Get Products and Docs

1. Navigate to the Downloads section on the DataCore Support Portal.

2. Scroll down and open the Swarm toggle

   • These bundles are updated and the ZIP file name changes to reflect the release date for the bundle when an updated component version is available such as an updated release of Content Gateway.

3. Download the corresponding PDF from the Documentation Archive page. 

   • The comprehensive PDF matching all components at those versions is uploaded to the Documentation Archive using a filename including the same release date for the matching bundle.

   • The Online Swarm User Guide is continually updated to the current release; because the PDF is a snapshot tied to a bundle release, consider it the definitive source for that bundle.

   • The DataCore Support team's searchable Knowledge Base contains technical articles and the latest documentation, which may be newer than the installed version. 

4. Expand the software bundle. In the top-level directory of the bundle, locate and read the README.txt for version guidance on using the bundle.

5. Open the PDF for the bundle and see the Swarm Release Notes for each component, which include upgrade instructions as well as changes and watch items.

Upgrade Planning

1. Plan Upgrade Impacts - Review and plan for this release's upgrade impacts and the impacts for each of the releases since the currently running version. For Swarm 9 impacts, see Swarm Storage 9 Releases.

2. No Volume Retires - Do not start any elective volume retirements during the upgrade. Wait until the upgrade is complete before initiating any retires, or verify they are complete before upgrading.

3. Select the Reboot Type - Swarm supports rolling upgrades (a single cluster running mixed versions during the upgrade process) and requires no data conversion unless noted for a release. Upgrades are performed without scheduling an outage or bringing down the cluster. Restart the swarm nodes one at a time with the new version and the cluster continues serving applications during the upgrade process. 

   • Rolling upgrade: Reboot one node at a time and wait for its status to show as "OK" in the UI before rebooting the next node. 

   • Alternative: Reboot the entire cluster at once after the software on all USB flash drives or the centralized configuration location has been updated.

4. Follow the Upgrade Path, below.

5. Review the Application and Configuration Guidance.

Upgrade Paths

Swarm upgrade paths depend on the implementation environment. See Installing and Initializing Swarm Storage for first-time Swarm installations.

Running Elasticsearch 2.3.3, 5.6.12 or 6.8.6, see How to Upgrade Swarm | Upgrading from Unsupported Elasticsearch, below. Otherwise continue with the upgrade path:

Upgrading from Unsupported Elasticsearch

Contact DataCore Support to guarantee a smooth migration process with no downtime if running unsupported Elasticsearch versions 2.3.3, 5.6.12, or 6.8.6.

The high-level upgrade sequence when upgrading from Swarm 11 or earlier is as follows:

1. Swarm 11 bundle:

   1. Upgrade Swarm to 11.3, as guided by DataCore Support and the Settings Checker report.

   2. Upgrade to Gateway 5.4.1 if currently running Elasticsearch 2.3.3. Upgrade to Gateway 7.0 if currently running Elasticsearch 5.6.12. Refer to Upgrading from Gateway 5.x.

   3. Add an Elasticsearch 6 cluster and start a search feed, leaving the old feed as primary (See Migrating from Older Elasticsearch).

      1. Verify the [storage cluster] managementPassword is set properly in the gateway.cfg file if errors are encountered during feed creation. Correct the value and restart the gateway service if a change is needed.

   4. When the feed completes, make it primary.

   5. Upgrade to Gateway 7.0 if currently running Gateway 5.4.1.

   6. Configure gateway.cfg indexerHosts to point to the new Elasticsearch 6 cluster and restart CloudGateway:

      sudo systemctl restart cloudgateway

2. Swarm 16 bundle:
   Follow the appropriate column in Upgrade Paths above. The general sequence is:

   1. Upgrade to the latest SCS version.

   2. Upgrade to Swarm Storage 16.1.

   3. Gateway 7.7 is required if upgrading from Elasticsearch 6. Ask support for the RPM. Upgrade to Elasticsearch 7.5.2 temporarily (configure_elasticsearch_with_swarm_search.py --esversion 7.5.2) and then upgrade to the latest Gateway 8.x as Gateway 7.7 is not compatible with Elasticsearch 7.17.

   4. Verify Swarm operations (this is the time to downgrade).

   5. Run the latest ES configuration script for an in-place upgrade to the latest Elasticsearch.

   6. Upgrade to the latest Gateway 8.x. See Upgrading Gateway for upgrading the gateway.