Upgrading Operator releases

Operator channels and versions

New versions of the IBM App Connect Operator are delivered through the following subscription channel. (For a summary of the features in each custom resource version, see IBM App Connect operand versions and features.)

Upgrade considerations for channels, versions, and licenses

To obtain curated versions of the IBM App Connect Operator, clusters that are connected to the internet can either access the IBM Operator Catalog or a product-specific App Connect catalog. Clusters in an air-gapped (restricted network) environment, which is not connected to the internet, similarly use a product-specific App Connect catalog within the network. The Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM), which runs by default in the cluster, queries the catalog for new versions of the IBM App Connect Operator.

The IBM App Connect Operator is installed and managed by OLM. OLM tracks the specified channel in the catalog for new versions of the Operator, and based on the approval strategy specified during installation identifies whether an automatic or manual upgrade should occur for a running Operator.

• Upgrading from an earlier IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x (for example, 5.0.16) to a subsequent 5.0.x (for example, 5.0.17): If Automatic approval is set on the Operator's subscription, OLM automatically upgrades the Operator to the latest version, but requires manual intervention if Manual approval is set on the subscription.
• Upgrading from an existing Extended Update Support (EUS) release or Continuous Delivery (CD) release to IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x: You can upgrade from the latest EUS, or a 4.2.0 CD release to IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x. Because IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x is delivered on a different channel from the EUS or CD releases, you must initialize an upgrade to the latest LTS version. You can do so by manually updating the existing v1.1-eus channel, or v4.2 CD channel in your Operator subscription to the v5.0-lts channel. OLM will then track the v5.0-lts channel in the catalog for new versions of the Operator, and upgrade the Operator according to the approval strategy that was specified during installation.
  Note: If you want to move from a 5.1.0 or later CD release to an LTS release, the only supported path is as follows:

  1. Install IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x.
  2. In the 5.0.x LTS environment, re-create the instances that exist in your CD release. (Ensure that licensing requirements for the LTS environment are met.)
  3. Manually migrate any event-driven or API flows, integration servers, and configuration objects into the 5.0.x LTS environment. Be aware that new features and enhancements that exist in a 5.1.0 or later CD release will not be available in the 5.0.x LTS environment.

After the Operator is upgraded, it determines how to upgrade existing instances of your custom resources:

• If you upgraded from an earlier IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x to the latest 5.0.x version in the v5.0-lts channel, existing instances of your custom resources will be upgraded as follows:
  • If the same licenses apply and spec.version is set to a channel, OLM will automatically upgrade an instance to the latest version.
  • If the same licenses apply and spec.version is set to a fully qualified version number, you will need to update the spec.version value for an instance to upgrade to the latest version. You can specify the latest fully qualified version number or a channel.
  • If a new set of licenses are required, and spec.version is set to the 12.0-lts channel, you will need to update the spec.license.licence value for an instance in order to complete the upgrade. (LTS Operator versions can sometimes include new versions of the IBM App Connect Enterprise image in addition to fixes, so new licenses might be required to run the instances.)
  • If a new set of licenses are required, and spec.version is set to an earlier 12.0.M-lts channel (for example, 12.0.11-lts), you will need to complete the upgrade as follows:
    • Update the spec.license.licence value.
    • Update the spec.version value to the latest 12.0.M-lts channel (for example, 12.0.12-lts).
  • If a new set of licenses are required, and spec.version is set to a fully qualified version number, you will need to complete the upgrade as follows:
    • Update the spec.license.licence value.
    • Update the spec.version value to the latest fully qualified version number or to a channel.
• If you upgraded from an EUS or a CD release of the IBM App Connect Operator to an LTS Operator 5.0.x release, manual intervention will be required to upgrade existing instances of your custom resources to LTS:
  • To upgrade your instances to the latest LTS-specific version that the Operator provides, you must ensure that the spec.version value is set to subscribe to any of these values:
    • The 12.0-lts or 12.0.12-lts custom resource channel
    • The fully qualified 12.0.12.0-rX-lts version
  • Because new LTS-specific licenses are required to run the instances, you must also update the spec.license.licence value.

For more information, see spec.version values and Licensing reference for IBM App Connect Operator.

Upgrade sequence

Complete the following sequence of tasks. Ensure that you review any considerations for upgrading your Operator and instances.