8.4 Upgrading the Filr, Search, or Database Appliances

The method of upgrading is the same for the Filr appliance, search appliance, and the database appliance.

Although it is possible to install a new search index appliance and subsequently re-index your data, Novell recommends that in a production environment you upgrade your existing search index appliances rather than install new appliances and re-index your data. 

The data location for the original appliance that you are upgrading from must be independent of the appliance on a separate VMware, Xen, or Hyper-V hard disk, as described in Section 1.2, Filr System Requirements.

The upgrade process differs depending on your virtual platform.

IMPORTANT:You can upgrade only to the same virtual platform as the platform where you deployed your original Filr system. For example, if your original Filr system was deployed on VMware, you can upgrade only to VMware.

8.4.1 VMware

  1. Download the software to your management workstation:

    • Filr Appliance: Filr.x86_64-version.ovf.zip

    • Search Appliance: Filrsearch-version.ovf.zip

    • Database Appliance: MySQL.x86_64-version.ovf.zip

    You can access the software from the Novell Customer Center (NCC). Or, you can access an evaluation version of the on the Novell Downloads page.

  2. Extract the file that you downloaded in Step 1 on your management workstation until one of the following folders appears, depending on which appliance you are upgrading:

    • Filr-version

    • Filrsearch-version

    • MySQL-version

  3. In the vSphere client, click File > Deploy OVF Template.

  4. Browse to and select the .ovf file in the Filr-version file folder.

  5. Click Next.

  6. Click Next again.

  7. In the Name field, rename the Filr appliance to a name of your choosing, then click Next.

  8. Select the datastore where you want to store the virtual machine files, then click Next.

  9. Click Next to accept the default for the disk format.

  10. Click Finish.

  11. Shut down the appliance you are upgrading from.

    IMPORTANT:When shutting down the appliance, be aware of the following limitations:

    • In a large deployment with one or more Filr appliances, always bring down the Filr appliances first before you bring down the search appliances or database appliance. When restarting, start the Filr appliances last.

    • In a large deployment with one or more Filr appliances, complete the search appliance upgrades before attempting to upgrade the Filr appliances. If the source Filr system contains multiple search index appliances, all search appliances must be upgraded and available before you run the Upgrade wizard for the Filr appliances. If not, the upgrade is not successful.

      Rolling upgrades (upgrading one Filr or search index server while another continues to serve clients) are not supported when upgrading Filr in a clustered environment. This issue does not affect small or non-clustered large deployments.

    • When you shut down the appliance, use the Shutdown button from the Novell Appliance Configuration screen (as described in Shutting Down and Restarting the Novell Appliance in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide). You can also use the init 0 command from the appliance console when you are logged in as root.

  12. Before you power on the new appliance, point it to a copy of the VMware data disk that your previous appliance used (Hard Disk 2). (This is the copy that you created in Section 8.3, Copying the Appliance Data Storage Location to Prepare for the Upgrade.)

    For example, for ESX 5.x:

    1. In the vSphere client, right-click the virtual machine that you just created, and for which you want to create secondary storage, then click Edit Settings.

      The Virtual Machine Properties page is displayed.

    2. On the Hardware tab, click Add.

      The Add Hardware dialog box is displayed.

    3. Select Hard Disk, then click Next.

    4. Select Use an existing virtual disk, then click Next.

    5. Next to the Disk File Path field, click Browse, browse to and select the datastore or datastore cluster where you copied the VMware data disk that your previous appliance used (Hard Disk 2). (This is the copy that you created in Section 8.3, Copying the Appliance Data Storage Location to Prepare for the Upgrade.) Then click OK.

    6. Click Next.

    7. In the Virtual Device Node section, select SCSI (1:0) from the drop-down list.

    8. (Optional) In the Mode section, select Independent, select Persistent.

      This is a recommended best practice to prevent snapshots, which must be removed before any future upgrades are performed.

    9. Click Next.

    10. Click Finish.

  13. Create another separate VMware hard disk for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store the /var directory for the appliance. (The /var directory is where system events for the Novell appliances are logged.)

