Upgrading the PureData System for Analytics Netezza Platform Software (NPS)

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The Netezza database (NPS) upgrade process is a robust, single command operation. IBM Support is now pleased to announce that beginning July 1st 2016, PureData for Analytics (PDA) clients will now have the option to manage NPS upgrades themselves.

This provides greater flexibility to our clients and improves clients self sufficiency's to perform NPS upgrades.

Please note that IBM Support will continue to be available for clients to perform any upgrade related activities including NPS only upgrades. This is purely a value add we are extending to our clients around NPS upgrades and giving them an alternate option as opposed to waiting on IBM.

FDT, HPF and OS upgrades will continue to be performed by IBM support and the process for logging a ticket and booking a slot for those remains unchanged.

Please download the desired or latest software package, nz-nps-<version>.tar.gz, from IBM Support: Fix Central along with documentation package, nz-npsdoc-<version>.tar.gz. The documentation package contains our IBM Netezza Software Upgrade Guide containing important detailed instructions you need to review. After you are familiar with the detailed process you can use this technote for quick reference. It is very important to allow nzupgrade to finish after it has started, even if it is failing because it will take the system back to the NPS version it was prior to the upgrade.

If you experience issues you are unable to resolve with reference to the IBM Support Portal or IBM Knowledge Center then please log a PMR with IBM support for further assistance.

NPS Upgrade Checklist:

1. Carry out a precheck 2-7 days before the upgrade. If the precheck fails, the upgrade might need to be rescheduled.
Follow Technote 1981703: NPS Upgrade precheck for PureData for Analytics.

2. Log in to the active host as the nz user.

3. Disable call home events:
a. If you are using an NPS release before 7.2.0.x, use:
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzOpenPmr --off
b. If you are running a 7.2.0.x release and are planning to upgrade to a later 7.2.0.x release, use:
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzcallhome -off

4.Gather stats as nz use and save them to /nzscratch/upgrade/log :
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzstats 2>&1 | tee preupg.out
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzrev 2>&1 | tee -a preupg.out
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzds -issues 2>&1 | tee -a preupg.out
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzhw -issues 2>&1 | tee -a preupg.out
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzspupart -issues 2>&1 | tee -a preupg.out



5. Run nzhostbackup as follows (Run as nz user) :

nzhostbackup /nzscratch/$(uname -n).backup.$(date "+%m%d%Y").pos.tgz
Note : It will take Approximetly 15-20 Minutes depending on the size of Catalog.

6. Run nzupgrade command provided by nzupgrade check during precheck (Run as root user) :
E.g. [root@nzhost ~]$ /nz/kit.<version>/sbin/nzupgrade upgrade

7. If you want to monitor the upgrade, tail the corresponding upgrade log
/nz/var/log/upgrade.YYYYMMDD.<version>.upgrade

Note: It is very important not to stop nzupgrade once it has started. It needs to allowed to finish regardless of duration time.

8. Once the upgrade has been completed, start NPS as nz user :
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzstart

Note: Message "nzstart: Warning: system did not go online after 600 seconds." is not an indication of failure. Please proceed and monitor for at least 10 minutes to allow the system time to come online on its own.

9. Monitor /nz/kit/log/startupsvr/startupsvr.log until Discovering state is noticed.

10. Login as nz user, monitor SPUs stats unitl all SPUs are Online :
[nz@nzhost nz]$ watch nzhw -type spu

11. In another screen, you can also monitor /nz/kit/log/sysmgr/sysmgr.log until Online state is noticed.

Once system is online:

1. Verify stats checked at the beginning as nz user and save them to /nzscratch/upgrade/log :

[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzstats 2>&1 | tee postupg.out
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzrev 2>&1 | tee -a postupg.out
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzds -issues 2>&1 | tee -a postupg.out
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzhw -issues 2>&1 | tee -a postpg.out
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzspupart -issues 2>&1 | tee -a postupg.out

2. Enable call home events as nz user :

a. If you are using an NPS release before 7.2.0.x, use:
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzOpenPmr --on
b. If you are running a 7.2.0.x release and are planning to upgrade to a later 7.2.0.x release, use:
[nz@nzhost ~]$ nzcallhome -on