualLogic PS6000 – How to upgrade Array firmware and Hard Disk

Dell EqualLogic PS6000 – How to upgrade Array firmware and Hard Disk

This article, Dell EqualLogic PS6000 – How to upgrade Array firmware and Hard Disk, discusses how to update the firmware(Arrays and disks) of a Dell EqualLogic PS6000.

Since this disk’s firmware needs at least Array firmware 6.x version and we are running 7.x, I decided to update the disk first, then update the Arrays firmware to 8x.

So in this article, we will upgrade firmware for PS6000 to version 8.1.1(V8-1-1-R417753), from version 7.1.4, and our Hard Disks(Seagate) to v9(V9.0_DriveFw_2663786033) from

First, we will check if our Hard Disks(HD) are on the firmware upgrade list. Check the Dell update document(in our case, for this version was 110-6044-R13_DriveFW_UPD.pdf) and look for your HD model.

We can do this in two ways: one using the GUI, and the other uses the Array console.

Using GUI:

Connect to your Array Group IP in your browser and choose Group, Member, and then Array member name and tab Disks.

As we can see in the above image, we have HD firmware version KD08 and PD04, depending on the HD model.

If we want to check this in the console(CLI), we need to connect to the Group Manager IP address through SSH or FTP.

Note: If you will do the following tasks(Upload files and update Disks) manually, connect on member level, not Group Level. So that we can update Disks(and also Array) only the member we are working with.  So connect through an IP address assigned to a network interface on the array (for example, Ethernet port 0). Do not connect to the group IP address.

Using CLI – Issue these commands:

# Member select (groupname)
# Disk select 1

# Show

# xxx-xxx-grp0> member select xxx-xxx-02
# xxx-xxx-grp0(member_xxx-xxx-02)> disk select 1
# xxx-xxx-grp0(member_xxx-xxx-02 disk_1)> show


As we can see in the image GUI above, we have different HD models, so double-check all your disks in the document.

Example for a second disk:

# xxx-xxx-grp0> member select xxx-xxx-02
# xxx-xxx-grp0(member_xxx-xxx-02)> disk select 2


After we double-check everything, we can now upload our HD firmware file to the Array to run the update.

We can use FTP to the array, upload the files, or use a WinSCP tool (my preferred option) and upload them to the Array root.

After your files are in the Array, connect to the Array console(if you did not use FTP to upload the files) and just run the command ” update”.

The array will automatically pick up the file that you uploaded to the root.

As we can see, update find 16 HD that can be updated, so click “Y” and continue to confirm the update.

Note: This disk’s firmware update will not stop or disrupt any of the storage and volumes.

Update finished for this array:


Let’s have a quick look at the HD we updated in the GUI.

Now our HD has firmware KD0A and PD0A for the different models.

After we update our HD, we should and will update the EqualLogic Firmware Array.

NOTE: Before we start this section, updating Array firmware demands a reboot of the Array. So only start these tasks if you can reboot your Array system after the Firmware update.

Again, this can be done in two ways: the GUI or the console(CLI).

Since we have 2 Arrays, we will update one with the GUI and the other with the console(CLI).

Using GUI:

Connect to your Array Group IP in your browser and choose Group, Member, and Array member name and tab Maintenance.

As we can see in the above image, we have Firmware V7.1.4 and will update to v8.1.1.

Check your Array firmware and then compare it to this list HERE. Check if your firmware is upgradable to this new version(or other), or if you need first go to a lower version and then go for the latest version.

Firmware Downloads and documentation you can check HERE

Note: You need a Dell Support login to download the files and the documentation or the version matrix.

It is very straightforward: Click on the button “Update Firmware,” and we will get a safety box to confirm your password.

Enter your grpadmin and continue to choose the member you want to update and upload the firmware file.

Adding the file(that we downloaded in the above section), the system recognizes that both members can be updated(last column). So we will choose the member xxx-xxx-02 to update with the GUI. Just click “Update select members” to upload the file to the member and start the firmware update.

After your update will start and will take some minutes.

After the update is finished, you see a warning at the bottom of the GUI informing that the Array needs to be restarted.

Note: The firmware update will be only effective after the reboot.

Using CLI – Issue these commands:

Again we need to connect to the Group Manager IP address through SSH or FTP.

Note: Also, again, we need to connect through an IP address assigned to a network interface on the array (for example, Ethernet port 0). Do not connect to the group IP address. In this case, we will connect to Array 03, and we will choose the IP address of the eth0 from that Array Interface.

First, let’s check the Array version before doing the upgrade or upload the files.

