Upgrading Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1

11 Mar 2025
17 Minutes to read
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Upgrading Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1

Updated on 11 Mar 2025
17 Minutes to read
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This Skylight orchestrator Upgrade article includes procedures that will help the personnel of mobile network operators, Cable Multi-Service Operators (MSOs), business service providers and cloud and data center services upgrade and maintain their performance assurance solutions.

Specifically, this article explains how to upgrade Skylight orchestrator to version 21.08.1 from any of these previously-installed versions:

Virtual appliance running 20.05 5K profile
Virtual appliance running 20.05 30K profile
Virtual appliance running 20.05 60K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.01 / 21.01.1 5K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.01 / 21.01.1 15K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.01 / 21.01.1 30K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.01 / 21.01.1 60K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.08 5K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.08 15K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.08 30K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.08 60K profile

Prior installation data and configuration information is retained during the upgrade process.

IMPORTANT: You cannot upgrade hardware appliances to version 21.08.1 as they have been retired.

Note: Upgrade path for container (Docker) is currently unavailable.

Pre-Upgrade Requirements and Procedures

This section describes the requirements and procedures that must be followed before performing an upgrade.

The following sections cover the procedures for upgrading a KVM, or VMware appliance running Skylight orchestrator 20.05, Skylight orchestrator 21.01, Skylight orchestrator 21.01.1 or Skylight orchestrator 21.08 software. During the upgrade, the system will be unavailable for approximately 90 minutes.

Before performing the upgrade procedures, you must read through the Release Notes for Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1.

If you are running in a redundant configuration, please run this procedure for each site of the redundant system.

IMPORTANT: You cannot upgrade hardware appliances to version 21.08.1 as they have been retired.

IMPORTANT: Skylight orchestrator will no longer support rehoming directly from the hardware or the virtual appliance running in ESXi release prior to 6.5.

WARNING: If you are using Skylight Performance Analytics, the Roadrunner component must be upgraded to the latest release before upgrading to Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1. Please contact the Skylight Analytics support team to verify that your Roadrunner version is compatible with Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1.

Requirements

You must ensure you have the following items before starting the upgrade procedure. If you are missing anything, contact Accedian Technical Support.

SSH client (such as PuTTY)
SCP client (such as WinSCP)
Username and password for the visionems account for all appliances running Skylight orchestrator software.
The target appliance must have 20 GiB of free space in its mysql partition.
The target appliance must have 6 GiB of free space in its root partition.
The target appliance must have 9.5 GiB of free space in its data partition.
To upgrade to version 21.08.1, you must have access to the following package files:
upgradeAppliance-SO_v21.08.1_8_package-prod.tar SO_v21.08.1_8.fsa
Note: These files contain all required files and scripts for the upgrade.
Feature keys required for your software.
Note: Skylight orchestrator uses feature keys to enable certain menus and features. If you do not obtain and install the new keys (as explained later in this section), you will not have access to the new features available in Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1.
Check and ensure the current deployment profile matches with resource requirements (vCPU, RAM, disk). Please refer to the Deployment Profile Configuration and Virtual Machine Disk Configuration articles for additional information.
Check number of acceptable firmware loads, as outlined below:

Number of Acceptable Firmware Loads

Before upgrading or starting app_server on Skylight orchestrator, you must validate the number of acceptable firmware loads based on the specific profile of the system.

For example, if orchestrator is using a root partition of 28GB, it will switch to root partition 18GB after upgrading. In this case, you need to check that the number of firmware loads on the orchestrator, before upgrading, is not higher than the limitations shown below.

Skylight orchestrator Profile	Acceptable Firmware Loads
60K profile system	1 sensor: control or 5 performance element loads
30K profile system	2 sensor: control or 10 performance element loads
15K profile system	4 sensor: control or 20 performance element loads
5K profile system	12 sensor: control or 60 performance element loads

Pre-Upgrade Procedures

This section explains the procedures that must be performed before upgrading to version 21.08.1.

The pre-upgrade procedures are:

Backing up the Data Store
Stopping the Application
Transferring Files to the Appliance

Backing up the Data Store

A database backup of the system is needed.

Back up the data store

Open an SSH terminal session to Skylight orchestrator on port 22.
Note: If you are running a redundant configuration, the back-up must be taken from the active site.
Log in as the visionems user.
Change to the scripts directory by entering:

cd /opt/accedian/skylight/scripts

Create a backup of the data store by entering:

./ems_backup_mysql.sh -d

The backup is created and saved in the /opt/accedian/backups directory.

Stopping the Application

The application must be stopped before running the upgrade scripts.

