About upgrading software components
You can install new releases of the VCS software components on your existing hardware. Component
upgrades can be performed in one of two ways:
n
Using the web interface
- this is the recommended process.
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Using secure copy
(SCP/PSCP).
This guide describes how both of these methods are used to perform upgrades. You can also upgrade the
System platform
component using Cisco TMS (see the Cisco TMS documentation for more information).
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We recommended that you upgrade VCS components while the system is inactive.
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If you are upgrading a cluster, you must follow the directions in
VCS Cluster Creation and Maintenance
Deployment Guide
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If you are currently running non-clustered VCS X5.1, X5.1.1 or X5.2, you must first upgrade to X6.1, then
upgrade from X6.1 to X8.n.
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If you are currently running non-clustered VCS X5.0 or earlier, you must first upgrade to X5.2, then upgrade
from X5.2 to X6.1, and then upgrade from X6.1 to X8.n.
VCS software components
All existing installed components are listed on the
Upgrade
page (
Maintenance > Upgrade
), showing their
current version and associated release key where appropriate.
The main component is the
System platform
, and when upgraded this will typically include automatic
upgrades of some or all of the other components. However, you can independently upgrade the other
components if required to do so. The upgrade process ensures that compatibility is maintained across all
components.
Upgrade prerequisites
The upgrade requires you to have:
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a valid
Release key
, if you are upgrading to the next major release of the
System platform
, for example
from X7.2 to X8.1; it is not required for dot releases, for example X8.1 to X8.2
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a software image file for the component you want to upgrade, and it is stored in a network location that is
locally accessible from your client computer; use the standard .tar.gz software image file when upgrading a
virtual machine (the .ova file is only required for the initial install of the VCS software on VMware)
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release notes for the software version you are upgrading to — additional manual steps may be required
Contact your Cisco representative for more information on how to obtain these.
Backing up before upgrading
You should backup your system configuration before upgrading. Click
System backup
to go to the
Backup
and restore
page.
Upgrading and option keys
All existing option keys are retained through the upgrade from one version of the
System platform
to the
next, including upgrades to the next major release. However, you are recommended to take note of your
existing option keys before performing the upgrade.
Cisco VCS Administrator Guide (X8.1.1)
Page 278 of 507
Maintenance
About upgrading software components