Hardware upgrade

SUSE Linux Enterprise Extensions SLES High Availability Extension
1

Hi… I hope maybe I can get some useful info to make this go smooth.
Current setup is running 3 servers with HA running on Sles 11 sp2. The servers and the san are being replaced.
I have done this before but looking for some easier paths to the end point. Currently support virtual machines
in the HA cluster. They are a combination of OES 2015 sp1 and a couple windows servers and an old netware
server that will be retired at this point.

Replacing with 2 new physical servers and a new san. The san will be migrated using the manufacturers tools
provided. I want to get this to Sles 11 SP4. I know before you say to go to sles 12 please leave that one alone
for now.

I guess the big question I have is it possible to have the 2 new servers installed in the HA cluster with SP4 and
leave the other servers at sp2. When everything is done being configure remove the SP2 servers from the HA
cluster and just have 2 servers running the cluster. I am not sure whether this is a clean way to do it. It sure
would make things a lot easier for sure.

Thank you for any info you could provide.

2

Hi warper2,

I am not sure whether this is a clean way to do it.

That one’s easy: No, that’s no clean way to do it.

Have a look at the available upgrade paths, a “clean” upgrade would be SP by SP.

I know before you say to go to sles 12 please leave that one alone for now.

Only if you say you have LTSS for SLES11SP4. A need for HA, but running on an unsupported platform, somewhat contradicts itself.

If your SAN migration will need a maintenance window anyhow, I’d suggest to go the following route:

  • set up the new SAN and a new cluster from the new server hardware
  • run isolated tests on the new environment, optimally with copies of the old VMs
  • once sufficiently tested, clean up the new environment
  • stop the old servers, migrate the SAN data, (re-)create the VMs on the new cluster

That way you’d even have a fall-back environment in case of migration disaster.

Regards,
J

3

[QUOTE=warper2;57006]
I guess the big question I have is it possible to have the 2 new servers installed in the HA cluster with SP4 and
leave the other servers at sp2. When everything is done being configure remove the SP2 servers from the HA
cluster and just have 2 servers running the cluster. I am not sure whether this is a clean way to do it.[/QUOTE]

Abandon that hope. I have tried to simulate SP2 to SP4 upgrade (each node to become SP4 and joined in the cluster for smooth fail over), but from 3 nodes - 1 never managed to connect to the cluster until all nodes got SP4.
Most probably you can do it this way - new nodes in SP3 (got no issues during my tests), then migrate the resources and upgrade the other nodes to SP4.

One SP difference is possible, 2 showed in my tests that it is a problem (33 % of the cases) :slight_smile:

Of course , you can consider SLES 15.1 if the app allows it.