Update backup/recovery appliances

This page explains how you can update your backup/recovery appliance. Backup and DR Service requires you to be compliant with the update policy in order to remain supported on your backup/recovery appliance.

Backup and DR Service provides two kinds of updates:

Hotfix: this includes system updates, security fixes, and critical bug fixes related to Backup and DR components. Backup and DR Service installs hotfixes automatically when they become available. You can check the status of the update on the Installation Jobs page. Sometimes, the automatic installation of a hotfix may fail even after multiple retries. In these cases, you need to install the hotfix manually.
Patch: this includes new features, enhancements, and bug fixes. These are two types of patch updates.
- Manual updates: these updates require manual installation. These are displayed as PATCH_NUMBER on the Appliance updates page. We recommend updating an appliance to the latest available version whenever an update is available. Before installing the patch, ensure all the prerequisites are met. If the Install or schedule updates page's Reboot required column is displayed as Yes, the appliance reboots automatically after the update. No manual reboot is required. You can schedule manual updates to be installed at a scheduled time. For instructions on updating the appliance, see Install updates.
- Auto updates: these updates don't require manual installation. These updates are applied automatically if certain preconditions, such as validations during preflight checks, are met. These updates are only available for appliance version 11.0.9 and later. If N is the latest version available, auto patch upgrades move the appliances only to N-1 and not the latest version. For example, if the appliance is on version 11.0.9 and the latest available version is 11.0.11, the auto patch updates the appliance to 11.0.10, not 11.0.11. If the auto patch update fails to install automatically, it moves to the Available updates page, where you need to update the appliance manually. These updates are displayed as AUTO_PATCH_NUMBER on the Available updates page. Auto updates don't require the backup/recovery appliance to reboot and don't cause any disruption after the update. Auto updates don't support scheduling to be installed at a scheduled time. For instructions on updating the appliance, see Install updates.

IAM roles and permissions

To get the permissions that you need to update an appliance, ask your administrator to grant you the Backup and DR Admin (roles/backupdr.admin) IAM role on your project. For more information about granting roles, see Manage access to projects, folders, and organizations.

You might also be able to get the required permissions through custom roles or other predefined roles.

Update notifications

Backup and DR Service displays an update notification in the following scenarios:

When a new update is available for installation
When an update is scheduled for installation within the next 24 hours
When an update installation is in progress
When an update installation has succeeded or failed

You can view notification details by clicking the notifications icon.

Appliance status

Appliance can have one of the following statues. You can check the status appliance from Manage > Appliances.

Up to date: This indicates the appliance is running on the latest version and no action is required.
Pending: This indicates the appliance has a new available update to apply. See Install updates to update the appliance.
Overdue: This indicates the appliance is running on earlier versions and must be updated immediately. See Install updates to update the appliance.
Out of support: This indicates the appliance is older than the supported version and needs to be updated immediately. You cannot back up any new entities or applications until you update the backup/recovery appliance to the supported version. See Install updates to update the appliance.

View available updates

To view available updates, click Manage and select Appliance Updates.

The Available Updates page displays the following fields:

Update name: This field displays update name as PATCH_NUMBER, AUTO_PATCH_NUMBER for a patch, or HF_NUMBER for a hotfix. Click an update name to view release notes for a patch or a dialog listing details for a hotfix.
Appliance status: This field displays the status of an update as follows:
- Pending: By default, whenever an update is available, it displays the status as Pending. When you install an update on demand, you are directed to the Installation Jobs page displaying the progress of the update.
- Scheduled: If you schedule an update for installation at a particular time and date, it displays the status as Scheduled. See Install an update at a scheduled time for more information.
- Rollback available: If the Backup and DR Service releases a rollback for the applied hotfix update, it displays the status as Rollback available.
Expected duration: This field displays the approximate time that it takes to update an appliance.
Due date: This field displays the date by when the update must be installed.
Published on: This field displays the date when the update was published.

Install updates

You can apply updates in two ways—on demand or scheduled. If your appliance was originally deployed with version 11.0.5 or lower and hasn't been upgraded to version 11.0.9, you must upgrade to version 11.0.9 before attempting to upgrade to the latest version.

