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Warning

Clear the upgrade directory from both servers before reattempting further upgrades using the command rm -fr /var/log/sonus/upgrade/* under all the following conditions:

  • Performing LSWU from a pre-5.1 version to a 5.1 or later version.
  • There is a need to revert the upgraded server after a single server upgrade while the peer is still on an older version.
  • A revert will be performed by doing a re-ISO.

This section describes the different methods to upgrade the SBC Core (SBC 5000 series, SBC 7000 series and SBC SWe) application.

When an SBC upgrade is available, the software is posted on the Ribbon Support Portal. Refer to Downloading Software from the Ribbon Support Portal for more information.


Prerequisities

Prior to performing an upgrade on the SBC Core, ensure the following activies are accomplished.

For SBC Core (in general):

  • Before upgrading the ConnexIP OS, firmware, and the SBC application, you must first save the configuration in case you encounter any issues during the upgrade.

  • Before upgrading the application, upgrade the SBC firmware to the latest version on both the active and standby SBCs for an HA pair.

For SBC SWe:

  • Increase the memory to the larger of:

    • the minimum memory required for the release.
      or
    • the memory required for the desired session capacity.

    SBC SWe instances configured with only 12 GB of RAM have lower capacity limits than instances with higher memory configurations, thus they may not perform at optimum capacity. Contact your Ribbon representative to order DIMM kits to increase the RAM to 24 GB.

    For SBC SWe memory requirements for the current release, and a procedure to upgrade memory, refer to SBC SWe Performance Metrics.
    Complete the procedure to upgrade memory prior to performing the upgrade.

  • Ensure the SBC SWe memory reservation meets the requirements for the current release. Refer to SBC SWe Performance Metrics.

Minimum Disk Space Requirements for SWe Upgrades

Note

The disk space used during the upgrade process depends on how the hypervisor internally handles the disk lifecycle for an instance.

The following table shows Ribbon's recommendation for extra disk space for different types of nodes/instances:

Disk Space Requirements

Node Type

Extra* Disk Space

(in GB)

S-SBC80
M-SBC80
PSX-M360
PSX-S360
PSX-Test360
EMS_SA150

Note

*Extra disk space (in addition to the disk space requirement for the instance) is only applicable during the upgrade process.

Total disk space requirement during upgrade = Disk Space for the upgraded instance + extra disk space required only during upgrade

Live Software Upgrade (LSWU)

LSWU allows a user to upgrade the SBC application software on HA pairs without impacting service (dropping calls). This is mainly recommended for HA SBC systems. LSWU can also be performed on SBC EMA and SBC EMA Platform Mode. Refer to Live Software Upgrade Using CLI and System Administration - Software Install-Upgrade for more information.

Non-Live Software Upgrade (Non-LSWU)

The non-LSWU upgrade process requires taking the SBC system offline to perform the application upgrade. This section describes upgrading the SBC application in a standalone or HA configuration using the Platform Manager or EMA Platform Mode. The Platform Manager tool is used to upgrade the SBC application from the 3.x/4.x release to the 5.0 release. Beginning with 5.0 release, the Platform Manager was integrated into EMA and is referred to as EMA Platform Mode. Thus, post 5.0 SBC application upgrades are performed using EMA.

Refer to Upgrading SBC Application Using Platform Manager - for Releases Earlier Than 5.0 or Upgrading SBC Application using EMA Platform Mode for more information.

Note

SBC Core user passwords automatically expire after upgrading to 5.1.x. As a result, users are required to change their passwords upon initial login following the upgrade. 

Note

Once the upgrade is complete, rediscover the SBC from the EMS, if present, and edit any attributes that may have been modified post-upgrade. Attributes are listed under the EMS pages Register Sonus SBC Core Node or Register an SBC 5x00 Node.