Controller upgrades are supported for certain system configurations. Refer to the supported system upgrade combinations for a list of the supported systems and minimum ONTAP version.

If you have received a new AFF A30, AFF A50, AFF A70, AFF A90, AFF A150, AFF A900, AFF C30, AFF C60, AFF C80, FAS2820, or FAS9500 as a complete system, including a new chassis, refer to References to link to Use "system controller replace" commands to upgrade controller hardware running ONTAP 9.8 or later.

Controller upgrade using ARL is supported on systems configured with SnapLock Enterprise and SnapLock Compliance volumes.

If you are upgrading nodes in a two-node switchless cluster, you can leave the nodes in the switchless cluster while performing the upgrade. You don't need to convert them to a switched cluster.

If you are upgrading nodes in a cluster that is connected to a cluster switch, you must verify that the make, model, firmware version, RCF, and ONTAP version running on the switch will be same the same as those running on the replacement controller after the upgrade. If required, you must perform the switch upgrade before upgrading the controllers by using ARL.

For more information, see Connect to a switch-attached cluster.

You might encounter a failure while upgrading the node pair. The node might crash, aggregates might not relocate, or LIFs might not migrate. The cause of the failure and its solution depend on when the failure occurred during the upgrade procedure.

If any problems occur, refer to the Troubleshoot section at the end of the procedure for more information and possible solutions. Information about the failures that can occur is listed by the phase of the procedure in the ARL upgrade sequence.

If you don't find a solution to the problem you encountered, contact technical support.