Before you begin

The following are the prerequisites that must be met before you install an update:

Don't run or schedule any backup or restore jobs while installing an update.
Ensure that the utilization of snapshot and primary pools is less than 90%. To check the pool utilization, go to Manage > Storage Pools and check the Used(%) column for the snapshot and primary pools associated with the appliance. If Used(%) is more than 90%, add an extra disk to the snapshot pool or primary pool, and then continue with an update.
If you're installing a patch update:
- Unmount the active images to avoid preflight check failures. You can remount the image after the update.
- Disable the scheduler before installing the update. You can enable it after the update, see Enable or disable expirations and schedules.

Install an update on demand for appliances running versions earlier than 11.0.9

If your backup/recovery appliance is on an earlier version than 11.0.9, you must take a snapshot of the backup/recovery appliance boot disk before you update the appliance. This prevents the upgrade from being interrupted and the appliance from becoming non-functional.

If the backup/recovery appliance is offline or non-functional after the upgrade, contact the Backup and DR support team. The support team will determine the best way to resolve the issue.

Use the following instructions to install an on demand update for appliances that are on an earlier version than 11.0.9. This updates the appliances to version 11.0.9.

In the management console, click Manage > Appliances and write down or screen-capture the appliance names.
In the Google Cloud console of your workload project, click Compute Engine > VM instances.
Identify the backup appliance VM instance with the same name as that shown in the Backup and DR management console.
Take a snapshot of the backup appliance boot disk. If you need assistance taking the snapshot, contact the Backup and DR support team.

Caution: Don't try to restore the boot disk from the snapshot without assistance from Support. Doing so might damage the appliance and make it unrecoverable.
In the management console, click Manage and select Appliance Updates.
Right-click an update name—for example, PATCH_NUMBER, AUTO_PATCH_NUMBER, or HF_NUMBER—and select Install or Schedule Updates.
Select the Confirm that you have taken boot disk snapshots for appliances that you plan to install the update checkbox.
Select the appliance that you want to apply the latest update to. You can also select multiple appliances to update all the appliances at the same time. By default, the Install Now is selected.

Note: The backup/recovery appliance reboots automatically after the update is applied if the Reboot Required column displays Yes. You don't need to manually reboot the appliance.
Click Apply. When the update installation process starts, the Installation Jobs page opens. This is where you can check the status of the update. Contact the Backup and DR support team if the appliance becomes non-functional after the upgrade. The support team will determine the best way to mitigate the problem.
Delete the snapshot after confirming that the appliance is online using version 11.0.9.

To update the appliance to the latest version from 11.0.9, follow the instructions in Install an update on demand for appliances running version on 11.0.9 or later.

Install an update on demand for appliances running version on 11.0.9 or later

Use the following instructions to install an on demand update for appliances running version on 11.0.9 or later.

Click Manage and select Appliance Updates.
Right-click an update name—for example, PATCH_NUMBER, AUTO_PATCH_NUMBER, or HF_NUMBER—and select Install or Schedule Updates.
Select the appliance that you want to apply the latest update to. You can also select multiple appliances to update all the appliances at the same time. By default, the Install Now is selected.

Note: The backup/recovery appliance reboots automatically after the update is applied if the Reboot Required column displays Yes. You don't need to manually reboot the appliance.
Click Apply. When the update installation process starts, the Installation Jobs page opens. This is where you can check the status of the update.

Install an update at a scheduled time

Before scheduling an update, ensure that you have selected the correct time zone from the management console. The scheduled updates run based on the selected timezone. For information on updating the timezone, see change the timezone.

You can schedule updates only for Compute Engine and Google Cloud VMware Engine instances. You cannot schedule updates for backup/recovery appliances that protect agent-based workloads such as file systems and databases.

Use the following instructions to schedule updates.

Click Manage and select Appliance Updates. The available updates appear. By default, the status of the update is Pending.
Right-click an update name—for example, PATCH_NUMBER or HF_NUMBER—and select Install or Schedule Updates.
Select the appliance that you want to apply the latest update to. If you want to update the appliances at the same time, then select multiple appliances.

Note: The backup/recovery appliance reboots automatically after the update is applied if the Reboot Required column displays Yes. You don't need to manually reboot the appliance.
Select Install Later.
Click the calendar icon to select when you want to install the update.
Click Apply. The Status column of the update changes to Scheduled.

The installation process for the scheduled update starts within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

Edit a scheduled update

Use the following instructions to edit a scheduled update.

