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How disk firmware is updated

When you upgrade Data ONTAP, disk firmware is updated automatically if the firmware on the disks is older than the firmware that is bundled with the Data ONTAP system files. You can also update disk firmware by downloading the most recent firmware package from the NetApp Support Site and installing the files.

Each storage system is shipped with a /etc/disk_fw directory that contains the latest firmware revisions. Disk firmware is updated automatically when one of the following is true:
Disk firmware updates can be added to the /etc/disk_fw directory at the following times:

Automatic background disk firmware updates are enabled by the raid.background_disk_fw_update.enable option, which is set to on by default. You should not change the default value unless you are directed to do so by technical support.

Automatic background disk firmware updates are overridden when the disk_fw_update command is issued. This command makes disks inaccessible for up to two minutes. In earlier Data ONTAP releases, the command was required for certain disk firmware updates. It is no longer recommended that you use this command unless you are directed to do so by technical support.

Each disk drive manufacturer has its own disk drive firmware. Therefore, disk firmware updates can include updates to firmware for one or more disk drive types. Because your storage system might use drives from multiple drive manufacturers, whether you are affected by a disk firmware update depends on the types and numbers of drives on your system.