TECHNICAL SUPPORT BULLETIN

A P R IL 1 0 , 2 0 0 7

TSB-2007-027-A

SEVERITY: CRITICAL SERVICE IMPACTING

PRODUCTS AFFECTED:
Any 4Gbit/sec product listed below that has undergone a field upgrade to Fabric OS v5.2.1 or v5.2.1a from a
version prior to Fabric OS v5.2.1.
Platforms affected: SilkWorm 200E, 4012, 4016, 4018, 4020, 4024, 4100, 4900, 7500, 48000.
Platforms shipped with Fabric OS v5.2.1 or v5.2.1a are not affected.
Platforms shipped with Fabric OS v5.2.1 and upgraded to v5.2.1a are not affected.
CORRECTED IN RELEASE:
Fabric OS v5.2.1b

BULLETIN OVERVIEW

Identifies and addresses a condition documented in Defect 84883, resolved in Fabric OS v5.2.1b and later.

Brocade produces and publishes Technical Support Bulletins to OEMs, partners and customers that have a
direct, entitled, support relationship in place with Brocade.
Please contact your primary service provider for further information regarding this topic and applicability for your
environment.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

When upgrading to Fabric OS v5.2.1 or v5.2.1a from a version prior to Fabric OS v5.2.1, the internal routing
table information will be overwritten, potentially causing unbalanced ISL traffic.
When running on a SilkWorm 7500 or on an FR4-18i blade within the SilkWorm 48000 chassis, traffic can also
potentially be disrupted. Established EX_port/VEX_port routes can be lost as the routing table information
is overwritten.
Customers that are already operating with Fabric OS v5.2.1 or v5.2.1a, and that have configured their switch as
an Access Gateway switch will see a disruption when upgrading to 5.2.1b or later code.

RISK ASSESSMENT
The risk of traffic disruption exists only while upgrading on a SilkWorm 7500 platform or a SilkWorm 48000
chassis that contains at least one FR4-18i blade.
Upgrading on all 4Gbit/sec platforms will result in
unbalanced ISL traffic.

SYMPTOMS
On a SilkWorm 7500 or a SilkWorm 48000 chassis that contains at least one FR4-18i blade, traffic flowing
through an EX_port/VEX_port could be interrupted. Hosts could report a loss of path to any storage device
located across an EX_port/VEX_port.
On all platforms, changes to ISL links on the switch could result in assigned routes that are not optimally
balanced.

WORKAROUND

To reestablish properly balanced routes, perform a switchdisable/switchenable. Once a

switchdisable/switchenable is performed, no further upgrade is necessary to correct the problem.

CORRECTIVE ACTION
If you have already upgraded to Fabric OS v5.2.1 or v5.2.1a from a previous version, perform a

switchdisable/switchenable to reestablish properly balanced routes. No further action is required.

If considering an upgrade to Fabric OS v5.2.1 or v5.2.1a, it is recommended that you upgrade to Fabric OS
v5.2.1b or later. There is no need to perform a switchdisable/switchenable.
Before enabling the Access Gateway feature on a SilkWorm 4012, 4016, 4020, or 4024, upgrade to Fabric OS
v5.2.1b or later.

2007 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 04/10 TSB 2007-027-A