    1. In the Virtual Machine Properties window, on the Hardware tab, click Add.

    2. Select Hard Disk, then click Next.

    3. Leave Create a new virtual disk selected, then click Next.

    4. In the Disk Size field, specify the amount of hard disk space that you want to allocate. The recommended minimum is 40 GB.

      For more detailed information about the type of information that is stored here, see Filr Appliance Storage.

    5. In the Location section, select Specify a datastore or datastore cluster, then click Browse.

    6. Select a datastore, then click OK.

    7. Click Next.

    8. In the Virtual Device Node section, select SCSI (2:0) from the drop-down list.

    9. Leave the Mode section blank, then click Next.

      You do not need to select anything in this section, because unlike Hard Disk 2, this hard disk does not need to be carried over on an upgrade.

    10. Click Finish.

  14. (Conditional) If you added an additional Network Interface Controller (NIC) when you installed the Filr appliance, point the new appliance to the secondary NIC.

    IMPORTANT:An additional NIC should be used only if you have multiple networks associated with the Filr site for one or more of the following purposes:

    • Appliance administration

    • An NFS mount or CIFS share for the /vashare mount point

    • Security of memcached in a Filr-clustered deployment

    Bonding or teaming NICs is not supported with Filr.

    1. In the Virtual Machine Properties window, on the Hardware tab, click Add.

      The Add Hardware dialog box is displayed.

    2. Select Ethernet Adapter, then click Next.

    3. In the Network Label drop-down list, select the name of the secondary NIC.

    4. Click Next > Finish.

  15. Increase the amount of memory that VMware allocates for the Filr appliance.

    The default of 8 GB is the recommended minimum amount of memory for a large deployment. Novell also recommends 2 CPUs.

    For an all-in-one deployment, you should increase the default to at least 12 GB of memory and 4 CPUs.

    Small deployments require more CPUs and memory because in a small deployment, all components are running on a single virtual machine.

    IMPORTANT:When you increase or decrease server memory for the Filr appliance or the search index appliance, you should also modify the Java heap size, as described in Changing the JVM Configuration Settings in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide, and in Section 5.1, Configuring the Search Index Appliance.

    At least half of the memory should be dedicated to the Java heap. You cannot adjust the Java heap until after the appliance is installed.

    1. In the Virtual Machine Properties window, select Memory, then increase the setting to a suitable size for your environment.

    2. Click OK to exit the Virtual Machine Properties window.

  16. Before powering on the appliance that you are upgrading, ensure that the appliance has all the required disks:

    Appliance Type

    Appliance Disk (Disk 1)

    (Created new in Filr 2.0 System)

    /vastorage (Disk 2)

    (Copied from original system)

    /var (Disk 3)

    (Created new in Filr 2.0 System)

    MySQL

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 12.

    Required

    New

    See Step 13.

    Search Index

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 12.

    Required

    New

    See Step 13.

    Filr

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 12.

    Required

    New

    See Step 13.

  17. Power on the appliance (virtual machine).

    IMPORTANT:In a large deployment, you must power on the search index and database appliances before you power on the Filr appliance. These appliances must be running at the time you power on the Filr appliance.

  18. Click the Console tab.

    A dialog box is displayed, prompting for the root and vaadmin passwords.

    If this dialog box is not displayed after powering on the appliance, begin the upgrade process again and ensure that you have configured the new Filr system to point to the data storage location of the source Filr system.

  19. Specify and confirm the root and vaadmin passwords for the appliance you are upgrading from, then click OK.

    A message indicating that the upgrade was successful is displayed.

    IMPORTANT:At this stage of the upgrade process, consider the following:

    • When upgrading multiple Filr appliances in a large installation, you must wait for the upgrade to succeed on one Filr appliance before beginning the upgrade process for another Filr appliance in the cluster.

    • When upgrading the Filr database, the upgrade process can take a significant amount of time with no visual indication that upgrade is in process. It is typical for the upgrade to take 10 minutes for every 1 GB of information in the database. For example, upgrading a 6 GB database takes about one hour to complete.

  20. In a browser, navigate to the following URL:

    https://ip_address:9443

    Use the IP address or DNS name of the server that you specified during the appliance installation.