After connected to the Group Array we display all members Array and then select what we will work(in this case xxx-xxx-03)

# xxx-xxx-grp0> member show
# xxx-xxx-grp0> member select xxx-xxx-03
# xxx-xxx-grp0(member_xxx-xxx-03)> show

As we can see in the image above, we have both Array and the full information for the one we choose.

After you double-check the versions and check the Dell Matrix for firmware updates, you can upload the files to the Array.

Like in the HD, we need to upload the files to the Array(I will use the WinSCP again for this task).

After the file is uploaded(in our case was the kit_V8.1.1-R417753_666488616.tgz) we type “update” in the console.

You will get the information about the firmware versions and then type “y”.

After this, the manual update will start.

You can again check the % process of the firmware update in GUI.

When it is finished, you see these messages in the console:

## Update completed successfully.
## The firmware update will take effect when the array is restarted. 

## To restart the array, enter the restart command at the CLI prompt.

In this case, we will restart the Array right away.

# xxx-xxx-grp0> restart

There is new firmware in the update area.

As part of applying the new firmware, the active and secondary control
modules will switch roles.  Therefore, the current active control module
will become the secondary after the firmware is applied.

Would you like to load the firmware now? (yes/no)

The process will take a while, since the Group Interface controller will change to the other Array.

17:24:12 Verifying new firmware integrity.
17:25:40
17:25:40 PLEASE NOTE:
17:25:40 The restart process may take up to approximately 10 minutes.
17:25:40 During the restart process, do not restart or power down the array.
17:25:40
17:25:40 Start update of flash memory on secondary controller.
17:25:43 Setting cache to write through
17:25:52 Update of flash memory on secondary controller completed.
17:25:52 Restarting secondary controller.
17:26:12 Waiting for secondary controller to restart…
###… some line for 10/15 times until the controller is restarted.
 17:27:35 Waiting for secondary controller to restart…
17:27:41 Secondary controller successfully restarted.  Start secondary control module synchronization.
17:27:41 Waiting for secondary control module synchronization…
17:28:01 Waiting for secondary control module database synchronization…
17:28:33 iSCSI PR PPool synchronization ..
17:28:33 Waiting for iSCSI PR PPool synchronization…
17:28:34 Secondary controller successfully updated.  Transition current active controller to secondary controller.
17:28:36 Restarting active controller to complete the update.

After this, we have our Dell EqualLogic PS6000 upgraded.

As you can see here in this image both, have the updated firmware(meanwhile, I rebooted the second Array)

I hope this article will help you update your Dell EqualLogic PS6000(or other versions, since the procedure is similar).

Share this article if you think it is worth sharing. If you have any questions or comments, comment here, or contact me on Twitter.

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By | 2021-02-05T11:24:41+01:00 March 19th, 2016|Storage|5 Comments

About the Author:

I have over 20 years of experience in the IT industry. I have been working with Virtualization for more than 15 years (mainly VMware). I recently obtained certifications, including VCP DCV 2022, VCAP DCV Design 2023, and VCP Cloud 2023. Additionally, I have VCP6.5-DCV, VMware vSAN Specialist, vExpert vSAN, vExpert NSX, vExpert Cloud Provider for the last two years, and vExpert for the last 7 years and a old MCP. My specialties are Virtualization, Storage, and Virtual Backup. I am a Solutions Architect in the area VMware, Cloud and Backup / Storage. I am employed by ITQ, a VMware partner as a Senior Consultant. I am also a blogger and owner of the blog ProVirtualzone.com and recently book author.

5 Comments

  1. Greg 12/02/2020 at 16:50

    Can you upgrade disk firmware using the group manager GUI? or is CLI the only way?

    • Luciano Patrao 02/03/2020 at 23:58

      Hi Greg,

      Yes you can group manager. But just for disks, for shelf you can encounter problems.

  2. Riaan 16/03/2020 at 15:55

    Hi there is there any place I can still get frmware for a 6000xv? I got a unit from our IT but it is out of support and they say not worth subscribing to.

    • Luciano Patrao 13/04/2020 at 20:20

      Hi Riaan,

      Sorry for my late reply but it seems that comments are not working properly in the blog.
      About you question, honestly I cant remember since I did this 4/5 years ago, but one thing I am pretty sure, we didn’t had any support contract in place anymore when I did this updates..

      So try to create a free account and see if you can downloaded. Also in your Equallogic Group Manager GUI you should see an option to download and update the firmware.

  3. JC 14/11/2022 at 05:28

    Hi, I have PMed you via Facebook regarding v9 HD firmware ultility as it’s no longer available on EQ site (only v10-v13), pls kindly check, thanks.

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