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Install the ONTAP image with automated nondisruptive ONTAP upgrade

Contributors netapp-aherbin netapp-aaron-holt netapp-lenida netapp-dbagwell netapp-ahibbard
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When you perform an automated upgrade, ONTAP automatically installs the target ONTAP image on each node, validates that the cluster can be upgraded successfully, and then executes either a batch or rolling upgrade in the background based on the number of nodes in the cluster.

If it is supported by your configuration, you should use System Manager to perform an automated upgrade. If your configuration does not support automated upgrade using System Manager, you can use the ONTAP command line interface (CLI) to perform an automated upgrade.

Note If you are upgrading to ONTAP 9.15.1 or later through BlueXP, follow the upgrade procedure in the BlueXP documentation.
Important Modifying the setting of the storage failover modify-auto-giveback command option before the start of an automatic nondisruptive upgrade (ANDU) has no impact on the upgrade process. The ANDU process ignores any preset value to this option during the takeover/giveback required for the update. For example, setting -autogiveback to false prior to beginning ANDU does not interrupt the automatic upgrade before giveback. Learn more about storage failover modify-auto-giveback in the ONTAP command reference.
Before you begin

  • You should prepare for your upgrade.

  • You should download the ONTAP software image for your target ONTAP release.

    If you are performing a direct multi-hop upgrade, you need to download both of the ONTAP images required for your specific upgrade path.

  • For each HA pair, each node should have one or more ports on the same broadcast domain.

    If your ONTAP cluster has 8 or more nodes, the batch upgrade method is used in the automatic nondisruptive upgrade to preemptively force data LIF migration prior to SFO takeover. How LIFs are migrated during a batch upgrade varies based on your version of ONTAP.

    If you are running ONTAP…​ LIFs are migrated…​

    • 9.15.1 or later

    • 9.14.1P5

    • 9.13.1P10

    • 9.12.1P13

    • 9.11.1P16, P17

    • 9.10.1P19

    To a node in the other batch group.

    If the migration to the other batch group fails, the LIFs are migrated to the node’s HA partner in the same batch group.

    9.8 through 9.14.1

    To a node in the other batch group.

    If the network broadcast domain doesn’t allow LIF migration to the other batch group, the LIF migration fails and ANDU pauses.

    9.7 or earlier

    To the HA partner of the node being upgraded.

    If the partner doesn’t have any ports in the same broadcast domain, then LIF migration fails and ANDU pauses.

  • If you are upgrading ONTAP in a MetroCluster FC configuration, the cluster should be enabled for automatic unplanned switchover.

  • If you don't plan to monitor the progress of the upgrade process, you should request EMS notifications of errors that might require manual intervention.

  • If you have an single-node cluster follow the automated-disruptive upgrade process.

    Upgrades of single-node clusters are disruptive.

System Manager

  1. Validate the ONTAP target image:

    Note If you are upgrading a MetroCluster configuration, you should validate Cluster A and then repeat the validation process on Cluster B.

    1. Depending on the ONTAP version that you are running, perform one of the following steps:

      If you are running…​

      Do this…​

      ONTAP 9.8 or later

      Click Cluster > Overview.

      ONTAP 9.5, 9.6, and 9.7

      Click Configuration > Cluster > Update.

      ONTAP 9.4 or earlier

      Click Configuration > Cluster Update.

    2. In the right corner of the Overview pane, click Menu options icon.

    3. Click ONTAP Update.

    4. In the Cluster Update tab, add a new image or select an available image.

      If you want to…​

      Then…​

      Add a new software image from a local folder

      You should have already downloaded the image to the local client.

      1. Under Available Software Images, click Add from Local.

      2. Browse to the location you saved the software image, select the image, and then click Open.

      Add a new software image from an HTTP or FTP server

      1. Click Add from Server.

      2. In the Add a New Software Image dialog box, enter the URL of the HTTP or FTP server to which you downloaded the ONTAP software image from the NetApp Support Site.

        For anonymous FTP, you must specify the URL in the ftp://anonymous@ftpserver format.

      3. Click Add.

      Select an available image

      Choose one of the listed images.

    5. Click Validate to run the pre-upgrade validation checks.

      If any errors or warnings are found during validation, they are displayed along with a list of corrective actions. You must resolve all errors before proceeding with the upgrade. It is best practice to also resolve warnings.

  2. Click Next.

  3. Click Update.

    Validation is performed again. Any remaining errors or warnings are displayed along with a list of corrective actions. Errors must be corrected before you can proceed with the upgrade. If the validation is completed with warnings, you correct the warnings or choose Update with warnings.

    Note By default, ONTAP uses the batch upgrade process to upgrade clusters with eight or more nodes. Beginning with ONTAP 9.10.1, if preferred, you can select Update one HA pair at a time to override the default and have your cluster upgrade one HA pair at a time using the rolling upgrade process.

    For MetroCluster configurations with more than 2 nodes, the ONTAP upgrade process starts simultaneously on the HA pairs at both sites. For a 2-node MetroCluster configuration, the upgrade is started first on the site where the upgrade is not initiated. The upgrade on the remaining site begins after the first upgrade is fully completed.

  4. If your upgrade pauses because of an error, click the error message to view the details, then correct the error and resume the upgrade.

After you finish

After the upgrade is completed successfully, the node reboots, and you are redirected to the System Manager login page. If the node takes a long time to reboot, you should refresh your browser.

Resume ONTAP software upgrade after an error in the automated upgrade process

If an automated ONTAP software upgrade pauses because of an error, you should resolve the error and then continue the upgrade. After the error is resolved, you can choose to continue the automated upgrade process or complete the upgrade process manually. If you choose to continue the automated upgrade, don't perform any of the upgrade steps manually.

System Manager

  1. Depending on the ONTAP version that you are running, perform one of the following steps:

    If you are running…​

    Then…​

    ONTAP 9.8 or later

    Click Cluster > Overview

    ONTAP 9.7, 9.6, or 9.5

    Click Configuration > Cluster > Update.

    ONTAP 9.4 or earlier

    • Click Configuration > Cluster Update.

    • In the right corner of the Overview pane, click the three blue vertical dots, and select ONTAP Update.

  2. Continue the automated upgrade or cancel it and continue manually.

    If you want to…​

    Then…​

    Resume the automated upgrade

    Click Resume.

    Cancel the automated upgrade and continue manually

    Click Cancel.
After you finish

Perform post-upgrade checks.

Video: Upgrades made easy

Take a look at the simplified ONTAP upgrade capabilities of System Manager in ONTAP 9.8.

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