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8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

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  • 1.  8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    Posted May 23, 2022 06:17 PM
    Hi,

    We're planning on upgrading our CX 8230 cluster for the first time. It's currently running TL 10.01.0040

    Does anyone have any experience upgrading into newer software TL 10.09.1020 from an older release.

    We're converned we may run into challanges. Any tips would be appreciated.

    We're planning (based on the release notes), (anything else missing)

    copying the running configs to a checkpoint 

    performing prechecks /post checks for the LAGS

    VSX status to verify keep alive is reachable and ISL is in synch

    10.01 -> 10.03 (10.01 DOES NOT support vsx software-update) / we're using the manual process

    10.03 -> 10.06 (should we use the new vsx command?)

    10.06 -> 10.09 (should we use the new vsx command?)

    Questions is this the correct order, overall experiences for best pratices or cavets to watchout for?

    We're reading in the release notes about "allow-unsafe-updates 30" ; allow updates to proceed after a switch reboot

    What is meant by "non-failsafe device"?

    AOS-CX 10.08.1060 Release Notes (arubanetworks.com)  (pages 21-22)








    ------------------------------
    Stephen Elias
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    MVP GURU
    Posted May 24, 2022 01:41 AM
    A very speedy note: jumps of two (or more) ArubaOS-CX versions aren't supported...so moving from 10.01 to 10.03 - avoiding 10.02 - is a supported upgrade path, moving from 10.03 to 10.06 - avoiding 10.04 and 10.05 - isn't a supported upgrade path.

    So, at best, you shoul carefully plan an upgrade path like that: 10.01 -> 10.03 -> 10.05 -> 10.07 -> 10.09 (or 10.08 if that is the preferred version).

    There are for sure many others things to consider before upgrading a so (years) old AOS-CX software build.



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted May 24, 2022 03:34 AM
    Release notes are documenting the path, especially:
    "10.03 is the minimum required software version prior to upgrading to 10.06. If your device is using a version of software prior to 10.03, you must first upgrade to a version of 10.03 before upgrading to 10.06."

    So 10.03 to 10.06 without stepping through 10.05  is possible.

    Pay attention on low-level firmware upgrade. You'll have to accept and check them with "show needed-updates" and
    allow-unsafe-updates <0-120> Number of minutes to allow unsafe updates
    I recommend to do upgrade through console port to verify all steps.

    In addition to copy running to checkpoint, I would recommend to save configuration in CLI format that is agnostic to the DB schema, just for safety.



    ------------------------------
    Vincent Giles
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    MVP GURU
    Posted May 24, 2022 06:55 AM
    Hi Vincent,

    My bad, I was in a hurry and didn't check if so old versions have restrictions as the newer ones in terms of jumps between AOS-CX versions...so OK, moving from 10.01 to 10.03 is supported (I simply retro applied the rule of two 10.x -> 10.y with y = x + 2) BUT, nevertheless, the upgrade through a direct step from 10.06 to 10.09 is not supported, direct upgrade from 10.06 to 10.08 is supported, upgrade from 10.06 to 10.07 is supported...but direct upgrade from 10.06 to 10.09 is not.

    So, eventually, the upgrade Path should be: AOS-CX 10.01 -> 10.03 - rule of two -> 10.05 - rule of two -> 10.07 - rule of two -> 10.09.

    ------------------------------
    Davide Poletto
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    Posted May 24, 2022 10:21 AM
    Thanks for the help - everyone ok with going to 10.09 as the final release for this series switch?

    10.01 -> 10.03
    10.03 > 10.06  - viloates rule of 2, however the above thread mentions it's possible
    10.06 -> 10.08
    10.08 -> 10.09 


    ------------------------------
    Stephen Elias
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted May 24, 2022 10:27 AM
    There is no rule of 2 as such (I mean not intentional, but a posterio due to technical constraints, 10.03 to 10.06 being a proof).



    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    Posted May 24, 2022 11:05 AM


    Question on this statement: 

    "If there are applicable firmware updates in the new software image, they will be applied during the boot process as long as the timer has not yet expired; if there are no applicable firmware updates or if the timer has expired, the switch will boot normally."

    Is there a way to check on the progress of the firmware updates during the timer window? 

    If we apply the command - "allow-unsafe-updates" (for, say, 30 minutes) and then proceed with the usual automated "vsx update-software"  and there aren't any firmware updates will the system wait for the timer to expire before moving on to the updates (ie: we added 30 extra minutes to our window for no reason PER switch - presuming primary and secondary are updated sequentially.

    Is there a way to shorten the timer window interactive if there's no firmware updates being applied via show events -a -d hpe-isp?

    So if we set the timer for 30 windows, run the process and check show events after 5 minutes and see nothing happening, go back and change the timer to 1 minute to speed up the process?





    ------------------------------
    Stephen Elias
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    MVP GURU
    Posted May 24, 2022 07:13 PM
    Hello Stephen,

    "Is there a way to check on the progress of the firmware updates during the timer window? "

    Once you start the upgrade procedure you can check the various phases (reboot included) by being connected through the Console port, that way you will be able to verify all steps, unsafe updates included if allowed (they will be performed, if any, automatically during the boot sequence).

    "If we apply the command - "allow-unsafe-updates" (for, say, 30 minutes) and then proceed with the usual automated "vsx update-software"  and there aren't any firmware updates will the system wait for the timer to expire before moving on to the updates"

    No, if you allow unsafe updates (say with a time window of 30 minutes) and you proceed with the AOS-CX update using the vsx update-software automatic procedure and there aren't any Firmware updates then simply each boot process (after each VSX Member reboots) will proceed normally as a AOS-CX software update carrying no unsafe updates and no additional (waiting) time will be added.

