Requirements for upgrading v10 versions on VMware

Before upgrading API Connect on VMware, ensure that your deployment meets all the upgrade requirements.

  • Supported upgrades:
    Upgrade from Upgrade to the latest iFix for v10.0.1.2
    v2018-fp15 Upgrading from v2018 to v10.0.1.2 on VMware
    • v10.0.0.0
    • v10.0.0.0-ifix2
    • v10.0.1.0
    • v10.0.1.1
    		 Upgrading from v10 to v10.0.1.2
    • v10.0.1.2
    • v10.0.1.2 plus any iFix older than the latest iFix
    		 Upgrading from v10.0.1.2 to v10.0.1.2 with the latest iFix on VMware

  • The instructions for upgrading apply to the latest Fix Pack plus iFix version. Ensure that you are upgrading to the latest Fix Pack version. For information on the latest Fix Pack, see What's New in the latest release.

  • Before starting the upgrade, verify that API Connection deployment is fully operational. See Checking cluster health on VMware.

    This step is optional because a health check will be run automatically as part of the apicup subsys install command. Note that you might still want to run the health check when preparing for the upgrade, to ensure the health of the backup image you must create prior to running apicup subsys install.

  • When upgrading API Connect, complete a manual backup of the management database and Portal subsystem just prior to starting the upgrade. Note that this backup is in addition to any scheduled backups that you have configured. The manual backup ensures that any data changes that occurred after the most recent scheduled backup are captured.

    For details on creating a backup, see Backing up the Management subsystem in a VMware environment and Backing up and restoring the Developer Portal in a VMware environment.

  • Ensure that port 9178 is open between the Analytics, Management, and Portal subsystems and the system running apicup.

    An i/o timeout error can occur if the firewall rejects traffic to the appliance. Make sure port 9178 is open and try again. Example error message:

    apicup subsys install test-analytics upgrade_analytics_lts_v10.0.1.0.tgz
INFO[0000] Preparing update
INFO[0010] Sending update packet to cluster (connected to testsrv0192.subnet1.example.com)
Error: failed to install the subsystem: unable to open file send stream:  
 rpc error: code = Unavailable desc = all SubConns are in TransientFailure, 
 latest connection error: connection error: 
 desc = "transport: Error while dialing dial tcp 1.2.3.4:9178: i/o timeout"
  • If not already set up, send your deployment logs to a remote server. The upgrade process terminates pods, and the logs will be lost if not stored remotely. To send your deployment logs to a remote server, see Configuring remote logging for a VMware deployment.
  • Download the Install Assist (APICUP) installer from the same URL where you download your Fix Pack version. You must use the latest Install Assist package with the latest product version.
  • The original project directory created with the APICUP installer during the initial product installation (for example, myProject) is required to both restore the database and to upgrade your deployment. You cannot restore the database or perform an upgrade without the initial project directory because it contains pertinent information about the cluster. A good practice is to back up the original project directory to a location from which it can always be retrieved.
  • If the upgrade is initiated from the original project directory, the certificates are automatically copied into the upgraded version. The original project directory contains the apiconnect-up.yml file. An upgrade using the same project directory as the one used for installation will transfer the encryption-secret and all other certificates for the project to the upgraded version.
  • All external traffic to the management server must be blocked during the upgrade of the management subsystem. This restriction applies to traffic from all sources via the user interfaces (Cloud Manager, API Manager), CLI, and REST API. The Cloud Manager and API Manager UIs cannot be used during the upgrade of the management subsystem. The Developer Portal also cannot be used to create, update, or delete any applications, subscriptions, memberships, or consumer organizations during the time
  • The upgrade order for subsystems is important. Upgrade the subsystems in the following order: (1) Management, (2) Portal (3) Analytics (4) Gateway. Management must be upgraded first. Gateway must be upgraded after Management because upgrading the Management service before the Gateway ensures that any new policies and capabilities will be available to a previously registered Gateway service.
  • When maintaining API Connect, do not use kubectl exec commands to access API Connect pods unless advised by IBM.

    Do not make any changes on the deployed VMs unless documented here or otherwise advised by IBM. Attempting to manually update packages, adding new users, or installing new software will likely cause problems. Operating system updates are handled by API Connect fix packs.