Upgrade from AppAssure 5.4.3.106 to Rapid Recovery 6.0.2 on DL1000 (backup and replication)

Hmmm...and now that I look at the actual download list, I guess the most basic question is whether I run the full upgrade package or just the Recovery and Update Utility for DL Applicances; that is, does the DL1000 have/require its own specific upgrade version that is separate from the general version?

Hi Brian:
The best bet is to download the new RUU which you can download using the link below:
support.software.dell.com/.../6069811
and the Update 2 Patch available at:
support.software.dell.com/.../6069806

The RUU download contains the latest drivers and changes for the DL family of appliances AND a DL specific version of Rapid Recovery.

You may get more info regarding the Update 2 Patch from here:
support.software.dell.com/.../213131

Information re installing the Update 2 Patch may be found here:
support.software.dell.com/.../126791

Hope that this helps.

This is what I suspected, then. If I understand you correctly, then I just need to download the two appliance-specific upgrade/update packages, not the Core or Agent upgrade packages. Is that correct? I downloaded everything so far but have not installed anything, instead waiting to get a clear idea here of what I need to do.

It was certainly not that clear here at the main upgrade info link: : support.software.dell.com/.../181997. Even though I can get from there to the downloads, there is nothing at that link nor in the upgrade/update download folder, which includes the DL1000-specific files, to indicate which packages to install in my environment.

And it leaves two question remaining:

1. If I install the RUU and Update Patch 2, will I need to manually remove the AA Agent and install the RR Agent, or will the Core push those out automatically?
2. Will any of this involve a reboot or require physical access to the server? I am an hour away from the location, so I am doing this all via Remote Desktop.

Thank you.

Hi Brian:
First, just to be at peace, I want to make sure that you know that RapidRecovery 6.0.2 for the DL family is included in the latest RUU and is different from the Rapid Recovery 6.0.2 for regular customers. This is due to significant changes in RUU and due to the way the Appliance tab is handled.

In most cases, installing RUU requires a reboot.

On the agent side, the older 5.4.3 agents still work. It is recommended to update the agent software but it is not necessary to do it right away. Updating the agents requires a reboot as well as the filter drivers changed.

Under normal circumstances, physical access to the server should not be necessary. However, as you know, there are cases when a cold reboot is needed. If you were able to reboot your DL machines in the past without powering them off, there is a good chance that they are going to perform the same during the upgrade.

Just to be on the safe side, I would suggest that you do the first upgrade at a time when one of the customers is still in the office so you can ask him to cycle the power if needed.

Thank you for that, Tudor.

I made it through these upgrades using the RUU and post-RUU patch with no problem. There is one anomaly: when pushing the latest agent from the core out to the agents on the servers, the core says it will update them to 6.0.2.177. In fact, when it is all done, the server shows 6.0.2.177 as its version of the core; however, it shows the workstations at agent version 6.0.2.144, and this is indeed the file version of the agent executable out on the servers. Everything seems to work; this just kept me retrying a couple of times. In fact, in one case I uninstalled the agent from a server, rebooted it, then pushed the agent out from the server again. Again, the server indicated it would upgrade agents to 6.0.2.177, but when it was done, the agent was at 6.0.2.144. So I suspect the core did not actually get all the latest agent files for distribution or this is simply an odd mistype of "177" instead of "144" by a developer.

I thought perhaps the agent servers needed to have the post-RUU patch installed, but in every case, the installation attempt returned a message indicating that the update did not apply to the system.

Hi Brian,

The latest build of Rapid Recovery Core for the DL appliance is 6.0.2.177. The latest agent build that exists is 6.0.2.144. So the behavior you are seeing is expected. I'll make a note with the development team and let them know that the UI states the wrong build number when deploying an agent in build 6.0.2.177. Thanks for reporting it!

Tim

Thank you, Tim. Everything is working like a charm, and the upgrade went perfectly. But the documentation regarding the upgrade from AppAssure to RapidRecovery left me wondering how to proceed and what to expect in a couple of places. Tudor replied to my other post where I asked an even more basic question: without prior experience, how am I to determine from the downloads page that I should run just the RUU for the DL appliance? I post this note here so that perhaps you can give dev a heads' up on this related documentation issue.

This is my first round of upgrades, since we just began using AppAssure earlier this year, and although all the actual upgrade files were there on the download page, I could not find anything that directed me to which one(s) I would actually need to run. I came kind of close to just jumping in and running the regular upgrade; however, I recalled something from a contact with support shortly after my initial installation of AppAssure that gave me pause: the support person had said something about the RapidRecovery upgrade being available, but not the appliance-specific package.

Accordingly, I posted the question, and Tudor replied with notes on what I needed. But I definitely think it would have been be helpful to have an easily-accessible upgrade overview document on the download page. Had I not had that prior contact with support, I might have just gone directly to the standalone (non-appliance) upgrade.