Prerequisites for Upgrading HyperFlex Software

The following tasks should be performed prior to beginning the upgrade process:

Important

Using VMware Update Manager (VUM) or VMware Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) for upgrading the ESXi on HyperFlex node is not supported. Using these upgrade methods may delete Cisco custom drivers and cause cluster outages. We recommend using Cisco Intersight or HyperFlex Connect for ESXi upgrades including the security patches from VMware or manually installing patches using the offline zip bundle with ESXCLI commands.

Important

HX Customers who have had motherboard replacements and want to upgrade to HXDP 6.0(x) If you have replaced the motherboard and want to upgrade to 6.0 you must first contact TAC before starting the upgrade. Upgrades to 6.0 made before contacting TAC will fail.

• Ensure Storage I/O Control (SIOC) is completely disabled on each HyperFlex datastore and the local datastore on each ESXi host in the HyperFlex cluster. This can be confirmed through the vCenter Web Client:

  Datastores -> <datastore name> -> Configure -> General -> Datastore Capabilities -> Storage I/O Control -> Verify > both Status and Statistics Collection is set to Disabled.

  Note	Please refer to the VMware documentation site for more details and steps to disable SIOC.

• To upgrade to HXDP 6.0(1b) or later the HX Installer should be up and running (unless the upgrade is initiated from 6.0(x)).

Datastore Requirements:

• Upgrade to HXDP Release 6.0(1a) is available using HX Installer OVA or Intersight only. Upgrades to HXDP 6.0(1a) and later via HX Connect is not supported.

• Clusters running HXDP Release 4.5(2a) or later can upgrade directly to 6.0(1b) or later. To upgrade from HXDP Release 4.5(1x) or earlier, upgrade to HXDP Release 4.5(2a) before upgrading to HXDP Release 6.0(1a).

• HXDP Release 6.0(1b) supports ESXi version 7.0 U3, 8.0 U1 and 8.0 U2. If your current ESXi version is earlier than 7.0 U3 and later than 6.5, make sure to perform a combined upgrade of HXDP and ESXi to a target level 7.0U3 or later.

• If the HXDP is already upgraded to 6.0(1b) and later and an ESXi upgrade is attempted from 7.0 to 8.0, user needs to upload HXDP bundle and select HXDP along with the target ESXi 8.0 bundle.

• Migrate all M4 nodes to HyperFlex M5 or higher before attempting to upgrade to HXDP Release 6.0(1b) or later. Attempts to upgrade to HXDP Release 6.0(1a) with HyperFlex M4 nodes in your cluster will fail.

• Clusters running HXDP Release 4.5(2x) through 5.5(1x) can upgrade directly to 6.0(1b) or later.

• Clusters running HXDP Release 4.0(2x) through 4.5(1x) can upgrade directly to 5.5(2x).

• Beginning with Cisco HXDP Release 5.0(2a), full feature functionality and configuration changes require a valid Cisco HyperFlex Software License. HX Connect users with expired or insufficient licenses at the end of the evaluation or the grace period after the license compliance date, view a prominent countdown banner that alerts the user to the license compliance need and provides a link to the license renewal page until the license expiration is remedied.

  In the event a license passes both the license expiration date and the grace period countdown, the current configurations will operate as expected with limited information. Renewing the license allows a user to resume full feature functionality and make configuration changes. For details and examples of the banners, see the License Compliance and Feature Functionality section of the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Ordering and Licensing Guide.

• Blade Package and Rack Package versions are not displayed in the Host Firmware Package: HyperFlex-m5-con and HyperFlex-m6-con for M6 nodes.

• Review the Cisco HyperFlex Upgrade Guidelines in the Recommended Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform Software Releases - for Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series Systems.

• SCVM Support

  • SCVM VMware Tools upgrade: not supported

  • SCVM Hardware Version upgrade: not supported

  • SCVM VMware Tools are used when creating HX native snapshots using the quiesce option.

• vCenter version check: Verify that the vCenter meets the minimum requirement for the ESXi version being upgraded to. See, VMware Product Interoperability Matrices to ensure compatibility between vCenter and ESXi.

• Ensure all VM network port groups exist on all nodes in the cluster for vMotion compatibility.

• Ensure that the management and storage data VLANs are configured on the top-of-rack network switches to ensure uninterrupted connectivity during planned fabric failover.

• If using jumbo frames in your environment, ensure jumbo frames are enabled on the vMotion and data networks on the top of rack switch.

• Verify that the ESXi hosts are not in lockdown mode and SSH service is enabled and set to start and stop with the host for the duration of the upgrade. Lockdown mode can be re-enabled after the upgrade is complete along with disabling SSH service.

• Upgrading the VM compatibility version or hardware version of the Storage Controller 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.