Considerations for upgrading controller hardware
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To plan for the upgrade, you must familiarize yourself with the general upgrade considerations. If necessary, contact technical support for recommendations and guidance specific to the configuration of your cluster.
Requirements and limitations
Depending on your environment, you need to consider certain factors before you start your upgrade. Get started by reviewing the table below to see the requirements and limitations you need to consider.
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Before starting your controller upgrade procedure, you must review all the questions listed in the table below. |
| Ask yourself… | If your answer is yes, then do this.. | ||
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Am I combining different controller platform models in a cluster? |
The controllers in a HA pair must be two AFF, FAS, or ASA models. |
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Do I have different ONTAP versions running on the original and new nodes? |
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Do my systems contain internal drives and am I moving volumes? |
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Am I moving internal storage or converting the system to a drive shelf? |
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Am I upgrading a HA pair in a cluster with multiple HA pairs? |
Move epsilon to the node of a HA pair not undergoing a controller upgrade. For example, if you are upgrading nodeA/nodeB in a cluster with the HA pair configuration nodeA/nodeB and nodeC/nodeD, you must move epsilon to nodeC or nodeD. |
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Am I running ONTAP 9.6P11, 9.7P8, or later releases? |
NetApp recommends that you enable Connectivity, Liveliness, and Availability Monitor (CLAM) takeover to return the cluster into quorum when certain node failures occur. The Beginning with ONTAP 9.8, the |
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You can upgrade an integrated system by moving data to new storage (moving volumes) or converting the existing integrated system into a shelf and then migrating it to a new system (moving storage). For example, you can upgrade a FAS2650 to a FAS8300 by converting the FAS2650 controller chassis into a DS224C SAS shelf and attaching it to the FAS8300. In either case, the data migration or converted shelf remains in the same switched cluster. |
Systems with internal storage
The following systems have internal storage:
| Systems with internal drives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
FAS2620, FAS2650, FAS2720, and FAS2750 |
AFF A150, AFF A200, AFF A220, AFF A250, AFF A700s, and AFF A800 |
AFF C190, AFF C250, and AFF C800 |
ASA A150, ASA A250, ASA A800, and ASA AFF A220 |
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If your system is not listed above, see the NetApp Hardware Universe to check if it has internal drives.
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If you have a system with internal storage, you can convert the system to a drive shelf and attach it to a new node in the same cluster.
You cannot convert AFF A700s, AFF A800, AFF C800, or ASA A800 systems to a drive shelf. -
If you have a system with internal storage or a system with volumes or aggregates on internal SATA drives or SSDs, you can upgrade by transferring the internal storage to a drive shelf that is attached to the new node in the same cluster.
Transferring the internal storage is an optional task in the workflow for upgrading by moving storage.
Situations where you might need additional steps
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You are upgrading from an AFF A250 to an AFF A400 (a nondisruptive procedure).
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If the new system has fewer slots than the original system, or if it has fewer or different types of ports, you might need to add an adapter to the new system. See the NetApp Hardware Universe.
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If the original nodes or new nodes use FlexArray Virtualization software, see the Knowledge Base article What are the specific steps involved in FlexArray for NetApp controller upgrades and replacements.
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If your cluster has SAN hosts you might need to take steps to resolve issues with LUN serial number changes. See the Knowledge Base article How to resolve issues during storage controller motherboard replacement and head upgrades with iSCSI and FCP.
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If your system uses out-of-band ACP, you might need to migrate from out-of-band ACP to in-band ACP. See the Knowledge Base article In-Band ACP Setup and Support