  21. You can now log in to the appliance using the vaadmin user and the password that you set.

    The Novell Filr Appliance, Novell MySQL Appliance, or Novell Filr Search Appliance landing page is displayed, depending on which appliance you are upgrading.

  22. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the search appliance:

    1. Click the Filr Search Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Search Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

  23. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the database appliance:

    1. Click the phpMyAdmin icon.

    2. Verify that the database is populated.

  24. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the Filr appliance in a large deployment:

    1. Click the Filr Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Filr Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings page, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

      Following are common configuration issues:

      • If your system is not using DNS, this is most likely a problem due to unresolvable DNS names and missing /etc/hosts entries.

      • The Filr appliance does not have access to the database.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

  25. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the Filr appliance in a small deployment:

    1. Click the Filr Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Filr Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings page, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

    4. Click Home, then click the phpMyAdmin icon.

    5. Verify that the database is populated.

  26. In a large deployment, repeat this process for each appliance in the Filr system.

    For information about how to add additional Filr appliances to the Filr system, see Adding a Filr Appliance to an Existing Deployment to Accommodate System Load.

  27. Continue with Section 8.5, Performing Post-Upgrade Tasks.

8.4.2 Xen

IMPORTANT:You can upgrade only to the same virtual platform as the platform where you deployed your original Filr system. For example, if your original Filr system was deployed on VMware, you can upgrade only to VMware.

  1. Log in to the host server either locally or from a remote workstation.

    You can use the following command to log in to the host server from a remote workstation on Linux:

    ssh -X root@host_ip_address

    You must use the -X in the command in order to display the GUI installation program. The steps in this section use the GUI installation program to configure the server.

  2. Navigate to the /var/lib/xen/images directory on the host server.

  3. Create a new directory inside the images directory where you can download the Filr software. The name of this directory must be the same as the name that you plan to use for your Filr virtual appliance. For example, if you plan to name the Filr appliance Filr1, the name of this new directory must also be Filr1.

  4. Change to the directory that you just created. For example, /var/lib/xen/images/Filr1.

  5. Download the software to the current directory on the host server. For example:

    /var/lib/xen/images/Filr1

    • Filr Appliance: Filr.x86_64-version.xen.tar.gz

    • Search Appliance: Filrsearch-version.xen.tar.gz

    • Database Appliance: MySQL.x86_64-version.xen.tar.gz

    You can access the software from the Novell Customer Center (NCC). Or, you can access an evaluation version on the Novell Downloads page.

  6. Untar the file that you downloaded in Step 5 in the directory where you downloaded it.

    You can use the following command to untar the file:

    tar -Sxvzf Filr.x86_64-version.xen.tar.gz

    A filr-version directory is created; it contains a .raw file that you will use to run the virtual image. This process can take a few minutes.

  7. From the host server, run the following command to launch the GUI configuration menu:

    vm-install

    The Create a Virtual Machine wizard is displayed.

  8. Click Forward.

  9. Select I have a disk or disk image with an installed operating system, then click Forward.

  10. Leave SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 selected, then click Forward.

  11. Rename the virtual machine by clicking Name of Virtual Machine and specifying a new name in the Name field. Then click Apply. For example, Filr1.

  12. Configure the amount of memory and number of CPUs that Xen allocates for the Filr appliance.

    1. On the Summary page, click Hardware, then specify the following information:

      Available Memory: Displays the amount of memory that is available on the host server.

      Initial Memory: 8 GB is the recommended minimum for a large deployment.

      For an all-in-one deployment, you should increase the default to at least 12 GB of memory.

      Small deployments require more memory because in a small deployment, all components are running on a single virtual machine.

      IMPORTANT:When you increase or decrease server memory for the Filr appliance or the search index appliance, you should also modify the Java heap size, as described in Changing the JVM Configuration Settings in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide, and in Section 5.1, Configuring the Search Index Appliance.

      At least half of the memory should be dedicated to the Java heap. You cannot adjust the Java heap until after the appliance is installed.

      Maximum Memory: Set this to the same value as you set for Initial Memory.

      Available Processors: Displays the number of available processors on the host server.

      Virtual Processors: Specify 2 CPUs for a large deployment and 4 CPUs for a small deployment. At least half of the memory should be dedicated to the Java heap. (Java heap is set in the Filr configuration.)

