From Multi-Grid Manager, you can upgrade the Master Grid and manage the upgrade process of the managed Grids. You can also drill down to an individual Grid and manage its upgrade details.
Note that upgrading the Master Grid has not effect on the Grids. If the Master Grid upgrades and this results in any managed Grid becoming unmanageable due to a mismatched version, the upgrade and test upgrades will fail.

Uploading and Viewing Software Versions

A Master Grid can store up to 10 NIOS versions in its repository and push any of them to a Grid. In addition, before you upgrade, downgrade, or revert a Grid to a different software version, you can view its current software version, the image you have uploaded, and the available version to which you can revert.

Uploading NIOS Software

To upload a NIOS version to the repository:

From the Grids -> Upgrades/Repository -> Repository tab, click the Add icon.
In the Upload dialog box, click Select to navigate to the NIOS binary file, and then click Upload. Multi-Grid Manager uploads the file and adds it to the list of files in the Repository tab.

Viewing the Repository

To view information about each NIOS version that was uploaded to the Master Grid:

From the Grid tab, select Upgrades/Repository -> Repository tab.
Multi-Grid Manager displays the following Information:
- File Name: The file name of the NIOS binary file that was uploaded.
- Size: The NIOS file size. You can compare this with the value displayed on the Infoblox support web site.
- Checksum: The MD5 checksum of the file. You can compare this with the value displayed on the Infoblox support web site.
- Date Modified: The date the file was last uploaded.

You can also do the following:

Click the Add icon to upload a NIOS binary file.
Select a NIOS file and click the Delete icon to remove the file from the system.
Print and export the data in this tab.

Viewing Upgrade Information

To view software information:

From the Grid tab, select Upgrades/Repository -> Upgrades tab.
Multi-Grid Manager displays the following Information:

Upgrade Status: Displays one of the following:
Uploading: NIOS is being uploaded to the Grid Master or being pushed by Multi-Grid Manager.
Distributing: Displays the current status of distribution, if the Grid is in distribution mode.
Testing: If an upgrade test is in progress, or if the test succeeded or failed.
Upgrading: When selected, it displays the Upgrade tab of the appropriate Grid.
Scheduled: When selected, it displays the Upgrade Schedule dialog at the Grid level.
Paused: The upgrade was halted temporarily.
Grid Upgrade Management: Select this to automatically log in to Grid Manager and display the Upgrade tab of the Grid in a new browser window.
Running Version: The NIOS version that the Grid is currently running.
Upgrade Date: The date of the last upgrade to the displayed NIOS version.
Alternative Version: This is the alternative version of the Grid, if one exists.
Site: Displays the value of this predefined extensible attribute.

Upgrading Software

After you store the new upgrade files in the repository, complete the following tasks to upgrade a Grid.

Upload the new software to the Grid Master, as described in 19282534.
Distribute the software upgrade files, as described in 19282534
Optionally, test the upgrade, as described in 19282534
Perform the software upgrade, as described in 19282534.

Before upgrading, Infoblox recommends that all Grid members e connected to the network and operating normally. If one or more members are offline when you upgrade the Grid, they automatically receive the distributed software and upgrade when they join the Grid or come back online.

Pushing Software

To upload NIOS software from the Multi-Grid Master to the Grid Master:

From the Grids tab, select the Upgrades/Repository -> Upgrades tab.
Select the checkbox of the Grid you are upgrading and click Push Now to start the upload immediately or Schedule Push to schedule the upload for a later time.
When Multi-Grid Manager displays the NIOS versions that are in the repository, select the version to upload.

If you try to push a NIOS version that cannot be managed by the Master Grid, Multi-Grid Manager displays a warning message. If you try to push software to more than one Grid, Multi-Grid Manager displays a warning message that it may impact network performance. Before you push image to a sub Grid, make sure both the Multi-Grid Master and sub Grid are in sync and the status is green.

