Installation Notes

Auto Reboot

A new kernel is going to be installed and a reboot of the system is necessary. The output of the progress bar may stop before rebooting.

Note: Please wait, until all software packages are installed. The reboot of the system will then be initialized automatically and the server is going to be available after a few minutes.

Install Update within Cluster

Please read the following release notes carefully, before continuing. When installing this update on a Collax V-Cube+ cluster the following steps have to be performed:

Note: If starting the update from 6.1.8 to 6.1.10 no down time of the running virtual machines or applications is required.

Procedure

1. If the nodes have the version 6.1.8 or prior: Please read the appropriate notes for that release including the documented procedure first.
2. The software packages can be downloaded whithin a running Cluster to prepare the update and minimize the planned downtime. Go to the local administration of each node and access the form System Operation → Software → Systemupdate. Then click Get Package List. This will download the list of available update packages. The successful update of the package list is indicated by the message Done!. Click Get Packages. If the packages are downloaded successfully then the message Done! will be displayed.
3. Put one node into standby mode. Go to Status/Maintenance → Cluster Nodes and execute the action Standby. Please wait until the cluster resources are stopped or the VMs are migrated.
4. Now, put this node into maintenance mode. Go to the dialog Status/Maintenance → Cluster Services and stop the service HA Cluster for this node.
5. Click Install within the dialog Systembetrieb → Software → Systemupdate to install all update packages. The end of this process is indicated by the message Done!.
6. If a new kernel is going to be installed the system will be rebooted automatically after installing the update. An appropriate note will be shown. Please wait for the reboot in that case.
7. Start the service HA Cluster on the node that has been updated. Please wait until the service ist started and information about Cluster Resources are available before you proceed with the next step.
8. Once the service HA Cluster has been started resume the node by using the action Set active within the dialog Status/maintenance → Cluster Nodes .
9. Afterwards check the status of the eSAN-disk synchronization in the form Cluster Administration → Virtual Hard Disks. Do not continue with the next step until the column Status shows 100% or OK for all eSAN disks.
10. Please repeat this procedure from step 2 on the next node that needs to be updated.

Install Update from Version 6.0.10 within Cluster

Please read the following release notes carefully, before continuing. Note that when installing this update on a Collax Inter-V cluster the following steps have to be performed:

Procedure

1. This version is deprecated and does not receive further support.
2. Please shut down all virtual machines within the cluster management gui before continuing with the following steps. Please consider to disable the shutdown event tracker for Windows operating systems before shutting down the virtual machine.
3. Put all nodes into standby mode. Go to Status/Maintenance → Cluster Nodes and execute the action Standby. Please wait until the cluster resources are stopped.
4. Put one node into maintenance mode. Go to the dialog Status/Maintenance → Cluster Services and stop the service HA Cluster for this node.
5. Go to the local administration of this node and access the form System Operation → Software → Systemupdate. Then click Get Package List. This will download the list of available update packages. The successful update of the package list is indicated by the message Done!.
6. Click Get Packages. If the packages are downloaded successfully then the message Done! will be displayed.
7. Click Install. This action installs all update packages. The end of this process is indicated by the message Done!.
8. A new kernel is going to be installed. The system will be rebooted automatically after installing the update. An appropriate note will be shown if the update process is completed.
9. After the reboot start the service HA Cluster of the node again: Go to the cluster administration form Status/Maintenance → Cluster services. Please wait until information about Cluster Resources are available.
10. Repeat the steps 3 to 8 for the next cluster node.
11. Once all cluster nodes are updated resume them one by one by using the action Set active within the dialog Status/maintenance → Cluster Nodes .
12. Next check the status of the eSAN disk synchronization in the form Cluster Administration → Virtual Hard Disks. Do not continue with the next step until the column Status shows 100% or OK for all eSAN disks.
13. If all nodes within the cluster are updated and active the virtual machines can be started again.

Install Update on a Collax V-Cube

To install this update on a Collax V-Cube without a Cluster interconnection please follow these steps:

Procedure

1. Please read this document before proceeding to the next step.
2. In the administration interface go to System → System Operation → Software → System Update and then click Get Package List. This will then download the listed update packages. The successful update of the package list is indicated by the message “Done!”.
3. Click Get Packages to download the software packages.
4. Click Install. This action installs the update. The end of this process is indicated by the message Done!.
5. A new kernel is going to be installed. The system will be rebooted automatically after installing the update. An appropriate note will be shown once the update process is completed.
6. If the server is updated and booted the virtual machines can be started again.

New in this Version

Virtualization: KSM Graphs in system information

KSM (Kernel Samepage Merging) is a memory-saving de-duplication feature. KSM memory savings graphs have been added to the system information panel. They show how much memory is being shared and therefore saved between vms.

Virtualization: New version Collax Migration Tool 1.7.1

Disks can be easily be migrated with Collax migration tool from physical or virtual servers to the Collax V-Cube. With the version 1.7.1 improvements for the activation of the IDE disk driver for Windows, especially for Windows 2008, are implemented.

V-Cube+: Multiple PDUs per Node

Fencing now supports connecting a node to more than one PDU. This is intended to stack two and more fencing devices, currently only being supported by APC. How this can be configured is described in a how-to on www.collax.com .

Issues Fixed in this Version

Virtualization: Assign USB Ports to Virtual Machine

When a USB device was passed to a virtual machine the assignment of USB device to the VM was lost if the host or the virtual machine had been restarted. Then, the assignment had to be re-established via the Collax Administration. The same problem occurred if the device was plugged in and out again. After this update USB ports instead of USB devices can be passed to the virtual machines. This ensures that the assignment of the USB ports to virtual machines remains, even if the VM or host is restarted, or the USB device is unplugged and plugged in again.

V-Cube+: VMs failed to start after Fencing Event

In rare cases it could seem, that virtual guests are not launched if a cluster node was switched off by fencing and the configuration was not activated. This is repaired with this update.

V-Cube+: Support for 4-port EPC fencing devices

The EPC socket devices with firmware version 1.0 failed to switch all but the first socket. This has been fixed.

V-Cube+: Synchronisation

Sometimes the control mechanism for synchronization had been started on the wrong cluster node. This caused DRBDs synchronization to be stopped and not being started again automatically. This issue has been fixed.

Backup/Restore: State of Virtual Machine after Backup Job

The state of a virtual machine changed to “shutoff” after a backup job under certain circumstances. A start of that virtual machine was necessary thereafter. This is going to be fixed within this software update. When a running virtual machine is backuped the operating state remains “running”.

Certificates: CSR and Certificates Signed by Official CA

Previously, the import of certificates signed by an official CA did not work, as the signature by the official CA changes the value of the subject. This issue has been corrected with this update. Certificates signed by an official CA can now be imported.

V-Cube+: Active Monitoring of other nodes

The active monitoring in the cluster administration monitors the services of all nodes by means of check scripts. So far the results transmitted from other nodes was not evaluated correctly. The status information of the services was then (null). With this update, the corresponding checks are corrected. After the update the status information includes appropriate values.