Frank,

Read the field alert

Oye ********************************************************************** NETWORK APPLIANCE Field Alert Notice #127 April 8, 2002 **********************************************************************

Network Appliance Announces Data ONTAP Release 6.2R1 ----------------------------------------------------

Data ONTAP 6.2R1 replaces Data ONTAP 6.2 and is currently supported on the F85, F87, F7xx/F7xxc, and F8xx/F8xxc series filers only. This release provides improved software quality and data availability and is available for download from the Download Software page on NOW as a First Customer Shipment (FCS) release.

** Note **

Data ONTAP 6.2R1 does not replace the current General Availability (GA) release Data ONTAP 6.1.2R2.

Important Fix -------------

68819 - X226_SCHT5073F10 Disks must be NA03 or later firmware to run Data ONTAP 6.2

Problem:

This problem only affects customers with X226_SCHT5073F10 drives that have a firmware level lower than NA03.

If you attempt to install Data ONTAP 6.2 (released on March 22, 2002) without first updating the firmware on these drives to NA03, the drives will be marked failed on the first boot of Data ONTAP 6.2.

Because of this problem, Data ONTAP 6.2 was removed from NOW.

Solution:

Data ONTAP 6.2R1 will check the status of the drives in question prior to booting and will not boot if the firmware has not been updated to NA03 on the X226_SCHT5073F10 drives. The user will then be directed to the NOW site for recovery instructions.

Additional information about this fix can be found in the Bugs On Line area of NOW at http://now.netapp.com/NOW/cgi-bin/bol/.

Limitations and Upgrade Issues for Data ONTAP 6.2R1 ---------------------------------------------------

* X226_SCHT5073F10 drives must have NA03 or later fiwmare before upgrading to Data ONTAP 6.2x. The latest firmware for this drive is available on the NOW site at: http://now.netapp.com/NOW/download/tools/diskfw/

* DO NOT INSTALL DATA ONTAP 6.2R1 ON AN UNSUPPORTED PLATFORM (e.g., F630).

The only platforms supported are the F85, F87, F7xx/F7xxc, and F8xx/F8xxc series filers. If Data ONTAP is installed on an unsupported filer, your filer will not boot successfully.

Additional limitations are listed in the Data ONTAP 6.2R1 Release Notes.

Upgrading to the latest Data ONTAP GA or FCS releases -----------------------------------------------------

Network Appliance Customer Satisfaction tracks metrics on "avoidable disruptions". Currently, 40-50% of all customer software disruptions have fixes in current shipping GA and/or FCS releases and could have been avoided.

In order to assist customers with making a decision to upgrade, Network Appliance has provided the Release Comparison and Release Metrics tools in the Bugs Online section of the NOW site at http://now.netapp.com/NOW/cgi-bin/bol.

We encourage every customer to utilize these tools and consider the benefits of moving to the latest GA (or FCS) release as appropriate for your data storage operations.

For more information, see Field Alert #92 on NOW at http://now.netapp.com/NOW/products/field/.

Required Filer Firmware -----------------------

For a complete list of firmware revisions by platform, go to the Firmware Release Table and Platform page on NOW at http://now.netapp.com/NOW/tools/releasetable.shtml

Required Disk Firmware ----------------------

For a complete list of supported drives and firmware revisions, go to the Disk Firmware and Drive Matrix page on NOW at http://now.netapp.com/NOW/download/tools/diskfw/

Service and Support -------------------

If you would like to receive technical assistance for this release or any other Network Appliance product, download software, manage your service contracts, view your open cases, open an RMA, and more, please go to Network Appliance's NetApp On the Web (NOW) web site at http://now.netapp.com.

NOW Self-Service Options ------------------------

* Register online for NOW access at:

http://now.netapp.com/Self-Service/Start/Register.asp

* Unsubscribe from the Field Alert distribution list by going to the Subscriptions area on NOW at

http://now.netapp.com/Self-Service/Custom/editConference.asp

and then de-select the 'Field Alerts' option.

* Review, order and renew software subscriptions by clicking on "Manage Service Contracts" from the Service and Support home page on NOW at

http://now.netapp.com/Self-Service/Forms/SupportHome.asp

********************************************************************** The purpose of this communication is for Network Appliance Customer Satisfaction to notify its installed base end-users about urgent and important product information that may affect product performance or reliability. The information contained herein and the distribution list are Network Appliance confidential materials that are subject to restrictions on redistribution and that cannot be shared outside of this email distribution list. **********************************************************************

----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Bonnet" bonnetf@bart.esiee.fr To: toasters@mathworks.com Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 4:36 AM Subject: 6.2 ?

Hi

I'm planning to upgrade our F85 to 6.2 we are running 6.1.1R2 for now.

The filer is mostly used for NFS services but we are planning to progressively use also CIFS

Do I have to expect "bad" surprises with 6.2 ? Does it carry significant progress for CIFS use ?

Any infos welcome.

Thanks a lot.

Frank Bonnet