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+--- Thread: What are the steps to perform a rolling upgrade of a Hyper-V cluster? (/showthread.php?tid=162)
What are the steps to perform a rolling upgrade of a Hyper-V cluster? - savas - 02-08-2020
When you’re gearing up to do a rolling upgrade of your Hyper-V cluster, it’s all about making sure the process goes smoothly without any downtime. You want to keep your virtual machines (VMs) up and running while you upgrade your hosts. So, let’s break down the steps you need to take, and I’ll walk you through it like I’m right there with you.
First things first, you need to do a little prep work. Make sure that you have a backup strategy in place. You never know when something might go sideways, and you’ll want to safeguard your VMs before diving in. Check your backups regularly—better safe than sorry, right?
Now, it’s important to have a clear understanding of your current cluster configuration. You’ll need to have a detailed inventory of all the VMs running on each host, as well as their resource requirements. This helps to avoid any surprises later on. Document everything nicely so you know what you’re dealing with when it’s time to begin the upgrade.
With that done, you should plan the upgrade for a time when it’s least disruptive. You don’t want to be in the middle of peak usage with users relying on those VMs. So, maybe during a night shift or on a weekend when the traffic is quiet would work best.
When it’s time to start taking action, the first step involves updating your cluster nodes one at a time. Begin with the least busy host in your cluster. Before performing any updates, ensure you live migrate the VMs from the host you're upgrading over to another node. This is where having that inventory will pay off, as you need to check which VMs can be moved without issues.
Once you’ve migrated the VMs successfully, you can proceed with the upgrade process on the host. Follow the vendor’s instructions to apply the latest updates or patches, whether that's an OS upgrade or software update. After the upgrade completes, take a moment to verify that everything is working as it should on that node—check for any error messages or unusual behavior.
After confirming stability on the upgraded host, it’s time to bring the VMs back. Live migrate them from one of the other hosts back onto the newly updated node. Keep an eye on performance during this step; you want everything to be seamless for the users.
Once you've got the first host back in the game, repeat this migration and upgrade process for the remaining hosts in your cluster, one at a time. This is a bit of a dance, but it’s crucial to maintain the cluster's availability throughout the upgrade.
As you finish each node upgrade, don’t skip the step of checking the health of your cluster. Use the Failover Cluster Manager or PowerShell commands to confirm that everything is running smoothly. It’s this attention to detail that can save you a headache down the line.
After all the nodes are upgraded, and everything is flowing as expected, take a moment to inform your team or stakeholders that the upgrade is complete. It’s also a good call to run some final tests on your VMs to make sure nothing has slipped through the cracks.
Don’t forget to update your documentation now that everything's wrapped up. Note down what versions you're running and any quirks you encountered along the way. This will help anyone in the future, including you, if they have to handle a similar upgrade.
And that’s pretty much the gist! It’s a bit of work, but with careful planning and execution, a rolling upgrade can be done without a hitch. You’ll soon be reaping the benefits of those updates while keeping your services available. Good luck!
I hope my post was useful. Are you new to Hyper-V and do you have a good Hyper-V backup solution? See my other post