      Small deployments require more CPUs because in a small deployment, all components are running on a single virtual machine.

    2. Click Apply.

  13. Configure the bootable disk image:

    1. On the Summary page, click Disks.

    2. Click Harddisk.

    3. On the Virtual Disk page, specify the following information:

      Source: Click Browse, then browse to the .raw file that you untared in Step 6.

      Protocol: Select file:.

      Size (GB): The default size is 40.1 GB. This cannot be changed.

      Create Sparse Image File: This option is not available.

      Read-Only Access: Do not select this option.

    4. Click OK.

  14. Shut down the appliance that you are upgrading.

    IMPORTANT:When shutting down the appliance, be aware of the following limitations:

    • In a large deployment with one or more Filr appliances, always bring down the Filr appliances first before you bring down the search appliances or database appliance. When restarting, start the Filr appliances last.

    • In a large deployment with one or more Filr appliances, complete the search appliance upgrades before attempting to upgrade the Filr appliances. If the source Filr system contains multiple search index appliances, all search appliances must be upgraded and available before you run the Upgrade wizard for the Filr appliances. If not, the upgrade is not successful.

      Rolling upgrades (upgrading one Filr or search index server while another continues to serve clients) are not supported when upgrading Filr in a clustered environment. This issue does not affect small or non-clustered large deployments.

    • When you shut down the appliance, use the Shutdown button from the Novell Appliance Configuration screen (as described in Shutting Down and Restarting the Novell Appliance in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide). You can also use the init 0 command from the appliance console when you are logged in as root.

  15. Before you power on the new appliance, point it to a copy of the Xen data disk (Hard Disk 2) that your previous appliance used. (This is the copy that you created in Section 8.3, Copying the Appliance Data Storage Location to Prepare for the Upgrade.)

    1. On the Disks page, click Harddisk.

    2. On the Virtual Disk page, specify the following information:

      Source: This field should already contain the path to the .raw file that will be created when the virtual machine is created. If desired, you can rename the disk in the source field from disk0 to a name of your choosing.

      Protocol: Select file:.

      Size (GB): Specify the amount of hard disk space that you want to allocate. The recommended minimum is 100 GB.

      Create Sparse Image File: Select this option.

      Read-Only Access: Do not select this option.

  16. Create another separate Xen hard disk for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store the /var directory for the appliance. (The /var directory is where system events for the Novell appliances are logged.)

    1. On the Disks page, click Harddisk.

    2. On the Virtual Disk page, specify the following information:

      Source: This field should already contain the path to the .raw file that will be created when the virtual machine is created. If desired, you can rename the disk in the source field from disk0 to a name of your choosing.

      Protocol: Select file:.

      Size (GB): Specify the amount of hard disk space that you want to allocate. The recommended minimum is 40 GB.

      For more detailed information about the type of information that is stored here, see Filr Appliance Storage.

      Create Sparse Image File: Select this option.

      Read-Only Access: Do not select this option.

  17. (Conditional) If you added an additional Network Interface Controller (NIC) when you installed the Filr appliance, point the new appliance to the secondary NIC.

    IMPORTANT:An additional NIC should be used only if you have multiple networks associated with the Filr site for one or more of the following purposes:

    • Appliance administration

    • An NFS mount or CIFS share for the /vashare mount point

    • Security of memcached in a Filr-clustered deployment

    Bonding or teaming NICs is not supported with Filr.

    1. From the virtual machine page, click Add Hardware.

    2. Select Network.

    3. In the Host device drop-down list, select the name of the secondary NIC.

    4. Click Finish.

  18. Before powering on the appliance that you are upgrading, ensure that the appliance has all the required disks:

    Appliance Type

    Appliance Disk (Disk 1)

    /vastorage (Disk 2)

    (Copied from original system)

    /var (Disk 3)

    (Created new in Filr 2.0 System)

    MySQL

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 15.

    Required

    New

    See Step 16.

    Search Index

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 15.

    Required

    New

    See Step 16.

    Filr

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 15.

    Required

    New

    See Step 16.