    Personally it never occurred that, also with allow-unsafe-updates enabled, the whole AOS-CX update/upgrade procedure lasted more than few minutes (generally below 5') so in any case, once allow-unsafe-updates is enabled and non failsafe Firmware updates are available and needed, those unsafe updates are applied during the (re)boot phase...what I mean is that if, for some reason, the whole procedure last longer than 30 minutes then when the switch reboots any non failsafe update eventually needed (and previously allowed) will not be applied because the time windows was over...so look at it like "I give the Switch 30 minutes to perform the whole operation, if that time is enough then unsafe updates, if any, will be applied otherwise if the whole procedure takes longer to complete (or - better - to start, I believe) then unsafe updates, if any, will not be applied despite they were previously allowed.", hope this explanation makes sense.

    About the "rule of two" (it's not a rule but a suggestion I learned from the vast majority of Release Notes published all over the years):

    10.09 RN reports nothing (apart warning users to avoid having VSX members not aligned with AOS-CX versions)  

    10.08 RN reports "10.06 is the minimum required software version prior to upgrading to 10.08. If your device is using a version of software prior to 10.06, you must first upgrade to a version of 10.06 before upgrading to 10.08." so upgrading to 10.08 requires to start with 10.06 or 10.07.

    10.07 RN reports "10.05 is the minimum required software version prior to upgrading to 10.07. If your device is using a version of software prior to 10.05, you must first upgrade to a version of 10.05 before upgrading to 10.07." so upgrading to 10.07 requires to start with 10.05 or 10.06.

    10.06 RN reports "10.04 is the minimum required software version prior to upgrading to 10.06. If your device is using a version of software prior to 10.04, you must first upgrade to a version of 10.04 before upgrading to 10.06." so upgrading to 10.06 requires to start with 10.04 or 10.05. 

    10.05 RN reports "10.03 is the minimum required software version prior to upgrading to 10.05. If your device is using a version of software prior to 10.03, you must first upgrade to a version of 10.03 before upgrading to 10.05." so upgrading to 10.05 requires to start with 10.03 or 10.04.

    So the "rule of two" surfaced only because there were those sentences repeated over and over...I must admit that - observing the absence of the typical sentence starting with 10.09 RN and also noticing that those sentences are, on some RNs, written erroneously - probably that "rule" doesn't exist at all...or, even if it was in place until 10.09, probably it was something far from being really written on the stone and so, potentially, any jump can be done (say, at this point, also the 10.05 -> 10.09?).

    For sure Vincent Giles will clarify that.    ​

    ------------------------------
    Davide Poletto
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    Posted Jun 19, 2022 08:35 PM
    Hi 
    I am also planning to upgrade a customer's 8320 from 10.3 to 10.6. Reading the release notes of 10.6.0210, it says this 
    "10.04 is the minimum required software version prior to upgrading to 10.06. If your device is using a version of
    software prior to 10.04, you must first upgrade to a version of 10.04 before upgrading to 10.06". This same information is found in release notes for version 10.6.0160 onwards.

    The "min 10.03 is the minimum required software version prior to upgrading to 10.06" is found in the release notes 10.6.0150 and below.

    Appreciate confirmation. 

    Thanks.
    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Jun 20, 2022 06:32 AM
    The recommendation in 10.06 release notes have changed between 10.06.0140 and 10.06.0150.
    So, please follow the recommendation of the latest release notes.
    Please note that 10.10 might offer even a far-off end-of-support date as being a LSR (long supported release).
    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    MVP GURU
    Posted Jun 20, 2022 10:37 AM
    I see at least two different approaches to reach AOS-CX 10.09 (SSR) or next-to-come AOS-CX 10.10 (LSR) starting from AOS-CX 10.03:

    • 4 steps to AOS-CX 10.10 LSR (next-to-come): AOS-CX 10.03 -- 1st --> 10.04 -- 2nd --> 10.06 (LSR) -- 3rd --> 10.08 (SSR) -- 4th --> 10.10 (LSR)
    • 3 steps to AOS-CX 10.09 SSR (current latest): AOS-CX 10.03 -- 1st --> 10.05 -- 2nd --> 10.07 (SSR) -- 3rd --> 10.09 (SSR)

    Edit 22-06-2022 (after the AOS-CX 10.10.0002 Release Notes were released)

    As reported on AOS-CX 10.10 Release Notes, it seems that this new 10.10 (LSR) admits to be destination of an upgrade capable of starting directly from the older 10.06 (LSR) thus minimizing the number of steps guessed on the above first approach.

    So the path:

    • 4 steps to AOS-CX 10.10 LSR (next-to-come): AOS-CX 10.03 -- 1st --> 10.04 -- 2nd --> 10.06 (LSR) -- 3rd --> 10.08 (SSR) -- 4th --> 10.10 (LSR)

    will simply became:

    • 3 steps to AOS-CX 10.10 LSR (next-to-come): AOS-CX 10.03 -- 1st --> 10.04 -- 2nd --> 10.06 (LSR) -- 3rd --> 10.10 (LSR)


  • 12.  RE: 8230 CX Upgrade from TL 10.01.0040

    Posted Jun 21, 2022 12:16 PM
    > (should we use the new vsx command?)

    Yes, absolutely.  The VSX staged upgrades work very well.

    Original Message