Stopping the application for a Hot Standby configuration

Active Site

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Stop the Hot Standby process by entering:

redundancy control stop

Start mysql by entering:

service start mysql

Standby Site

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Start mysql by entering:

service start mysql

Stopping the application for a Non-Hot Standby configuration

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Stop the application by entering:

service stop app_server

Transferring Files to the Appliance

This procedure explains how to install the required upgrade package files to the appropriate location.

The following upgrade files must be available:

upgradeAppliance-SO_v21.08.1_8_package-prod.tar
SO_v21.08.1_8.fsa

To transfer files

The procedure must be executed as the visionems user.

From your computer, use an SCP client (such as WinSCP) and the visionems account to transfer the required files to the /data folder.
CAUTION: The location of the required files must be /data.

Upgrading a Virtual Appliance

This procedure contains instructions on how to upgrade to Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1. Upgrades are supported from the following releases:

Virtual appliance running 20.05 5K profile
Virtual appliance running 20.05 30K profile
Virtual appliance running 20.05 60K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.01 / 21.01.1 5K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.01 / 21.01.1 15K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.01 / 21.01.1 30K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.01 / 21.01.1 60K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.08 5K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.08 15K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.08 30K profile
Virtual appliance running 21.08 60K profile

This upgrade requires the following procedures to be performed:

Upgrading to the New Software Version
Setting the Deployment Profile

Note: If you are running a redundant configuration, this procedure must be executed on each virtual appliance of the redundant pair.

Upgrading to the New Software Version

This procedure will install the upgraded software.

To upgrade to the new software

Open an SSH terminal session to port 22 of the appliance.
Log in as the visionems user

cd /data

Un-tar and change the permissions on the upgrade file by entering:

tar -xvf upgradeAppliance-SO_v21.08.1_8_package-prod.tar
rm upgradeAppliance-SO_v21.08.1_8_package-prod.tar
sudo chmod 770 ./upgradeAppliance

If prompted, provide the visionems user password.

Execute the script that does the partition upgrade:

./upgradeAppliance -up /data/SO_v21.08.1_8.fsa

Notes:
Only the absolute path file will be supported; otherwise you will get a relative file error message. This step will apply a new OS to the inactive partition.

This archive is a new operating system that will host the Skylight orchestrator software. During execution, the script will prompt you to increase SSH timeout if timeout is less than 10 minutes.

This script will ask you to reboot system to take effect.
Testing the system configurations before upgrading: Authentication key-based OK Mysql partition status OK Data partition status OK Virtualization OK Appliance connection OK Hostfile aliases OK Database status OK Database version OK Database upgrade compatibility OK Extra hostfile aliases OK IP address OK System requirements OK |INFO| System information: Linux CoreKVMC 4.4.0-154-generic #181-Ubuntu SMP Tue Jun 25 05:29:03 UTC 2019 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux Ram : 30882660 Kb ################################## The system is ready to be upgraded ################################## Extract to temporary folder

When prompted enter:

SSH timeout is too low and need to be updated. Do you want to continue? [y/N] y Please log out to take affect and login back to upgrade.

When prompted enter:

SkyLIGHT Vision appliance will be upgraded on inactive partition. Do you want to proceed? [y/N] y

Applying upgrade... Stopping mysql service Mysql partition has been backup Archive has been applied UUID has been updated Change owner folder backups OS configuration backup taken SSH key files backup taken Grub configuration has been updated Inactive partition mounted Updating fstab file on the updated partition... Inactive partition umounted

Copying active partition configuration to inactive partition Backup file name is CONFIG_DUMP_2019-11-26_06:20:19.tar Applying backup to inactive partition Inactive partition mounted Configuration copied to inactive partition Copying Appmon backup directory... Inactive partition unmounted

* Setting up grub configuration for inactive partition Applying switch... Inactive partition mounted Copying fstab file.... Fstab file was copied Inactive partition unmounted Inactive partition mounted Installing for i386-pc platform. Installation finished. No error reported. Boot grub loader configured Grub configuration has been updated Inactive partition unmounted Appliance configured Inactive partition is now configured as the boot partition

When prompted enter:

A system reboot is required to take effect. Proceed with reboot? [y/N] y Applying reboot…

Note: Wait for the reboot to complete.

CAUTION: During upgrade, previous visionems account password is not preserved; it has resorted back to default. When you re-log in on the new upgraded partition, use the default visionems password.