  19. Power on the appliance (virtual machine).

    IMPORTANT:In a large deployment, you must power on the search index and database appliances before you power on the Filr appliance. These appliances must be running at the time you power on the Filr appliance.

  20. Click the Console tab.

    A dialog box is displayed, prompting for the root and vaadmin passwords.

    If this dialog box is not displayed after powering on the appliance, begin the upgrade process again and ensure that you have configured the new Filr system to point to the data storage location of the source Filr system.

  21. Specify and confirm the root and vaadmin passwords for the appliance you are upgrading from, then click OK.

    A message indicating that the upgrade was successful is displayed.

    IMPORTANT:At this stage of the upgrade process, consider the following:

    • When upgrading multiple Filr appliances in a large installation, you must wait for the upgrade to succeed on one Filr appliance before beginning the upgrade process for another Filr appliance in the cluster.

    • When upgrading the Filr database, the upgrade process can take a significant amount of time with no visual indication that upgrade is in process. It is typical for the upgrade to take 10 minutes for every 1 GB of information in the database. For example, upgrading a 6 GB database takes about one hour to complete.

  22. Click Configure.

    A message indicating that the installation was successful is displayed.

  23. In a browser, navigate to the following URL:

    https://ip_address:9443

    Use the IP address or DNS name of the server that you specified during the appliance installation.

  24. Log in to the appliance using the vaadmin user and the password that you set.

    The Novell Filr Appliance, Novell MySQL Appliance, or Novell Filr Search Appliance landing page is displayed, depending on which appliance you are upgrading.

  25. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the search appliance:

    1. Click the Filr Search Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Search Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings page, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

  26. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the database appliance:

    1. Click the phpMyAdmin icon.

    2. Verify that the database is populated.

  27. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the Filr appliance in a large deployment:

    1. Click the Filr Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Filr Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings page, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

      Following are common configuration issues:

      • If your system is not using DNS, this is most likely a problem due to unresolvable DNS names and missing /etc/hosts entries.

      • The Filr appliance does not have access to the database.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

  28. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the Filr appliance in a small deployment:

    1. Click the Filr Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Search Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings page, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

    4. Click Home, then click the phpMyAdmin icon.

    5. Verify that the database is populated.

  29. In a large deployment, repeat this process for each appliance in the Filr system.

    For information about how to add additional Filr appliances to the Filr system, see Adding a Filr Appliance to an Existing Deployment to Accommodate System Load.

  30. Continue with Section 8.5, Performing Post-Upgrade Tasks.

8.4.3 Hyper-V

IMPORTANT:You can upgrade only to the same virtual platform as the platform where you deployed your original Filr system. For example, if your original Filr system was deployed on VMware, you can upgrade only to VMware.

  1. Log in to the host server either locally or from a remote workstation.

    You can use Windows Remote Desktop to log in to the host server from a remote workstation.

  2. Create a new directory in the location where you want each virtual machine to reside (for example, C:\Users\Public\Documents\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks). In a later step, you will download the Filr software to this directory.

    As a best practice, give this directory the same name that you plan to use for your Filr virtual appliance. For example, if you plan to name the Filr appliance Filr1, the name of this new directory should also be Filr1.

  3. Download the software to your management workstation:

    • Filr Appliance: Filr.x86_64-version.ovf.zip

    • Search Appliance: Filrsearch-version.ovf.zip

    • Database Appliance: MySQL.x86_64-version.ovf.zip

    You can access the software from the Novell Customer Center (NCC). Or, you can access an evaluation version on the Novell Downloads page.

  4. Extract the file that you downloaded in Step 3 to a the directory on the host server that you created in Step 2.

  5. Open the Hyper-V Manager.

  6. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the disk name in the Action Pane where you want to create the new virtual machine, then click New > Virtual Machine.

    The New Virtual Machine Wizard is displayed.

  7. Review the Before You Begin page, then click Next.

  8. In the Name field, specify a name for the new virtual machine. For example, Filr1.

  9. Click Next.

  10. In the Startup memory field, specify the amount of memory (in MB) to allocate to the virtual machine. 8 GB (8192 MB) is the recommended minimum for a large deployment of Filr.

