The HCX update is applied to the HCX Manager systems first.

It is a best practice to create a backup prior to upgrading HCX Manager. See Backing Up and Restoring the System. This back up option may not be available in some Public Clouds where HCX is managed by the cloud service provider.

In addition to backing up HCX Manager, optionally use the vSphere snapshot feature to take a snapshot of the HCX Manager at the source and the destination sites. If necessary, you can use snapshots to roll back the HCX Manager version. See Rolling Back an Upgrade Using Snapshots.

You can update the HCX manager from the either the HCX Manager UI (https://hcx-ip-or-fqdn:443) or the HCX Manager appliance management UI (https://hcx-ip-or-fqdn:9443). The HCX Manager UI displays system update notifications online through the System Updates interface. Manual updates are done offline, through the management interface. Review the following procedure for either an online or offline update.

Prerequisites

  • Verify the HCX Manager system reports healthy connections to:
    • vCenter Server.
    • NSX Manager (if applicable).
    • Cloud Director/RMQ (if applicable).

  • Verify that the HCX Manager reports that there are healthy connections to the HCX Interconnect service components.

  • Verify that Site Pair configurations are healthy.

Procedure

  1. To perform an online update through the HCX Manager UI, follow these steps:
    1. Open the HCX Manager Service UI.
      Note:

      You can update site-paired HCX Managers simultaneously.

    2. Navigate to the Administration tab.
    3. Navigate to the System Updates section.
    4. In the Local HCX section, under Available Service Update Versions, click Check for Updates.

      In normal operation, the HCX automatically receives the latest service update. But if the HCX is offline or unable to access the Internet when a service update is pushed out, the HCX can miss the update. This selection checks for the latest version and adds it to your available service updates.

    5. Right-click the available version link and select one of the operations from the drop-down menu.

      If Service Updates have not been installed for more than one release, older updates are displayed. The newest updates are on the top.

      Option Description

      Download

      The upgrade file is downloaded, but not installed.

      Upgrade

      The file previously downloaded is used during the upgrade. If there is no file available, the option is dimmed.

      Download & Upgrade

      The upgrade file is downloaded. The upgrade begins immediately after the download completes.

      Release Notes

      View the Release Notes.
    6. To begin the selected process, click OK.
      The system reports that the upgrade is underway. After the upgrade file is downloaded and installed. The HCX system reboots. Allow a few minutes for the system to reinitialize.
    7. Open the HCX appliance management interface in a browser tab.
      This option might not be available in HCX activated Public Clouds.

      https://hcx-ip-or-fqdn:9443.

    8. Navigate to the dashboard and verify the registered systems display a healthy connected state.
    9. Open the System Updates interface and confirm that Current Version is updated.
      If it is ever necessary to gather the logs related to upgrade operations, click the Download Upgrade Logs button.
  2. To perform an offline (manual) update through the HCX Manager appliance management UI, follow these steps:
    1. Download the latest HCX Connector and HCX Cloud Manager Upgrade bundles from support.broadcom.com.
    2. Log in to the HCX Manager appliance management interface: https://hcx-ip-or-fqdn:9443.
    3. Navigate to Administration > Upgrade.
      The appliance management screen appears.
    4. Click Upgrade.
      A screen appears prompting you to upload the new bundle.
    5. Click Choose File and select the appropriate bundle for the site: HCX Connector or HCX Cloud Manager.
    6. Click Continue and follow the prompts to install the bundle.
      During this process, HCX reboots and returns to service.
    7. Verify the upgrade:
      • Log in to the HCX Manager UI: https://hcx-ip-or-fqdn:443.
      • Navigate to Administration > System Updates and review the software version running on the site.

Results

With the HCX Managers upgraded, the HCX Service Mesh reflects that an update is available.

The HCX Managers apply the updates, reboot, and become operational in less than five minutes after rebooting. If the HCX Manager does not return to service within that time frame, contact VMware Support.