Tag: Upgrade

Performing Tegile System Upgrade

Posted on by Josh De Jong

One of the more nerve-racking tasks as a storage admin is performing upgrades to your storage arrays. Through the years I’ve done a few upgrades to my NetApps and even when following directions on how to do it, I still worry that something isn’t going to go right and I’ll be left restoring a lot of data. I don’t exactly love working in the CLI either which adds to the nerves.

While working with this Tegile HA2400 we had a software update available (2.1.2.4.140802 to 2.1.2.5.140925) and it seemed like a great time to document this process. Software updates are done through the web interface and are done in just a few clicks on each controller. With failovers that allow for minimal interruption, I was able to perform this upgrade towards the end of the working day and we never had any application interruptions.

Below are the steps to peform this system upgrade.

1. If running in Active/Passive, login to the web interface of the passive Zebi node (default credentials are admin/tegile)
tegileupg110514-step1
2. Verify that it’s the passive node by viewing the available pools. If there are no pools running on this node, you will only see “Zebi System” as the pool name
tegileupg110514-step2
3. Click on “Settings” then “Administration”
tegileupg110514-step3
4. On the left side, click “System Upgrade”
tegileupg110514-step4
5. Click the link for “Check for Upgrades”
tegileupg110514-step5
6. If there are any available updates, they will appear next to “Update Available”
tegileupg110514-step6
7. Click the “Upgrade” button, click “Upgrade Local” and then click “OK” to confirm upgrading to the latest version
tegileupg110514-step7a
tegileupg110514-step7b
8. The installation will begin and show the status of the tasks it is performing followed by a notification that the node is rebooting.
tegileupg110514-step8a
tegileupg110514-step8b
9. After the node has rebooted, log back in to the web interface
tegileupg110514-step9
10. Click on the Node name in the top right corner to verify the new version is running
tegileupg110514-step10
11. Click the Flag icon in the top right and then the “ACK” button for the upgrade events that are generated.
tegileupg110514-step11
12. Click on the Node name again and then click “Go to peer node” (this will open a new tab to connect to the other node in the cluster)
tegileupg110514-step12
13. Click on “Settings” and then “HA”
tegileupg110514-step13
14. Click “Switch Over All Resources” and click “OK” to confirm
tegileupg110514-step14
tegileupg110514-step14b
15. Once you receive this message on controller A, all resources have been migrated
tegileupg110514-step15
16. Click on “Settings” then “Administration”
tegileupg110514-step16
17. Click on “System Upgrade” and then ensure that the “Update Available” version matches the version applied to the partner node
tegileupg110514-step17
18. Click the “Upgrade” button, then click “Upgrade Local” (not that it recognizes the peer has already been upgraded) and click “OK”
tegileupg110514-step18a
tegileupg110514-step18b
19. The current task status will display just as before and then you’ll be notified once the node is rebooting just as before
tegileupg110514-step19
20. After the reboot, log back in to the web interface and click the node in the top right corner to verify the version
tegileupg110514-step20
21. Click on “Settings” and then “HA”
tegileupg110514-step21
22. After the last upgrade, all the resources sitting on Controller B moved back to Controller A and now Controller B shows standby
tegileupg110514-step22

That is all there is to it. The whole process from start to finish was under 15 minutes (I think closer to 10 if I didn’t screenshot the whole process). The steps for an active/active setup would be essentially the same, but you would move all the resources off one controller and on to the other prior to performing the first upgrade. Interestingly, despite not having auto failback enabled (Settings -> HA -> Advanced Options) after the upgrade completed all the resources that were on controller B moved back to controller A. During the next upgrade I will see if that happens again or was just a fluke this time around. I might even do that upgrade with a heavier load on the box just to see what happens.

Create vCenter 5.5 Upgrade Baseline

Posted on by Josh De Jong

I have a preference to do brand new installs of ESXi for each new release. With new releases there are new options, new features, and caveats with existing functionality. This means the migration process takes longer, but it helps ensure that I’m applying current best practices each and every time instead of applying upgrades to a flawed design.

In some instances this isn’t a concern and we can use vCenter with Update Manager to upgrade hosts to the latest version of ESXi and preserve our current configuration (name, IP, storage, etc). I use this process when remotely upgrading Hosts in my colo facility without having console access to the physical servers.

This is a step by step guide to creating an upgrade baseline to upgrade an existing ESXi Host (5.0 for this writing) to 5.5 and begin the upgrade process on a Host.

Prerequisites:

1. Existing host running 5.0 or 5.1 connected to vCenter Server 5.5
2. vCenter Server 5.5 with Update Manager installed
3. Downloaded .ISO of ESXi 5.5

Steps:

1. Using the vSphere thick client (not web client), connect to the vCenter server and click the “Home” button followed by “Update Manager” under “Solutions and Applications”
UPG052714-step1
2. Click on “ESXi Images” tab
UPG052714-step2
3. Click the link for “import ESXi Image” to wards the top right corner
UPG052714-step3
4. Click “Browse” and locate the .ISO of ESXi, click “Open” then click “Next”
UPG052714-step4

  • a. If you receive a security warning, click the check box to install the certificate and click “Ignore”
  • b. The ISO should upload. When completed click “Next”
    UPG052714-step4b

5. Enter the name of this upgrade baseline identifying the version in the name or description then click “Finish”
UPG052714-step5
6. Click the “Home” button followed by “Hosts and Clusters”
UPG052714-step6
7. Click on the Host to be upgraded and then click the “Update Manager” tab
UPG052714-step7
8. Click the “Attach” link towards the top right corner
UPG052714-step8
9. Place a check in just the upgrade baseline created and then click “Attach”
UPG052714-step9
10. Click the “Remediate” button towards the lower right corner

  • a. Confirm Upgrade baselines and the ESXi 5.5 baseline are selected then click “Next”
    UPG052714-step10a
  • b. Accept the license agreement and click “Next”
  • c. Leave “Remove installed third-party software” unchecked and click “Next”
  • d. Leave the schedule as “Immediate” and click “Next”
  • e. Since this host is not in a cluster, choose “Power off virtual machines” and click “Next” (THIS WILL POWER OFF ANY VMS THAT ARE ON THAT HOST)
    UPG052714-step10e
  • f. Click the “Finish” button

11. This process takes awhile and you’ll lose access to the server while it is remediating. If you have access to the console during this time, it is a good idea to have it open and watch the progress.

Once the upgrade is complete the Host will be available within vCenter and will be running ESXi 5.5. Once completed, make sure you double-check your settings (time, network, DNS) to ensure all your settings are still there. Also, take this time to attach your patches baseline and get the latest patches applied to this Host.