1. See Resolved Caveats and Open Caveats before upgrading and review the New Features for this release. Refer to the latest Cisco HX Data Platform Release Notes.

2. Review supported versions and system requirements. See Hardware and Software Interoperability for Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series for more details.

   Important

   Verify that you have the latest software bundle versions, review the software versions. Refer to the latest Cisco HX Data Platform Release Notes. Ensure that the operating systems on all servers have the right driver levels for the release of Cisco UCS to which you plan to upgrade. See Cisco UCS Driver Installation Guide for identifying the server hardware.

3. Back up the configuration into an All Configuration backup file. See Cisco UCS Manager Backing Up and Restoring the Configuration Guide for the detailed steps.

4. Before you perform firmware updates, use the Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Management interface to download relevant images to the fabric interconnect. Images are stored in bootflash partitions in the fabric interconnect. See Downloading Software for more details.

5. An ESXi upgrade may be required when upgrading to newer Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform versions. See the supported versions for each HX Data Platform version in HyperFlex Software Versions.

6. Keep SSH enabled on all ESXi Hosts.

7. Only default TCP/IP stack is supported for vMotion vmkernel adapters.

8. Enable vMotion so that the VMs can be moved automatically during the upgrade and MTUs are set as required in the environment. See Configuring vMotion Interfaces for details on adding VMkernel interface.

9. Verify that the HyperFlex cluster is healthy. See HyperFlex Node Upgrade Validations for more details.

10. Verify that the cluster is in lenient mode. If not, set the cluster to lenient mode, refer Configure Lenient Mode.

The following list is a highlight of critical criteria for performing an upgrade of your HyperFlex system.

• Unsupported HX Data Platform 1.7.x, 1.8.x, 2.0, 2.1x, 2.5x, and 2.6x clusters—Users from any version prior to 2.6(1a) must step through an intermediate version before upgrading to 4.0 or later releases. If you need to upgrade your environment from a Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform software release that is past the last date of support, to the latest suggested release on the Cisco Software Download site, see Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade Guide for Unsupported Cisco HX Releases. For more information, see the Software Advisory for CSCvq66867: WARNING: Only Use HXDP 2.6(1e) Upgrade Package When Upgrading From HXDP 1.8(1a)-1.8(1e).

• Hypercheck Health Check Utility— Cisco recommends running this proactive health check utility on your HyperFlex cluster prior to upgrade. These checks provide early visibility into any areas that may need attention and will help ensure a seamless upgrade experience. For more information see the HyperFlex Health & Pre-Upgrade Check Tool TechNote for full instructions on how to install and run Hypercheck.

• vSphere 6.7 Software Advisory—Do not upgrade to Cisco HX Data Platform Release 4.0(1a) when running ESXi 6.7U1 EP06 (build # 11675023). Do not upgrade to 6.7U1 EP06 (build # 11675023) if running Cisco HX Data Platform Release 4.0(1a). See the Software Advisory CSCvo56350 for further details.

  Note	The software build version posted at release will override any other local versions.

• Required vCenter upgrade—For enhanced security, Cisco HX Data Platform Release 3.5(1a) or later requires the use of TLS 1.2. Therefore, vCenter must be upgraded to 6.0 U3f or later before upgrading to Cisco HX Data Platform Release 3.5 or later. In addition, ESXi should be upgraded as required to meet HX Data Platform compatibility requirements.

• Minimum HXDP version for upgrade—HX Data Platform clusters running 2.6(1a) or later may upgrade directly to 4.0 using the HX Connect UI.

• Cluster Readiness—Ensure that the cluster is properly bootstrapped and the updated plug-in is loaded before proceeding. Manual cluster bootstrap is required for upgrade from a pre-3.5 release.

• Cluster Readiness—For all upgrades from Cisco HX Data Platform releases prior to 3.5(1a), ensure that the cluster is properly bootstrapped following the procedure in the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade Guide. Do not skip this cluster bootstrap step as it is required for every upgrade until release 3.5(1a). Upgrades from 3.5(1a) and later will be automatically bootstrapped using the HX Connect UI. For more information, see the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade Guide.

• Initiating Upgrade―Use the HX Connect UI or CLI stcli commands when upgrading from 2.5(1a) or later releases. Use either the CLI stcli commands or the HX Data Platform Plug-in to the vSphere Web Client when upgrading from a pre-2.5(1a) release. The vCenter plug-in should not be used for upgrades starting with the 2.5(1a) release. The vCenter plug-in should not be used for upgrades starting with the 2.5(1a) release.

