CSN Upgrades

To update any CSN implementation, download and use the CSN 8.3 bundle from the Downloads section on the DataCore Support Portal.

How you upgrade depends on the versions you are starting from and whether you run the Swarm UI locally on the CSN (because you have no Content Gateway available to host it):

Upgrading Swarm Storage Only

To update the version of Swarm Storage software being used in the storage cluster, do the following:

1. Download the latest CSN bundle from the Downloads section on the DataCore Support Portal.

2. Expand the bundle on your CSN server.
   
   

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3. Install the new Storage (castor) RPM using the following command from a standard RHEL/CentOS terminal window:

   yum install [new Swarm version RPM]

   
   
   

4. After the install, open the CSN Console. A new Swarm software version will appear on the Cluster Services > Netboot Management page.
   See Console - Cluster Services.

5. To switch to an alternate Swarm software version, select the desired version and click Update. This will change the software image used to network boot all Swarm nodes. 

   
   
   

6. Reboot the Swarm cluster so that it can pick up the new version. You may reboot the Swarm cluster all at once or rebooting one node at a time from the Admin Console to pick up the new version.

Upgrading Storage and local Swarm UI (with script)

Important: The CSN bundle install script installs all of the RPMs involved in running the Swarm UI on the CSN itself. Do not install it on the CSN if you have a Content Gateway elsewhere to host it. To verify whether you already have Swarm UI on your CSN, log into it using this URL:

For this configuration, you can update Swarm Storage and the components needed to run Swarm UI on the CSN by doing the following:

1. To identify configuration issues for the upgrade, download and run the latest Storage Settings Checker, which is bundled with the Swarm Support tools. With help from Support, address any setting issues (such as deprecations and new requirements) that the report surfaces.

2. If you have ever customized the /etc/caringo/netboot/netboot.cfg file (such as for "gateway" or "kernelOptions"), make a record of your non-default parameters.

3. Download the latest CSN bundle from the Downloads section on the DataCore Support Portal.

4. Expand the bundle on your CSN server.
   
   

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5. Remove the yum lock before running the script:

   yum remove yum-plugin-versionlock

   
   
   

6. Run the CSN's install script from a terminal console, or run using SSH by adding the --viassh flag:

   
   
   

7. The install script ensures that the Swarm cluster.cfg is current with Swarm 9, but the script may reverse some changes required for Swarm 11. Be sure to verify the following before rebooting the nodes:
   In the cluster.cfg, modify the security and SNMP users to make them Swarm 10+ compatible. See Defining Swarm Admins, Swarm Users, and Swarm Passwords.

   • Remove the “snmp” user from the administrators line

   • Remove security.operators

   • Add snmp.rwCommunity and snmp.roCommunity

8. Verify that any customizations you needed for /etc/caringo/netboot/netboot.cfg (such as for "gateway" or "kernelOptions") are present.

9. The install script restores the defaults in /etc/rsyslog.conf for where log files are stored. If you had changed the log location, reapply your changes after running the script.

10. From the Netboot page of the CSN Console, select the new Swarm version.

    
    
    

11. From the Swarm UI or legacy Admin Console, reboot the whole cluster at once or do a rolling reboot. As directed by Support, you can use the Support Tools bundle script swarmrestart to perform a rolling reboot.

Upgrading CSN 8 (with script)

If you are already running a CSN 8.3.x version, do not upgrade unless you are running Swarm UI on the CSN. The only changes to CSN 8.3 relate to the version of Swarm UI that the /usr/bin/configure_storage_webui_with_serviceproxy.py script sets up locally.

The CSN supports upgrade from one software version to the next via a script process similar to initial installation. The CSN will not be functional during the upgrade and will require a reboot after the software is updated. Schedule the upgrade during off peak hours to ensure Swarm activities are not disrupted.

You may upgrade CSN version 3.x or later:

1. Prepare OS - If you previously performed an OS version lock as required by older versions of CSN, remove the OS version lock using the following command:

   If you are unsure if your OS was previously version locked, run the unlock command.

2. Upgrade OS - If the CSN's operating system is not running RHEL/CentOS 6 release 6.8+, you must upgrade the OS.

   • Similar to the initial installation, a yum repository must be configured and available for upgrade to proceed. 

   • Either a media repository or an internet repository are acceptable. If you are installing from an internet repository, you may need to explicitly define the minor revision to which you want to upgrade. For example, from the Red Hat Network, you can select to receive Limited Updates Only and then chose the operating system version to be installed. 

   • Depending on how long it has been since the server was last upgraded, the OS upgrade may take an hour or more. 

3. Upgrade CSN - Upgrade the CSN software using the same install script and steps referenced in "Upgrading with the CSN bundle install script", with these notes: 

   • Unless you have a reason to save them, you should agree to allowing the upgrade script to remove the Content Router data stores to reclaim the associated disk space. 

   • New configuration parameters required to run Swarm 8.1 and later will be automatically converted during the upgrade process. 

   • You should also agree to the reboot option at the end of the installation; the CSN will not be functional until it has been rebooted. 

   • In the interim between upgrade and reboot, the Netboot component may log errors related to a port conflict. These errors are harmless and will be resolved with the reboot.

4. Upgrade Swarm - From the Netboot page of the CSN Console, select the new Swarm version.

   
   
   

5. Reboot - From the Swarm UI or legacy Admin Console, reboot the Swarm cluster.

After upgrade, no further configuration is required; all existing configuration and service states are preserved from their previously configured values.