After upgrade the controller from 6.x to 8.x the controller will be factory default and you need to rebuild the configuration.
To enable all new ArubaOS8 features like clustering, live in service upgrades, airmatch (the new version of ARM), etc. you need to buy a (virtual or physical) Aruba Mobility Master. This is some different as you know the Master controller in Aruba 6.x.
It's recommended to start using a Aruba Mobility Master that give you all cluster features and a flexible single point of configuration and management.
When using a Mobility Master you need to migrate the licences.