Upgrade Hardware and Software

[#1]

This is our environment:

• 3 Physical Servers (Mod.1410)
• Nios Version 8.2
• GridMaster in cluster with 2 Nodes
• Grid Master Candidate 1 Node.
• DNS and DHCP services running.

We need to upgrade Hardware (replace HW) and Software (upgrade NIOS).

I thought the steps should be following:

1. We begin with Master Candidate (1 node)
1. We loading licensing to the New server.
2. We configure all the IP as the actual Server has.
3. We shut down the Master Candidate node in the GRID.
4. We Replace the Node with the New Server in the Rack.
5. We switch on New Server.
6. We join the New Server to the GRID.

1. When the Master Candidate is running at the GRID again, we follow with the Node Secondary in the Master.
1. We loading licensing to the New server.
2. We configure all the IP as the actual Server has.
3. We shut down the Secondary node in the Master GRID.
4. We Replace the Node with the New Server in the Rack.
5. We switch on the New Server.
6. We join the New Server to the GRID.

1. When the Secondary Server in the Master is running at the GRID again, we follow with the Node Primary in the Master.
1. We loading licensing to the New server.
2. We configure all the IP as the actual Server has.
3. We shut down the Primary node in the Master GRID.
4. We Replace the Node with the New Server in the Rack.
5. We switch on the New Server.
6. We join the New Server to the GRID.

We finish Hardware Replace.

My doubts:

1. Does this sequence for replacing Hardware has a sense for you? Would you make it a different way?
2. My first concern is the different Hardware. The new Hardware will be different Hardware but the same configuration as the present production Nodes. It supposes The new server with the correct license and the same Ip addresses as the replaced node, should be able to join the Grid, correct? I don't need any additional action, correct?
3. The NIOS version of the new servers should be the same as the 8.2 Version like is running in production to correct join them to the Grid. Correct? It must not be possible to join them to the GRID in the later version of NIOS.
4. If the sequence is correct. We have upgraded the Nios version after all hardware replacements have finished.

Saludos,

Susana

[#2]

Hi Susana

Will you replace the Grid Master as a standalone?

if yes, one of the aproach would be

- backup!

- configure the new server GM with licenses, join grid, and select a Grid Master Candidate option

- into cli Grid Master Candidate(future Grid Master) run set_promote_master

these command will send a message to all grid members to redirect their traffic to it and members will join to the new Grid Master.

DNS and DHCP member will join to the new Grid Master in FQDN order and the previous Grid Master comes back on line as a Grid Master Candidate. After execute all tests yo can disable it.

- check the firewall rules too (UDP 1194 and 2114)

About different hardware, if you will use only during maintenance no problem

Infoblox recommend use Grid Master and Master Candidate with same hardware model for database reasons.

When the new appliances join to a grid, the Grid Master compare the software version with that in use by the grid. If the version doesn´t match, the Grid Master downloads teh correct version to the new appliance.

Also check this KB#2896

Thank you and I hope this help.