Reopen an SSH terminal session to port 22 of the appliance.
Re-log in as the visionems user:

cd /data

Run the following command:

./upgradeAppliance -u

Testing the system configurations before upgrading:

Authentication key-based OK Mysql partition status OK Data partition status OK Virtualization OK Appliance connection OK System requirements OK

|INFO| System information: Linux CoreKVMC 4.4.0-169-generic #198-Ubuntu SMP Tue Nov 12 10:38:00 UTC 2019 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux Ram : 30882656 Kb

################################## The system is ready to be upgraded ################################## Extract to temporary folder [sudo] password for visionems: Cleaning installed packages Installing the dependencies Configuring node Installing JVM Installing drivers Installing Ha Installing Hamon Installing Deployment tool Installing mysql Extract dbtool Restore mysql partition Archive has been applied UUID has been updated for mysql partition Successfully restored the Database Upgrading the Database Successfully upgraded the Database Installing Skylight-orchestrator Installing Ptexport Installing appliance monitor Appliance monitor correctly installed. Skylight-driver correctly installed. Skylight-jvm correctly installed. Skylight-orchestrator correctly installed. Skylight-mysql correctly installed. Skylight-singlenode correctly installed. skylight-ha correctly installed. skylight-hamon correctly installed. skylight-deploymenttool correctly installed. Skylight orchestrator has successfully been upgraded to version 21.08.1

Hardening OS for active partition Hardening active partition All done

Setting the Deployment Profile

To set the deployment profile

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Start mysql by entering:

service start mysql

▶ To reapply the deployment profile when upgrading from the Skylight orchestrator multiple mediation instances

Note: Skip this section if the deployment profile is a single mediation instance (5K profile).

Display the current configuration by entering:

deployment show configuration

Example:
Skylight: deployment show configuration

[ Deployment configuration ]

Deployment type : single-node Profile name : 30K

Cluster configuration : Cluster type : medcluster Node Configuration : Node name : medn1 Total instances : 6

Assign a profile by entering:

deployment edit type single-node profile <X>

Where:

X is the profile prior to upgrading.

Example:
deployment edit type single-node profile 30K

The profile is applied.

Confirm the change by entering:

deployment show configuration

An output similar to the following is displayed:

Skylight: deployment show configuration

[ Deployment configuration ]

Deployment type : single-node Profile name : 30K

Cluster configuration : Cluster type : medcluster Node Configuration : Node name : medn1 Total instances : 6

Post-Installation Procedures

This section explains the procedures applicable after your upgrade.

The post-installation procedures are:

Restarting the Application
Post-Upgrade Installation of Feature Keys
Post-Upgrade Checks

Restarting the Application

This procedure will start the upgraded software.

Restarting the application for Hot Standby configuration

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator designated as the preferred active
site on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Configure the preferred site to last active site, enter:

redundancy config preferred {site-a | site-b}

Start the Hot Standby process by entering:

redundancy control start

Verify redundancy status, enter:

redundancy show status

Notes:
It may take up to 10 minutes for the app_server to go from starting to started.

When “redundancy show status” reports that replication status is up, the application can be accessed.

Restarting the application for a Non-Hot Standby configuration

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Start the application by entering:

service start app_server

Note: It may take up to 10 minutes for the app_server to go from starting to started.

Verifying the Startup Status

To verify the startup status

Enter:

service show

Skylight orchestrator Upgrade Manual 21.bmp

A list of services (that are currently running) is displayed.
Ensure that the state of all services is shown as Started.

Close the terminal session to port 2200 by entering:

exit

Post-Upgrade Installation of Feature Keys

Skylight orchestrator uses feature keys to enable certain menus and features. In this procedure, you will enter the feature keys for the features purchased for your system.

You should have obtained the feature keys for the new features in Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1. If you do not already have the keys, you can get them from the Accedian Technical Support website.

Note: If you do not install the new keys, you will not have access to the new features available in Skylight orchestrator 21.08.1.

To install new feature keys

Clear the cache in the web browser that you will use to access the Skylight orchestrator web interface.
Note: If you do not clear the cache, you may not be able to log in.
Access the Skylight orchestrator web application by entering the following URL in the address bar of the web browser:
http://ipaddress
Enter your username and password to sign in to Skylight orchestrator.
Select Admin ▶ Feature Activation page.
Remove all of the feature keys that are currently in the list by repeating the following steps for each key:
a. Select a feature key in the list.
b. Click the Remove Feature button .
c. Click the Yes button to confirm removal of the feature key.
Import all of the new feature key files by repeating the following steps for each of the key files that you obtained from Accedian Technical Support:
a. Click the Choose File button.
b. From the file selector pop-up, select the key file from the local file system.
c. Click the Import button.
Note: Keys are in service as soon as they are imported, however, to see the changes, you must either refresh the page, or log out of the application (next step) and log back in (next procedure).
Log out of the Skylight orchestrator application by clicking the button (lower left corner).

Post-Upgrade Checks

The final step of the upgrade is to check the network inventory and ensure that Skylight orchestrator is operational. The following steps constitute a basic verification of the state of Skylight orchestrator.