The Grid Master uploads the file and displays the status of the upload in the status bar. You can click the Stop icon in the status bar to stop the upload. Ensure that you do not navigate away from the Upgrade tab until after the upload is complete. Otherwise, the upload process stops.

Distributing Software Upgrade Files

Distributing the software upgrade files involves unpacking the software files and loading the new software. Note that starting the distribution disables the Grid from reverting to a release prior to the current version.
The time this process takes depends on the number of appliances to which the software is distributed; the more appliances, the longer it takes. Therefore, you might want to schedule the Grid distribution during times when your network is less busy. You can distribute the software immediately or schedule the distribution.

Distributing Software Immediately

To distribute the software upgrade throughout the Grid immediately:

From the Grids tab, select the Upgrades/Repository > Upgrades tab, and then click the Distribute icon> Distribute Now from the Toolbar.
In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes to start the distribution.

The appliance distributes the upgrade files and displays the status of the distribution in the Upgrade Status column.

Scheduling Distributions

To schedule the distribution, you must have validated your account with the Grid so you can automatically sign in to the Grid Master and schedule its upgrade.
To schedule a software distribution:

Select the grid checkbox, and then select the Distribution drop-down menu -> Schedule Distribution. Multi-Grid Manager automatically logs you in to the Grid Master.
In the Grid -> Upgrade tab, select Distribute -> Schedule Distribution in the Toolbar.

Multi-Grid Manager automatically signs in to the Grid. Multi-Grid Manager automatically logs you in to Grid Manager, which displays the Grid -> Upgrade tab. For information about scheduling distributions for the Grid, refer to the dynamic Help page or the NIOS Administrator Guide.

Testing Software Upgrades

After you successfully distribute a software upgrade to a Grid Master, you can test an upgrade on the Grid Master before actually implementing it. This allows you to resolve potential data migration issues before the actual upgrade. The length of time the upgrade test takes depends on the amount of data and the difference between the current version and the software upgrade. The test does not affect services and you can perform other administrative tasks during the upgrade test.
To start an upgrade test on a Grid:

From the Grids tab, select the Upgrades/Repository -> Upgrades tab, and then click the Test Upgrade icon. After you start an upgrade test, you can view its status in the Upgrade Status column.

Performing Software Upgrades

Performing a software upgrade involves rebooting the appliances and then running the new software. Essentially, each appliance switches between the two software partitions on its system, activating the staged software and saving the previously active software and database as backup.

Note: Before you upgrade the software, Infoblox recommends that you back up the current configuration and database. For information, see /wiki/spaces/mgmadminguide/pages/911185537

When upgrading to software releases that are Upgrade Lite compatible, you can schedule the Master Grid upgrade as described in 19282534.

Upgrading Immediately

You cannot schedule upgrades to releases that are not Upgrade Lite compatible. The Master Grid members must upgrade at the same time when upgrading to these releases. For Upgrade Lite compatible releases, you can schedule the upgrade as described in 19282534, or upgrade the Master Grid at the same time.
To upgrade a Master Grid immediately:

From the Grids tab, select the Upgrades/Repository -> Upgrades tab.
Select the Grid checkbox, and then select the Upgrade drop-down menu -> Upgrade Now. The Grid upgrades immediately and if there is an active upgrade schedule, it becomes inactive.

Scheduling Upgrades

To schedule an upgrade, you must have validated your account with the Grid so you can automatically sign in to the Grid Master and schedule its upgrade. To schedule an upgrade:

From the Grids tab, select the Upgrades/Repository -> Upgrades tab.
Select the grid checkbox, and then select the Upgrade drop-down menu -> Schedule Upgrade.

Multi-Grid Manager automatically logs you in to Grid Manager, which displays the Grid -> Upgrade tab. For information about upgrading the Grid, refer to the dynamic Help page or the NIOS Administrator Guide.

MGM Admin Guide

Upgrading Grids