  Note	If the current cluster version is at 3.5(1a) or above, you do not need to use the stcli command. Direct upgrade to 4.0 is possible.

• Complete your Upgrade―The self-healing (or rebalance) capability is disabled temporarily during the upgrade window; If the upgrade fails, you should complete the upgrade as soon as possible.

• ESXi and HXDP Compatibility―Ensure your cluster is running a compatible version of ESXi based on the running the HX Data Platform version (see the section Software Requirements for VMware ESXi). ESXi compatibility is determined by the major version and update release of ESXi. It is generally best to upgrade HXDP and ESXi together if combining the upgrade operations into a single optimized reboot. When running a split upgrade, first upgrade the HX Data Platform, then proceed to upgrade ESXi.

• If Upgrading to vSphere 6.5:

  Note

  Certain cluster functions such as native and scheduled snapshots, ReadyClones, and Enter or Exit HX Maintenance Mode will not operate from the time the upgrade is started until the HX Data Platform upgrade is complete. After upgrading ESXi using the offline zip bundle, use the ESX Exit Maintenance Mode option. The HX Exit Maintenance Mode option does not operate in the vSphere Web Client until the HX Data Platform upgrade is complete.

• vSphere 6.0 Upgrades—Users on vSphere 6.0 migrating to 6.5, upgrade components in the following order:

  1. Upgrade HX Data Platform and UCS firmware.

  2. Upgrade HX Data Platform and ESXi.

  3. Upgrade HX Data Platform only first, then upgrade ESXi or UCS firmware or both.

• M4 Server Firmware Upgrades—Upgrade server firmware to ensure smooth operation and to correct known issues. Specifically, newer SAS HBA firmware is available in this release and is recommended for long-term stability.

  Note

  Users are encouraged to upgrade to 3.1(3c) C-bundle or later whenever possible. Users running C-bundle versions before 3.1(2f) must upgrade server firmware by performing a combined upgrade of UCS server firmware (C-bundle) to 3.1(3c) or later and HX Data Platform to 2.5. Do not split the upgrade into two separate operations. If the cluster is already on 3.1(2f) C-bundle or later, you may perform an HX Data Platform only or combined upgrade, as required.

• M5 Server Firmware Upgrades—M5 generation servers must run firmware version 3.2(2d) or later.

• Firmware Downgrades — Downgrading UCSM from the HX-installer is not supported.

• M4/M5 Mixed Domains—A mixed domain occurs when a new, separate M5 cluster is installed under the same UCS domain that contains existing M4 clusters. Under these conditions, orchestrated UCS server firmware upgrade will not operate until Cisco HX Data Platform Release 2.6 or later is installed on the M4 clusters. Therefore, it is best practice to first upgrade UCS server firmware to the latest 3.1(3) or 3.2(2) patch release before adding a new M5 cluster to the existing UCS domain. Additionally, any 1.7 HX Data Platform clusters must first be upgraded before adding any new M5 clusters to the same domain.

• Maintenance Window—If upgrading both HX Data Platform and UCS firmware, you can select either a combined or split upgrade through the vSphere HX Data Platform Plug-in depending on the length of the maintenance window. Cisco UCS Manager infrastructure upgrade is only supported using AutoInstall and the direct server firmware upgrade should be performed only through the upgrade orchestration framework provided by the HX Data Platform Plug-in.

• Unsupported Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs)—If adding or replacing self-encrypting drives (SEDs) that have been recently qualified in newer versions of HX Data Platform (such as Micron 5200), insert the new drives only after upgrading HX Data Platform to a compatible version. All drives must be SED drives, mixing SED and non-SED is not supported.

• Admin User Account—Users may need to reset the cluster admin password if upgrading from a cluster initially deployed with Cisco HX Data Platform Release 1.7, or if the password was manually changed after deployment. For more information, see the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade Guide.

• Enabling External Host Access—With Cisco HX Data Platform Release 4.0(1a), port 445 on the management network is blocked for enhanced security. Note that prior to 4.0, port 445 port was open enabling external host access. If you are upgrading to 4.0(1a) from a prior release, and would like to continue external host access, you can use a utility to open select hosts. For more information about enabling external host access, see the "Configuring HyperFlex Share to SCVMM" section in the Installation Guide for Microsoft Hyper-V.

The HX components—Cisco HX Data Platform Installer, Cisco HX Data Platform, and Cisco UCS firmware—are installed on different servers. Verify that each component on each server used with and within an HX Storage Cluster are compatible.

