Updating Flex Appliance
A node update can be done in two ways.
Select the option to do a single step update. Applications on the node must be offline during the update process.
Select the option followed by the option to do a two-step update. Applications can continue to run on the node during step but applications must be offline during the process. The advantage of this option is that in a multi-node cluster, prechecks and can run in parallel on both the nodes, minimizing downtime and giving you greater control and flexibility when you make updates.
Note:
The two-step update option is supported only for upgrades from version 7.0 and later.
Use the following procedure to update the Flex Appliance software from version 7.0 to a later release.
Note:
To update to version 7.0, refer to the Getting Started and Administration Guide for the version that you are currently on.
Before you begin the update, note the following information:
If you plan to update Flex Appliance and upgrade your application instances at the same time, update the appliance first. During this process, you may temporarily run an earlier, unsupported version of NetBackup on the updated appliance, until you can upgrade the instances. Cohesity recommends that no backups, duplications, replications, or other activities take place on the system until all NetBackup instances have been upgraded to a supported version.
If you have remote replication configured, note the following:
Make sure that there is no data lag before you begin.
Update the appliance with the active instances first. If both appliances have active instances, pick any one to start with. Once the update is committed on the first appliance, update the second appliance.
Simultaneous updates on both sites are not supported.
When an update starts on a site, only that appliance enters maintenance mode. The remote appliance remains operational and displays a maintenance notification for the peer appliance.
After the appliance commit or rollback is complete, the appliance exits maintenance mode and the notification is cleared on the peer appliance.
Flex Appliances running different software versions can continue replication until both sites are updated to the same version.
If replication is manually paused prior to the upgrade, it must be manually resumed only after both the upgrade and the commit operations are fully completed. Replication cannot be resumed until these processes are complete.
If more than the tested number of Fibre Channel devices or paths are connected to the appliance, Cohesity recommends that you disable the ports or disconnect the devices before you begin this procedure. When the procedure is complete, reenable or reconnect them. You may need to scan the ports from the Fibre Channel interfaces page.
See Managing the appliance Fibre Channel ports.
To update Flex Appliance
- On the Flex Appliance Console, click the Repository icon in the left-side navigation bar and navigate to the Appliance updates tab.
- Make sure that the update package you want to use is located in the repository. Before you can add a Flex Appliance update package, you must first download it from the Downloads page on the Support website. See Managing the repository.
- Run a precheck on each node.
To run the precheck, select the node or nodes and click Run precheck. If you have a multi-node appliance, you can run the precheck simultaneously on both the nodes.
You can view the status of the precheck in the Progress status column. After the precheck is complete, the Progress status changes to Ready for Prepare Update.
Click on the Precheck status report link corresponding to each node if you want to view the details. If the precheck reports any issues, correct them and re-run the precheck before you proceed with the update.
You have the option to fix only the prechecks related to the Prepare Update step if you plan to run Prepare Update first. Based on which precheck categories pass, the UI will present only the operations that are supported and available for you to perform.
- Select the node that you want to update.
If you want to do a one step update:
If you have a single-node appliance, stop all running instances.
If you have a multi-node appliance, stop all running instances or select the node that you want to update first and relocate all of its instances to the other node.
Note:
You cannot update both nodes simultaneously.
Click Prepare and Apply Update.
If you want to do a two-step update:
Select the nodes that you want to prepare and click Prepare Update. This step can be done on both the nodes simultaneously.
Wait for the Prepare Update process to complete. The Progress status changes to Ready for Apply Update after the update is prepared.
If you have a single-node appliance, stop all running instances.
If you have a multi-node appliance, stop all running instances or select the node that you want to update first and relocate all of its instances to the other node.
Click Apply Update.
Note:
If the update-related prechecks did not pass, the Apply Update button will not appear, and you will need to rerun the prechecks and ensure they pass before continuing.
Use the Activity monitor to track the status of the tasks.
- If the update requires a restart, you can monitor the restart progress from the Veritas Remote Management Interface. To access the Veritas Remote Management Interface, refer to the initial configuration procedure. See Performing the initial configuration.
Warning:
Do not make configuration changes, start application instances, or restart the appliance while the update is in progress.
- When the update process is done, refresh your browser cache and sign back in to the Flex Appliance Console.
- If you have a multi-node appliance, make sure that the update completed successfully on the first node. Then stop or relocate all instances on the other node and repeat the update on that node.
Do not attempt to update the second node if the update failed on the first node.
- If the update release that you installed supports rollback, you must decide whether you want to commit the new version or roll back to the previous version.
Some operations are restricted until you commit or roll back, or if the nodes are running different software versions. Update both nodes and complete the rest of this procedure to restore full functionality.
Warning:
If you change any passwords during this time, make sure that the old passwords are saved in a secure location. If you roll back, the password changes are reversed. If you installed any add-ons, they are also removed during the rollback.
Do one of the following:
To commit the update, return to the Appliance updates tab on the Repository page and click Commit.
The Commit option is also available in the notification banner.
To roll back to the previous version, stop all instances on the appliance and then run the following command from the Flex Appliance Shell:
system rollback
Restart the node when prompted. If you have a multi-node appliance, you must run this command on all nodes.
Warning:
If you have a multi-node appliance, you must roll back all nodes before you perform any other operations, including retrying an update. Complete the rollback and restart on the first node before you proceed with the next node. Do not remove the update RPM from the repository until the rollback is fully complete.
- If you rolled back, refresh your browser cache before you sign back in to the Flex Appliance Console.
- After you complete the software update, also make sure that the appliance firmware is up to date. See Updating the firmware.