How to: Upgrade software on a cluster running 4.x release

Modified on Tue, 26 Nov, 2019 at 4:05 PM

The smartDirector Management software allows a user an easy way to upgrade the software version on the entire cluster with little downtime. 


PRE-REQUISITES:

Prior to performing any software upgrades, it is a best practice (and highly recommended) to download critical pieces of information from the system/cluster. In this example, the smartDirector-led cluster is running version 4.3.1 of the software. These steps will illustrate what a user should download before upgrading. We are assuming 4.3.2 software image or newer has already been acquired by the user from wtec.


Steps to follow

This is what you will see

Step 1.                                                         

Click on Admin Tools from the Applications menu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2.                                                         

Under the Cluster Data section, enter in the default admin account credentials and  click on Download All button

  • This action will download a file called ClusterDataFor_<smartDirector name>(<smartDirector IP>)_XXXXXXXXXXXX.tgz. It is a compressed file with key pieces of information.

 

Download the Site Inventory Data as well as the Complete Technical Support information from the smartDirector

  • The link for Engines will download a file called engines.csv
  • The link for Fixtures will download a file called fixture.csv

 

 

 

 

UPGRADING THE SMARTDIRECTOR:

After the important pieces of information have been gathered, a user can now proceed with upgrading the smartDirector to 4.3.2 release or newer. 


Steps to follow

This is what you will see

Step 1.                                                         

Click on Software Update from the Applications menu.

 

Step 2.                                                        

The Software Update page will appear. In this example, it shows that Partition A (active partition) is running software version 4.3.1.

Note: Software upload and upgrades are only allowed in inactive partitions. In this example, it is Partition B.

Click on Choose file and select the 4.3.2 software image for the smartDirector that was provided to you by wtec. Next, hit the Upload button.

Step 3.                                                            

A prompt will appear which will take an input from the user to proceed with the upload operation.

Hit the OK button.

    

The Upload process will begin, and a progress bar will appear.

Step 4.                                                  

Upon completion of the upload, Partition B will show the 4.3.2 software release for the smartDirector.

Click on the Activate button.

Step 5.                                                            

A prompt will appear requesting acknowledgement to Reboot the system with this image.

Press OK to proceed.

The smartDirector will proceed booting up with the 4.3.2 software image. Give it a couple of minutes while the system reboots. Note: Do not power cycle the smartDirector. Once HTTPS access is restored again, the user can try accessing the UI @ https://<IP Address of smartDirector>

Notice that the Engines section does not show what you would expect. This is because the engines in the cluster are not on the same software version as the Director!

 

If the user hovers over the “i” icon on the top right corner or clicks on it, a verification of the newer software 4.3.2 will be revealed.

 

At this point the smartDirector upgrade is now complete and the user can proceed with upgrading the entire cluster with the same 4.3.2 software release.

 

 

 

UPGRADING THE SMARTENGINES:

After the smartDirector is upgraded to the newer 4.3.2 version, it will no longer be able to communicate with the smartEngines since there will be a mismatch of the software release, however, it will be able to see all available smartEngines that are part of the cluster. By using the Cluster Management tool, one will be able to upgrade all the cluster members to be on the same version as the smartDirector.

Below are the steps that a user will have to take in order to upgrade the software version on all the smartEngines that are part of the cluster. 


Steps to follow

This is what you will see

Step 1.                                                     

Access the Applications menu and click on Admin Tools.

Step 2.                                                   

Under the Actions section click on Manage Cluster.

Step 3.                                                       

This will bring up the Cluster Management page. Notice that you can see the Software version and other information for the smartDirector, however the same is not available for the cluster members yet.

  • Click on Upgrade Engine Software button.

 

Step 4.                                                        

A list of all the smartEngines will appear with their current Status.

  • Click on the Upload button for all the members that show a status of Upgrade required

 The software will get uploaded to the cluster members and a progress bar will illustrate the same.

Please wait until you see the status as complete and the Reboot buttons appear.

Step 5.                                                        

You can choose to Reboot all the smartEngines at once or you can stagger the operation assuming you do not want the entire site to lose lights temporarily at the same time.

Hit the Reboot button(s)

Once the smartEngines have been rebooted they will cluster up themselves and the status will show a successful upgrade. Notice the SW Version column having the same version as the smartDirector.

 

 

The entire cluster is now running the newer 4.3.2 release of the software and the user can proceed with validating it accordingly.

 

VALIDATION OF A SUCCESSFUL UPGRADE:

While the above should be sufficient to indicate a successful upgrade, there are additional steps a user should take to validate the operation.


Steps to follow

This is what you will see

Step 1.                                                     

Login and access the Dashboard. Verify that all the engines that were online prior to the upgrade are being accounted for in the count

Step 2.                                                         

Go back to Admin Tools using the Applications menu, and under the Actions section click on Manage Cluster

This will bring up the Cluster Management page. Notice that all devices have the same Software Version!

 

Step 3.                                                   

Access the Applications menu again and click on Installer

The smartInstaller page will appear. Use the drop-down menu and scroll through verifying that all the engines appear as they did when the system was on version 4.3.1.


 

POST-UPGRADE DOWNLOAD OF INFORMATION: 

It is a best practice (and highly recommended) that the user downloads key information from the cluster after a successful software upgrade. This information should be kept safe place in the event it is needed at a later time.


Steps to follow

This is what you will see

Step 1.                                                         

Click on Admin Tools from the Applications menu.

Step 2.                                                         

Under the Cluster Data section, enter in the default admin account credentials and  click on Download All button

  • This action will download a file called ClusterDataFor_<smartDirector name>(<smartDirector IP>)_XXXXXXXXXXXX.tgz. It is a compressed file with key pieces of information.

 

Download the Site Inventory Data.

  • The link for Engines will download a file called engines.csv
  • The link for Fixtures will download a file called fixture.csv

 

 

 

 

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