Upgrading NSX Advanced Load Balancer System (NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller and SE Groups)

The configuration and placement of virtual services are blocked if it is a system-level upgrade till all the SEs are upgraded. Once these operations are completed, configuration on NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller (except the configuration of virtual service and VIP) is allowed, irrespective of the SE group upgrade status.

Note:

It is recommended to increase the default timeout value from 90 seconds to 120 seconds before performing the upgrade. The default timeout is available as the parameter name DefaultTimeoutStartSec and at (File: /etc/systemd/system.conf).

This is to avoid the upgrade going to timeout.

Number of Maximum Active Versions Consideration for Upgrade

NSX Advanced Load Balancer supports a maximum of 2 active image versions in the system at any time.It is essential to consider various deployment scenarios when planning system upgrades. This strategic approach aids in the effective execution of system upgrades.Consider the following deployment scenarios:

• Case 1: The Controller's image version is 22.1.6, and one of SE Group's image versions is 22.1.5. So, the number of active versions used in the system is 2 (22.1.5 and 22.1.6).

  • In this case, the number of active versions of deployed images is 2. As the number of active versions is equal to the maximum active version supported, upgrading Controller to the next version is not supported. An upgrade to the next version, say 30.2.1 in this case, means total number of active versions at a time are 30.2.1, 22.1.5, and 22.1.6. It is not allowed as it exceeds maximum number active versions supported. Make sure to upgrade all the SE Groups' image versions to 22.1.6 before attempting the upgrade operation to 30.2.1 version.

• Case 2: When all SE Groups' image versions are 22.1.6, and the Controller's image version is also 22.1.6, the number of active versions is 1 (22.1.6).

  • In this scenario, upgrading the Controller to the next version is supported, as the number of active versions (1) is less than the maximum number of active versions supported (2).