NIOS DDI DHCP migration

[#1]

Hello,

I am currently working with an HA (High Availability) pair of two Infoblox NIOS DDI appliances that support DHCP services, which I need to migrate. The new appliances are also Infoblox NIOS DDI (two appliances in an HA pair). As I’m relatively new to Infoblox products, I have a few questions about the migration process and would appreciate your assistance:

1-Configuration Replication:

To replicate the configuration from the existing appliances to the new ones, is it sufficient to export the current configuration and import it into the new appliances without any modifications, even though there are differences in the NIOS versions between the two sets of appliances? If modifications are required, does Infoblox provide any tools or resources to assist with this task?

2-Lease Database Transfer:

Is there a lease transfer feature in Infoblox NIOS DDI products that I can use to migrate the lease database from the existing appliances to the new ones, ensuring a seamless transition for the DHCP clients? If such a feature is not available, what method does Infoblox recommend for replicating the lease database during a migration?

3-Interface State During Migration:

During the migration, the old appliances will be isolated from the network and replaced with the new ones, but they will not be powered off (only the network interfaces will be down). I would like to know if the state of the interfaces could impact the DHCP service and the lease database. Specifically, does the NIOS appliance retain the contents of the lease database even when the service interface is down? Additionally, does the DHCP daemon remain active even when the interface is down? This information is crucial as I am relying on it in case a rollback is necessary.

Thank you for your support.

[#2]

I am currenty facing the same issue... does anyone have any clarification regarding this topic ?

[#3]

Assuming this is a hardware upgrade and that you are going from an "X5" appliance to "X6" (the following won't work for X0 > X6). Are these boxes part of a larger Grid or is it just two appliances in a HA Pair?

This is basically a hardware swap just like you would if one hardware appliance failed and you had to RMA it. Details here: https://community.infoblox.com/t5/trending-kb-articles/support-central-kb-2896-nios-hardware-replace...

This way there is no service interruption, no migration and no issues with lease table sync.

1) Make sure you can access your support account on https://support.infoblox.com

2) Make sure you know who your Solutions Architect is at Infoblox as they shoudl be able to give you a high level run through of the steps for your specific Grid. Support can get you the contact details of your aligned Solutions Architect. Ideally have a quick call with the Solutions Architect and have them run a highlevel check of the Grid to see if anything stands out as obviously problematic (e.g. unhealthy failover association status)

3) Upgrade the existing kit to NIOS 9.0.3+CHF2 and make sure the new kit is running that as well.

4) Make sure the correct licences are installed on the new kit and that you have set their LAN1 IP addresses to match the LAN1 IP addresses of the devices they are replacing.

5) Note down the IP of the Grid Manager (possibly the VIP of the DHCP pair if this is just a HA pair only) as well as the Grid Name and Shared Secret (reset if required).

6) Move the network cables from the old passive node to its replacement.

7) Run "set membership" on the cli of the new box and it should join the Grid (and reboot) and become the passive node.

8) Reboot the (old) active node to make it passive and verify DHCP is working fine on the (new) active node.

9) Repete by moving the cables from the old "now passive" node to the other new box and run "set membership"

You have now upgraded both your appliances to new hardware without service interruption.