To verify network inventory and check Skylight orchestrator functionality

Log in to the Skylight orchestrator web application in a supported web browser.
Click the Accedian icon to display the About window.
The Build Version should indicate version 21.08.1.
Access the Device ▶ Managed Elements tab and verify that the total count of network elements at the bottom-left corner is accurate.
Click the icon at the bottom-right corner and verify that the current alarm count is accurate.
Access the Commission ▶ Jobs tab and verify that any pre-existing configuration jobs are still present.
Access the Collection ▶ Reporting Status tab and verify the following:
- The list of performance elements with a pm collect agent.
- The CSV time and Transfer time have both recently been updated for all elements with streaming enabled.
Access Admin ▶ Licensing to verify that the connection has been established.
Check your session status by accessing Sessions tab.

Rollback Procedure

This section explains how to roll back to the original operating system partition and restore the system to its initial state.

If you must roll back a cluster deployment, you must repeat the procedure on all appliances on which the upgrade was performed (successfully or unsuccessfully).

Rollback for Skylight orchestrator Procedure

This procedure explains how to roll Skylight orchestrator back to the previous release.

You would only need to perform the rollback procedure if problems occur during the appliance upgrade procedure, such as:

An error message occurs during the upgrade process that prevents you from proceeding.
The upgrade process terminates unexpectedly.
The application does not function as expected after the upgrade.

Procedure Requirements

The following requirement applies to the procedure:

This procedure must be executed as the visionems user. To execute these procedures, you must know the visionems credentials.

Stopping the Application

Stopping the application for Hot Standby configuration

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Stop the Hot Standby process by entering:

redundancy control stop

Stopping the application for a Non-Hot Standby configuration

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Stop the application by entering:

service stop app_server

Rolling back the upgrade

Repeat this procedure on all appliances that were upgraded.

To roll back the upgrade

Using an SSH terminal session to port 22 of the appliance, log in to the appliance as the visionems user.
After logging in, change to the directory where the scripts are stored by entering:

cd /data

Execute the script that switches to the secondary partition OS (inactive partition):

./upgradeAppliance -sp

The following output is displayed as the script runs:

vision@visionems:/data$ ./upgradeAppliance –sp

[sudo] password for visionems:

* Setting up grub configuration for inactive partition About to switch boot partition to inactive partition.

When prompted, enter:

Do you want to switch? [y/N] y Applying switch… Inactive partition mounted Copying fstab file…. Fstab file was copied Inactive partition unmounted Inactive partition mounted Installing for i386-pc platform. Installation finished. No error reported. Boot grub loader configured Grub configuration has been updated Inactive partition unmounted Appliance configured Inactive partition is now configured as the boot partition

When prompted to confirm that the system reboot is required, enter:

A system reboot is required to take effect. Proceed with reboot? [y/N] y Applying reboot…

This will reboot system automatically. Otherwise you must reboot the system to apply the rollback. If you do not say yes at this point, you will have to reboot the system manually.

Note: The visionems password reverts back to its initial value, i.e. the same as it was at the beginning of the upgrade procedure.

Using an SSH terminal session to port 22 of the Appliance, log in to the appliance as the visionems user.
After logging in successfully, enter:

cd /data

Execute the script that restores the partition table that was used before the upgrade, by entering:

./upgradeAppliance –rp

The following output is displayed as the script runs:

./upgradeAppliance -rp

Extract to temporary folder [sudo] password for visionems:

Mysql partition umounted Archive has been applied Mysql partition mounted Installing for i386-pc platform. Installation finished. No error reported. Boot grub loader configured Grub configuration has been updated

Successfully restored partition

After the script runs successfully, open an SSH terminal session to port 2200 of the appliance.
This gives you access to the Appliance Monitor command line.
Log in as the visionems user.
Check the version by entering:

board show info

Starting the Application

This procedure will start the application.

Starting the application for Hot Standby configuration

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator designated as the preferred active site on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Configure the preferred site to last active site, enter:

redundancy config preferred {site-a | site-b}

Start the Hot Standby process by entering:

redundancy control start

Verify redundancy status, enter:

redundancy show status

Starting the application for Non-Hot Standby configuration

Open an SSH terminal session to the Skylight orchestrator on port 2200.
Log in as the visionems user.
Start the application by entering:

service start app_server

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Table of contents

Pre-Upgrade Requirements and Procedures
- Requirements
- Pre-Upgrade Procedures
Upgrading a Virtual Appliance
- Upgrading to the New Software Version
- Setting the Deployment Profile
Post-Installation Procedures
Rollback Procedure
- Rollback for Skylight orchestrator Procedure