Click Manage and select Appliance Updates.
Right-click an update name—for example, PATCH_NUMBER or HF_NUMBER— and select Edit Update Schedule.
Select the appliance you want to edit the existing schedule of. You can also select multiple appliances if you want to edit and schedule an update at the same time.
Edit the schedule by changing the timestamp from the calendar.
Click Apply.

Cancel a scheduled update

Use the following instructions to cancel a scheduled update.

Click Manage and select Appliance Updates.
Right-click an update name —for example, PATCH_NUMBER or HF_NUMBER—and select Cancel Scheduled Updates.
Select the appliance that you want to cancel applying the latest update to. You can also select multiple appliances if you want to cancel the update on multiple appliances at the same time.
Click Apply.

Monitor installation jobs

The Installation Jobs page displays the status of appliance updates.

Use the following instructions to view installation job updates.

Click Manage and select Appliance Updates.
Select Installation Jobs. This page displays the following fields:
- ID: This field displays the unique ID of an update.
- Update name: This field displays update name as PATCH_NUMBER for a patch, or HF_NUMBER for a hotfix. Click an update name to view release notes for a patch or a dialog listing details for a hotfix.
- Status: This field displays the following statuses when an update is applied. Hold the pointer over a status field for more information about the update status.
  - Downloading: This status displays when an update is being downloaded onto the appliance.
  - Checking: This status displays when performing preflight checks.
  - Installing: This status displays when an update is being installed.
  - Success: This status displays when an update is installed successfully.
  - Failed: This status displays when an installation of the update fails. Review the logs and try to Install the update again.
  - Skipped: This status displays when you skip to install an update on an appliance.
  - Rollback in progress: This status displays when a rollback is in progress onto the appliance.
  - Rollback success: This status displays when an update is rolled back successfully.
  - Rollback failed: This status displays when the rollback of an update fails.
- Update type: This field displays the type of update, such as Manual for manual patch updates and Auto for hotfixes and automatic patch updates.
- Appliance: This field displays the name of the appliance you are installing the update on.
- Started: This field displays the timestamp of when the installation of an update started.
- Ended: This field displays the timestamp of when the installation of an update completed. This field is populated only when an update installation is successful or failed.
- Logs: This field displays the logs of an update. If the installation of an update fails, view the update logs to debug the failed update and then Install the update again.
During installation, the Installation Jobs page displays the progress of an update. Based on the progress, the status of an update changes to Success or Failed. Note: If the installation of an update fails, check the error message from the update logs and fix the underlying issue before attempting to Install the update again.

View the update logs

Use the update logs to debug a failed update and fix the issue before attempting to install the update again.

The logs display only for the appliances running on version 11.0.3 or later.

Use the following instructions to view update logs.

Click Manage and select Appliance Updates.
Select Installation Jobs.
Click Logs. The following log files are displayed for an appliance:
- patch-XXX-preflight-info.log: This file contains the logs of the preflight checks that are executed on the appliance.
- patch-xxx-preflight-error.log: This file contains the error logs of the preflight checks that are executed on the appliance.
- autoupdate-patch-xxx-updatelog: This file contains the update installation logs for the appliance.

After a successful update

After successfully updating an appliance, you must perform the following tasks to ensure that the updated appliance functions correctly.

Navigate to the Manage > Appliance Updates > Installation Jobs page and ensure that the appliance update status is Up to date. The Up to date status displays only when all the relevant updates on the appliance are installed.
Navigate to the Manage > Appliances page and check the management console and backup/recovery appliance connection status in the Connectivity Status column. The Green tick mark indicates that the connectivity is successful.
Enable the schedules.
Remount the unmounted images.
Run any backup jobs to validate if the backups are running as expected after updating the appliance.

Rollback a hotfix update

If the Backup and DR Service detects an issue with an applied hotfix update, it may rollback the update automatically. However, if the Backup and DR Service is unable to rollback the update, then you need to rollback the update manually. You can view available rollbacks in the Available Updates page with the status Rollback Available.

Rollbacks don't lead to a downtime as appliances don't reboot during or post rollback.

Use the following instructions to rollback a hotfix update.

Click Manage and select Appliance Updates.
Right-click a hotfix update name—for example, HF_NUMBER—and select Rollback.
Select any appliances that you want to rollback the update.
Click Apply. When the update rollback process starts, the Installation Jobs page opens. This is where you can check the status of the rollback.

If rollback fails, contact Google Cloud Customer Care to resolve the issue.