    For an all-in-one (small) deployment, you should increase the default to at least 12 GB (12288 MB) of memory. Small deployments require more memory because in a small deployment, all components are running on a single virtual machine.

    IMPORTANT:When you increase or decrease server memory for the Filr appliance or the search index appliance, you should also modify the Java heap size, as described in Changing the JVM Configuration Settings in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide, and in Section 5.1, Configuring the Search Index Appliance.

    At least half of the memory should be dedicated to the Java heap. You cannot adjust the Java heap until after the appliance is installed.

  11. Click Next.

  12. On the Configure Networking page, select the networking card of your choice, then click Next.

  13. Configure the bootable disk image:

    1. On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, select Use an existing virtual hard disk, then browse to the .vhd file that was in the downloaded .zip file that you extracted in Step 4.

    2. Click Open to select the file, then click Next.

  14. Click Finish.

    WARNING:If for any reason you need to delete the new or the previous appliance, you must unlink (remove) the disk. Otherwise, the disk is deleted. Having the disk linked to the original or to the new appliance does not provide the expected safeguard. In other words, if the disk is linked to multiple appliances and you delete one of them, the disk is deleted despite the remaining link.

  15. Shut down the appliance that you are upgrading.

    IMPORTANT:When shutting down the appliance, be aware of the following limitations:

    • In a large deployment with one or more Filr appliances, always bring down the Filr appliances first before you bring down the search appliances or database appliance. When restarting, start the Filr appliances last.

    • In a large deployment with one or more Filr appliances, complete the search appliance upgrades before attempting to upgrade the Filr appliances. If the source Filr system contains multiple search index appliances, all search appliances must be upgraded and available before you run the Upgrade wizard for the Filr appliances. If not, the upgrade is not successful.

      Rolling upgrades (upgrading one Filr or search index server while another continues to serve clients) are not supported when upgrading Filr in a clustered environment. This issue does not affect small or non-clustered large deployments.

    • When you shut down the appliance, use the Shutdown button from the Novell Appliance Configuration screen (as described in Shutting Down and Restarting the Novell Appliance in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide). You can also use the init 0 command from the appliance console when you are logged in as root.

  16. Before you power on the new appliance, point it to a copy of the Hyper-V data disk that your previous appliance used (Hard Disk 2). (This is the copy that you created in Section 8.3, Copying the Appliance Data Storage Location to Prepare for the Upgrade.)

    1. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine that you just created, then click Settings.

    2. In the Hardware section, select IDE Controller 1, select Hard Drive, then click Add.

    3. Select Virtual hard disk, then click New.

    4. Review the Before You Begin page, then click Next.

    5. On the Choose Disk Format page, select VHD, then click Next.

    6. On the Choose Disk Type page, select Fixed size, then click Next.

    7. On the Specify Name and Location page, specify the following information, then click Next:

      Name: Specify a name for the hard disk. For example, FilrDisk2.

      Location: Specify the location where you want the hard drive to be located.

    8. On the Configure Disk page, select Use an existing blank virtual hard disk, then specify a size for the hard disk. The recommended minimum is 25 GB.

      For more detailed information about the type of information that is stored here, see Filr Appliance Storage.

    9. Click Next.

    10. Review the summary information, then click Finish > OK.

  17. Create another separate Hyper-V hard disk for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store the /var directory for the appliance. (The /var directory is where system events for the Novell appliances are logged.)

    1. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine for which you want to create a new hard disk, then click Settings.

    2. In the Add Hardware section, select IDE Controller 1, select Hard Drive, then click Add.

    3. Select Virtual hard disk, then click New.

    4. Review the Before You Begin page, then click Next.

    5. On the Choose Disk Format page, select VHD, then click Next.

    6. On the Choose Disk Type page, select Fixed size, then click Next.

    7. On the Specify Name and Location page, specify the following information, then click Next:

      Name: Specify a name for the hard disk. For example, FilrDisk3.

      Location: Specify the location where you want the hard drive to be located.

    8. On the Configure Disk page, select Create a new blank virtual hard disk, then specify a size for the hard disk. The recommended minimum is 40 GB.

      For more detailed information about the type of information that is stored here, see Filr Appliance Storage.