• HyperFlex does not support UCS Manager and UCS Server Firmware versions 4.0(4a), 4.0(4b), and 4.0(4c).

  Important

  Do not upgrade to these versions of firmware. Do not upgrade to these versions of UCS Manager.

• Verify that the preconfigured HX servers have the same version of Cisco UCS server firmware installed. If the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects (FI) firmware versions are different, see the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade Guide for steps to align the firmware versions.

  • M4: For NEW hybrid or All Flash (Cisco HyperFlex HX240c M4 or HX220c M4) deployments, verify that Cisco UCS Manager 3.1(3k), 3.2(3i), or 4.0(2b) or higher is installed. For more information, see Recommended Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform Software Releases.

  • M5: For NEW hybrid or All Flash (Cisco HyperFlex HX240c M5 or HX220c M5) deployments, verify that the recommended UCS firmware version is installed.

    Important

    For SED-based HyperFlex systems, ensure that the A (Infrastructure), B (Blade server) and C (Rack server) bundles are at Cisco UCS Manager version 4.0(2b) or later for all SED M4/M5 systems. For more details, see CSCvh04307. For SED-based HyperFlex systems, also ensure that all clusters are at HyperFlex Release 3.5(2b) or later. For more information, see Field Notice (70234) and CSCvk17250.

  • To reinstall an HX server, download supported and compatible versions of the software. See the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Installation Guide for VMware ESXi for the requirements and steps.

• Important

  For Intersight edge servers running older than 4.0(1a) CIMC version, HUU is the suggested mechanism to update the firmware.

• Please review the Release Notes related to the recommended FI/Server Firmware.

When upgrading from a previous Cisco HyperFlex release, please follow these guidelines:

• For customers on Release 1.8(1e) or earlier, upgrade to Release 2.6(1e) as the first hop, then follow through by upgrading to the latest support release, for example, Release 3.5(2x) or Release 4.0(1x).

• For customers on Releases between 1.8(1f) and 2.0(1x), upgrade to Release 3.0(1i) as the first hop, then follow through by upgrading to the latest support release, for example, Release 3.5(2x) or Release 4.0(1x).

• For customers on Release 2.1(1a) or later, upgrade to the latest supported Release 3.5(x) directly.

Cisco UCS Manager Upgrade Recommendations

Cisco HyperFlex does not enforce, or have any dependency on the UCSM upgrade path. For more information about upgrading Cisco USC Manager see the Cisco UCS Install and Upgrade Guides.

VMware ESXi Upgrade Recommendations

Cisco HyperFlex does not enforce, or have any dependency on the VMware ESXi Upgrade path outside of the VMware upgrade guidelines. The recommended VMware ESXi download is located on the Cisco Software Downloads page with your Cisco HyperFlex Software download.

• ESXi 5.5 support is deprecated with HXDP 2.5.

  • If running ESXi 5.5 U3 on HX220, contact TAC for upgrade guidance.

  • If running ESXi 5.5 U3 on HX240, see Upgrade Guidelines for further details.

• 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 the VMware Knowledge Base article, VMware ESXi 6.0, Patch ESXi600-201608401-BG: Updates esx-base, vsanhealth, vsan VIBs (2145664).

• Upgrading the VM compatibility version or hardware version of the Storage Cluster Virtual Machine (SCVM) is not supported and should not be performed. This action is detrimental to the SCVM and will require a rebuild of the SCVM if performed.

Cisco HX Data Platform Versions Supported by Cisco UCS Manager

Clusters running HX Data Platform before 2.1(1c) must be first upgraded to an intermediate release. Refer to the following table to upgrade your existing HyperFlex cluster to 3.5(1x).

SED-ready systems are HyperFlex clusters running HXDP 2.1(1b) with self encrypting drives (SEDs) installed. UCS Manager must be upgraded to 3.1(3c) or later. In addition, UCS server firmware (C-bundle) must be upgraded to 3.1(3c) or later. Either combined or split upgrade may be used, so long as all the cluster nodes are upgraded prior to enabling key management in HX Connect.

Caution

During an upgrade, a flag-based check (True/False) is used to determine is the system is SED capable or not. If the system is SED-ready, this flag ( set to true) will not allow the non-SED systems to become part of the cluster. If there is an issue when SED capability information for cluster is gathered, the upgrade script might toggle this flag to the default value (False). In which case, all the SED drives on the node are replaced with non-SED disks and the upgrade proceeds with non-SED disks as well. Eventually, this may result in the risk of writing data on that node in unencrypted form.