Release of the QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 8 SFS (7.3.1.20190228154648)

Content

Upgrade information
QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 8 resolves reported issues from users and administrators from previous QRadar versions. This cumulative software update fixes known software issues in your QRadar deployment. QRadar software updates are installed by using an SFS file. The software update can update all appliances attached to the QRadar Console. If you have installed any of the following QRadar versions, install software update 7.3.1-QRADAR-QRSIEM-20190228154648 to upgrade to QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 8:

The 7.3.1-QRADAR-QRSIEM-20190228154648 SFS file can upgrade QRadar 7.3.0 to QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 8. However, this document does not cover all the installation messages and requirements, such as changes to appliance memory requirements or browser requirements for QRadar. To review any additional requirements, see the QRadar Upgrade Guide .

See QRadar: Software update check list for administrators for a list of steps to review before updating your QRadar deployment.

Before you begin
Ensure that you take the following precautions:

• Back up your data before you begin any software upgrade. For more information about backup and recovery, see the QRadar Administration Guide .
• To avoid access errors in your log file, close all open QRadar sessions.
• The software update for QRadar cannot be installed on a managed host that is at a different software version from the Console. All appliances in the deployment must be at the same software revision to update the entire deployment.
• Verify that all changes are deployed on your appliances. The update cannot install on appliances that have changes that are not deployed.
• If this is a new installation, review the instructions in the QRadar Installation Guide .

Installing the QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 8 Software Update
These instructions guide you through the process of upgrading an existing QRadar version from 7.3.1 to QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 8. For information about updating appliances in parallel, see: QRadar: How to Update Appliances in Parallel .

Procedure

1. Download the software update to install QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 8 from the IBM Fix Central website: https://www-945.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/selectFixes?product=ibm%2FOther+software%2FIBM+Security+QRadar+Vulnerability+Manager&fixids=7.3.1-QRADAR-QRSIEM-20181123182336&function=fixId&parent=IBM%20Security
2. Use SSH to log in to your Console as the root user.
3. To verify that you have enough space (3 GB) in /storetmp for the QRadar Console, type:
   df -h /tmp /storetmp /store/transient | tee diskchecks.txt
   • Best directory option: /storetmp
     It is available on all appliance types, is not cleaned up if you need to postpone your update, and is available on all appliance types at all versions. In QRadar 7.3.0 versions /storetmp is a symlink to the /storetmp partition.
   • 2nd best directory option: /tmp
     This directory is available on all appliances, but in the 7.3.0 versions it is significantly smaller. Moving a file to this directory can cause services to stop. If you leave a file in /tmp for 10 days without completing the SFS update, it might get cleaned up by Red Hat's tmpwatch cron job.
   • 3rd best option: /store/transient
     The store/transient directory was introduced in QRadar 7.2.1 and is allocated 10% of the overall /store directory. However, this directory does not exist on all appliances, such as QFlow or QRadar Network Insights and might not be an actual partition on all appliances.

     
     If the disk check command fails, retype the quotation marks from your terminal, and then re-run the command. This command returns the details to both the command window and to a file on the Console named diskchecks.txt. Review this file to ensure that all appliances have at minimum 3 GB of space available in a directory to copy the SFS before attempting to move the file to a managed host. If required, free up disk space on any host that fails to have less that 3 GB available.

     
     Note: In QRadar 7.3.0 and later, an update to directory structure for STIG compliant directories reduces the size of several partitions. This can impact moving large files to QRadar.

4. To create the /media/updates directory, type the following command: mkdir -p /media/updates
5. Use SCP to copy the files to the /storetmp directory on the QRadar Console or a location with 3 GB of disk space.
6. Change to the directory where you copied the software update file. For example, cd /storetmp
7. To check for any previously mounted files in the /media/updates directory, type the following command:
   df -h
8. You must unmount any previously mounted files before you mount this software update file. To unmount any previously mounted files, type the following command:
   umount /media/updates
9. To mount the software update file to the /media/updates directory, type the following command:
   mount -o loop -t squashfs /storetmp/731_QRadar_patchupdate-7.3.1.20190228154648.sfs /media/updates
10. To run the software update installer, type the following command: /media/updates/installer
    Note: The first time that you run the software update, there might be a delay before the installation menu displays.
11. Using the software update installer, select all.
    • The all option updates the software on all appliances in the following order:

      
      1. Console.
      2. No order required for remaining appliances. All remaining appliances can be updated in any order you require.

    • If you do not select the all option, you must select your Console appliance.
      
      As of QRadar 7.2.6 Patch 4 and later, you are only provided the option to update all or update the Console appliance. Managed hosts are not displayed in the installation menu to ensure that the Console is updated first. After the Console is updated, a list of managed hosts that can be updated is displayed in the installation menu. This change was made starting with QRadar 7.2.6 Patch 4 to ensure that the Console appliance is always updated before managed hosts, to prevent upgrade issues.
      
      If you want to update systems in series, you can update the Console first, then copy the software update to all other appliances and run the installer individually on each managed host. The Console must be updated before you can run the installer on managed hosts. When updating in parallel, there is no order required in how you update appliances after the Console is updated.
      
      If your Secure Shell (SSH) session is disconnected while the upgrade is in progress, the upgrade continues. When you reopen your SSH session and re-run the installer, the software update installation resumes.
      
      Note: In QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 6, a kernel update was introduced to address issues with appliances failing to log in or list unit files. These issues could prevent the appliance from rebooting. This new kernel does not take effect until the appliance is rebooted. You might need to reboot your system manually for the kernel update to take effect.

To work around this issue, do one of the following:

•  If you are able to use SSH, type the following command: systemctl --force --force reboot
•  If you are not able to use SSH, you must perform a cold reboot of the appliance. To do this, physically reboot the appliance or use Integrated Management Module (IMM)

Installation wrap-up

1. After the update completes and you have exited the installer, type the following command: umount /media/updates
2. Clear your browser cache before logging in to the Console.
   
   Results
   A summary of the software update installation advises you of any managed host that were not updated. If the software update fails to update a managed host, you can copy the software update to the host and run the installation locally.
   
   After all hosts are updated, you can send an email to your team to inform them that they will need to clear their browser cache before logging in to the QRadar SIEM interface.

Known and Resolved Issues

Some APAR links in the following table might take 24 hours to display properly after a software release is posted to IBM Fix Central.

Where do I find more information?