    9. Click Next.

    10. Review the summary information, then click Finish > OK.

  18. (Conditional) If you added an additional Network Interface Controller (NIC) when you installed the Filr appliance, point the new appliance to the secondary NIC.

    IMPORTANT:An additional NIC should be used only if you have multiple networks associated with the Filr site for one or more of the following purposes:

    • Appliance administration

    • An NFS mount or CIFS share for the /vashare mount point

    • Security of memcached in a Filr-clustered deployment

    Bonding or teaming NICs is not supported with Filr.

    1. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine for which you want to create a new hard disk, then click Settings.

    2. In the Add Hardware section, select Networks Adapter, then click Add.

    3. In the Virtual Switch drop-down list, select the name of the secondary NIC.

    4. Make any other relevant configuration changes, then click OK.

  19. Before powering on the appliance that you are upgrading, ensure that the appliance has all the required disks:

    Appliance Type

    Appliance Disk (Disk 1)

    /vastorage (Disk 2)

    (Copied from original system)

    /var (Disk 3)

    (Created new in Filr 2.0 system)

    MySQL

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 16.

    Required

    New

    See Step 17.

    Search Index

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 16.

    Required

    New

    See Step 17.

    Filr

    Required

    New

    Required

    Copied

    See Step 16.

    Required

    New

    See Step 17.

  20. Power on the appliance (virtual machine).

    IMPORTANT:In a large deployment, you must power on the search index and database appliances before you power on the Filr appliance. These appliances must be running at the time you power on the Filr appliance.

  21. Click the Console tab.

    A dialog box is displayed, prompting for the root and vaadmin passwords.

    If this dialog box is not displayed after powering on the appliance, begin the upgrade process again and ensure that you have configured the new Filr system to point to the data storage location of the source Filr system.

  22. Specify and confirm the root and vaadmin passwords for the appliance you are upgrading from, then click OK.

    A message indicating that the upgrade was successful is displayed.

    IMPORTANT:At this stage of the upgrade process, consider the following:

    • When upgrading multiple Filr appliances in a large installation, you must wait for the upgrade to succeed on one Filr appliance before beginning the upgrade process for another Filr appliance in the cluster.

    • When upgrading the Filr database, the upgrade process can take a significant amount of time with no visual indication that upgrade is in process. It is typical for the upgrade to take 10 minutes for every 1 GB of information in the database. For example, upgrading a 6 GB database takes about one hour to complete.

  23. In a browser, navigate to the following URL:

    https://ip_address:9443

    Use the IP address or DNS name of the server that you specified during the appliance installation.

  24. Log in to the appliance using the vaadmin user and the password that you set.

    The Novell Filr Appliance, Novell MySQL Appliance, or Novell Filr Search Appliance landing page is displayed, depending on which appliance you are upgrading.

  25. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the search appliance:

    1. Click the Filr Search Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Search Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings page, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

  26. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the database appliance:

    1. Click the phpMyAdmin icon.

    2. Verify that the database is populated.

  27. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the Filr appliance in a large deployment:

    1. Click the Filr Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Filr Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings page, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

      Following are common configuration issues:

      • If your system is not using DNS, this is most likely a problem due to unresolvable DNS names and missing /etc/hosts entries.

      • The Filr appliance does not have access to the database.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

  28. (Conditional) If you are upgrading the Filr appliance in a small deployment:

    1. Click the Filr Appliance Configuration icon.

      The Filr Settings page is displayed.

    2. (Conditional) If the Filr Configuration wizard is displayed rather than the Settings page, there was a problem with the configuration. Resolve any configuration issues, then click Finish to reconfigure the system.

    3. Ensure that all of the settings are set to your desired specifications.

    4. Click Home, then click the phpMyAdmin icon.

    5. Verify that the database is populated.

    6. (Optional) On the target Filr system, remove the disk that you used for the backup of the database from the database appliance. You can either delete the disk or store it in a separate location.

  29. In a large deployment, repeat this process for each appliance in the Filr system.

    For information about how to add additional Filr appliances to the Filr system, see Adding a Filr Appliance to an Existing Deployment to Accommodate System Load.

  30. Continue with Section 8.5, Performing Post-Upgrade Tasks.