Upgrade a cluster

With OpenShift Cluster Manager, you can update, or upgrade, your cloud services clusters. Updating to the latest version keeps your cluster secure and supported. Cluster updates roll out one node at a time, so you don't need to take your cluster or workloads offline.

The Overview and Settings tabs for your cluster in OpenShift Cluster Manager show a notification when an OpenShift version update is available for your Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated (OSD) or Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA) cluster. On the Settings tab, you can apply updates to your cluster or configure your update strategy for future updates.

On the Settings tab, you can choose one of these update strategies:

  • Individual updates: You schedule each update manually, one at a time.
  • Recurring updates: You set a weekly time for updates to occur when one is available. Recurring updates apply a new patch (z-stream) update only if it becomes available at least two days before your selected start time. They apply a minor (y-stream) update only after you acknowledge it on the Settings tab.

You can use either strategy for both minor version and patch updates.

Note

If a critical CVE significantly affects the security or stability of your cluster, Red Hat Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) might schedule an update for you. If you haven't already scheduled an update, SRE schedules the latest z-stream version that the CVE doesn't affect, within two business days after notifying you.

Check for cluster update risks
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Before you update a cluster, you can check whether the Red Hat Lightspeed advisor service detects risks that could cause the update to fail. The service uses machine learning, developed with IBM Research, to compare the recent state of your cluster with conditions known to cause update failures.

Before you begin
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  • Remote health reporting enabled, which is the default
  • A cluster that has sent data to Red Hat within the last two hours
  • Access to Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console

About this task
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A cluster includes more than 60 components that work independently, each with its own operational state and configuration. Any of them can cause a minor or major version update to fail.

The update risk assessment lists the risks present in your cluster, such as failing Operator conditions and alerts, with links to details about each one. You can use the list as a checklist of issues to fix before you start a cluster update.

Procedure
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  1. In Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console, go to OpenShift Fleet management Advisor Clusters.
    The Advisor clusters page opens. Clusters with update risks show an Update risk label next to the cluster name.
  2. Click the name of the cluster you want to check.

    A banner on the cluster details page shows the update risk status:

    • If update risks exist, the banner displays Resolve update risks.
    • If no risks exist, the banner displays No known update risks identified for this cluster.
    • If the cluster hasn't sent data in more than two hours, the banner displays Update risks are not currently available.
  3. Click the Update risks tab.
    The tab lists the alerts and Operator conditions that put the update at risk.
  4. Optional: To open an alert's Alert details page in the OpenShift Container Platform web console, click the alert.
  5. Optional: To open an Operator's ClusterOperator details page in the OpenShift Container Platform web console, click the Operator.

Upgrade an OpenShift Dedicated trial cluster to a fully supported cluster
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You can upgrade your OpenShift Dedicated (OSD) trial cluster at any time after starting the free trial.

Before you begin
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  • A Red Hat login
  • An OpenShift Dedicated cluster using a trial subscription
  • A Red Hat subscription for OpenShift Dedicated
  • You must have the Cluster Owner or Cluster Editor role on the cluster, or Organization Administrator privileges in your Red Hat account to edit a cluster’s subscription settings.

About this task
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You can choose to upgrade your trial cluster before the trial conclusion if you want to run production services. You might also want features not included in the free trial, such as autoscaling, specific add-on services, and quota increases.

Important

The OpenShift Dedicated free trial ends when you delete your cluster or after 60 days, whichever happens first. At that time, your OpenShift Dedicated trial cluster and all installed add-on services are marked for permanent deletion.

If you upgrade the cluster before the trial is over, you can continue using the resources you created during the trial without interruption.

Procedure
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  1. Go to the Clusters list in OpenShift Cluster Manager.
  2. Find your OpenShift Dedicated trial cluster, labeled OSD Trial in the Cluster Type column.
  3. Click Upgrade from trial and follow the instructions to upgrade your cluster.
    Note

    If the Upgrade from trial option does not appear, the reasons could include the following:

    • You do not have the permissions needed to upgrade this cluster to a fully supported cluster. You must be an Organization Administrator on the Red Hat account or the Cluster Owner to upgrade the account.
    • This cluster account is already upgraded to a fully supported OpenShift Dedicated cluster.

Results
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  • Find your OpenShift Dedicated cluster in the Clusters list in OpenShift Cluster Manager. The Cluster type is no longer listed as OSD Trial.