Overview

About This Guide

This document describes how to upgrade an existing installation of Cisco HX Data Platform .

Cisco HyperFlex Systems has several components that may be upgraded depending on your environment. HyperFlex Systems core components are:

Cisco UCS server firmware
Cisco HX Data Platform software
VMware ESXi software

The upgrade order for the endpoints depends on the upgrade path. See Upgrade Scenarios to determine the appropriate upgrade path.

Upgrade Modes

Cisco HyperFlex Systems upgrade deployment can be performed in either online or offline mode.

Online Upgrade Mode

Use the online upgrade mode if you cannot tolerate downtime and the maintenance window is permissible.

During an online upgrade, all virtual machines remain in a running state without service disruption. User intervention is not required after the upgrade starts, or when DRS is licensed, enabled, and set to automatic mode. Cisco recommends performing the upgrade during a maintenance window when one HX node is already offline. See Online Upgrade Process Workflow for more details.

Note

To upgrade a nested VMware vCenter (a vCenter on an HX datastore) use the online upgrade mode.

Offline Upgrade Mode

Use the offline upgrade mode if you desire a shorter time window and workload downtime is acceptable.

Offline upgrade mode means the Cisco HX Data Platform is offline. However, storage controller VMs are online and HX Data Platform management is viewable through both the stcli command-line access and the VMware vSphere Web Client. The vSphere Web Client reports on the storage I/O layer. The stcli cluster command returns that overall storage cluster status is offline. Refer to Offline Upgrade Process Workflow.

Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series System Compatibility Matrix

See resolved and open caveats before upgrading. Review the new features, refer to the Cisco HX Data Platform Release Notes.

For a complete list of hardware and software interdependencies, refer to respective UCSM release version of Hardware and Software Interoperability for Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series.

Supported HyperFlex Software Versions


HyperFlex Release	HX Data Platform Installer	HX Data Platform	Recommended UCS FI Firmware
2.1(1b)	2.1(1b)	2.1(1b)	3.1(2g)
2.0(1a)	2.0(1a)	2.0(1a)	3.1(2f)
1.8(1f)	1.8(1f)	1.8(1f)	3.1(2b)
1.8(1e)	1.8(1e)	1.8(1e)	3.1(2b)
1.8(1c)	1.8(1c)	1.8(1c)	3.1(2b)
1.8(1b)	1.8(1b)	1.8(1b)	3.1(2b)
1.8(1a)	1.8(1a)	1.8(1a)	3.1(2b)
1.7.3	1.7.3	1.7.3	2.2(7c)
1.7.1	1.7.1-14835	1.7	2.2(7c)
1.7.1	1.7.1	1.7	2.2(6f)

Supported VMware vSphere Versions and Editions


HyperFlex Version	vSphere Versions	vSphere Editions
2.1(1b)	6.0 U1b, 6.0 U2, 6.0 U2 Patch 3, 6.0 U2 Patch 4, 6.0 U3.	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
2.0(1a)	6.0 U1b, 6.0 U2, 6.0 U2 Patch 3, 6.0 U2 Patch 4	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
1.8(1f)	6.0 U1b, 6.0 U2, 6.0 U2 Patch 3	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
1.8(1e)	6.0 U1b, 6.0 U2, 6.0 U2 Patch 3	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
1.8(1c)	6.0 U1b, 6.0 U2, 6.0 U2 Patch 3	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
1.8(1c)	5.5 U3	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus
1.8(1b)	6.0 U1b, 6.0 U2, 6.0 U2 Patch 3	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
1.8(1a)	6.0 U1b, 6.0 U2, 6.0 U2 Patch 3	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
1.7.3	6.0 U1b, 6.0 U2	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
1.7.3	5.5 U3	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus
1.7.1	6.0 U1b	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Standard, Essentials Plus, ROBO
1.7.1	5.5 U3	Enterprise, Enterprise Plus

Supported Upgrade Paths

The following four table matrices map the supported upgrade paths for Cisco HyperFlex Systems.

Cisco HX Data Platform Matrix


Cisco HX Data Platform Version	Supported Upgrade Paths
	2.1(1b)	2.0(1a)	1.8(1f)
1.8.(1f)	Yes	Yes	—
1.8(1e)	Yes	Yes	Yes
1.8(1c)	Yes	Yes	Yes
1.8(1b)	Yes	Yes	Yes
1.8(1a)	Yes	Yes	Yes
1.7.x	Yes	Yes	Yes

Cisco UCS Manager Matrix


Cisco UCS Manager Version	Supported Upgrade Paths
	3.1(2g)	3.1(2f)	3.1(2e)	3.1(2c)	3.1(2b)	2.2(7c)
3.1(2f)	Yes	—	—	—	—	—
3.1(2e)	Yes	Yes	—	—	—	—
3.1(2c)	Yes	Yes	Yes	—	—	—
3.1(2b)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	—	—
2.2(7c)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	—
2.2(6f)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

VMware ESXi Matrix

If you have the ESXi 5.5 U3b version, we recommend an ESXi upgrade. Contact Cisco TAC for additional information.
If you have the ESXi 6.0 U1 version, we recommend an ESXi upgrade. There is a known VMware issue where the node becomes unresponsive due to a PSOD and OS crash. See VMware KB article, VMware ESXi 6.0, Patch ESXi600-201608401-BG: Updates esx-base, vsanhealth, vsan VIBs (2145664).


VMware ESXi Version	Supported Upgrade Paths
	6.0 U3	6.0 U2 (All Patch Levels)	6.0 U1b
6.0 U2 (All Patch Levels)	Yes	—	—
6.0 U1b	Yes	Yes	—
5.5 U3b (Only on HX240c)	Yes	Yes	Yes

Upgrade Guidelines

Upgrading to HXDP 2.1(1b) may be performed as an HXDP-only upgrade without necessitating an upgrade of UCS server or infrastructure firmware. This will allow for the shortest maintenance window. However, newer SAS HBA firmware is available in this release and is recommended for long term stability [see CDETs ID CSCvb78874 in the Release Notes for Cisco HX Data Platform, Release 2.0]. If UCS server firmware update is desired, ensure that Cisco UCS Manager software is first upgraded to 3.1(2g) or later. This can be accomplished through either a brief UCSM-only upgrade or by performing a full infrastructure firmware auto install. Subsequently, the user should orchestrate upgrade of the server firmware bundle to 3.1(2g) or later using the HyperFlex vSphere Web Client Plugin.

If upgrading both HXDP and UCS firmware, either a combined or split upgrade can be selected through the vSphere Web Client plugin depending on the length of the maintenance window. Direct firmware upgrade using server firmware auto install through Cisco UCS Manager should not be attempted. Instead, use the UCS server upgrade orchestration framework provided by the HyperFlex Plugin.

Cisco HX Data Platform Versions Supported by Cisco UCS Manager


Cisco UCS Manager Version	Cisco HX Data Platform
	2.1(1b)	2.0(1a)	1.8.x	1.7.x
3.1(2g)	Yes Supports hybrid and All Flash	Yes Supports hybrid and All Flash	—	—
3.1(2f)	—	Yes Supports hybrid and All Flash	—	—
3.1(2e)	—	Yes Supports hybrid	—	—
3.1(2c)	—	Yes Supports hybrid	Yes	—
3.1(2b)	—	Yes Supports hybrid	Yes	—
2.2(7c)	—	—	—	Yes
2.2(6f)	—	—	—	Yes

Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade Guide, Release 2.1

Book Title

Chapter Title

Results

Chapter: Overview