What is the difference between tRTFI and iRTFI for SolidFire and HCI storage nodes?
Applies to
- All SolidFire and HCI storage nodes
- All versions of Element Software
- Restore To Factory Image (RTFI)
Answer
Traditional Restore To Factory Image (RTFI)
- This results in a clean installation of a specific version of Element Software
- All previously applied configurations will be removed, including:
- Cluster and network information
- Configuration files related to supported hardware components that were updated due to applying storage firmware bundles or Element Software updates
- Configuration files related to supported firmware versions that were updated due to applying storage firmware bundles or Element Software updates
- All previously applied d-patches will be removed
- RTFI methods that result in a tRTFI:
- USB flash drive
- PXE boot
- Virtual media via BMC/iDRAC remote control
In-Place Restore To Factory Image (iRTFI)
- This results in the installation of a specific Element software verion, but some aspects of the previous installation remain in place:
- Associated cluster name and network information
- Configuration files related to supported hardware components that were updated due to applying storage firmware bundles or Element Software updates
- Configuration files related to supported firmware versions that were updated due to applying storage firmware bundles or Element Software updates
- Some d-patches
- RTFI methods that result in an iRTFI:
- "Add node" from the user interface of an existing cluster
- Using the "AddNodes" API with no addtional options or flags