Update Orchestration Overview

Update orchestration allows an entire StarlingX system to be updated with a single operation.

You can configure and run update orchestration using the CLI, the Horizon Web interface, or the stx-nfv REST API.

Note

Updating of Distributed Cloud is distinct from updating of other StarlingX configurations.

Update Orchestration Requirements

Update orchestration can only be done on a system that meets the following conditions:

• The system is clear of alarms (with the exception of alarms for locked hosts, and update applications in progress).

  Note

  When configuring update orchestration, you have the option to ignore alarms with a severity less than management-affecting severity. For more information, see Configuring Update Orchestration.

• All hosts must be unlocked-enabled-available.

• Two controller hosts must be available.

• All storage hosts must be available.

• When installing reboot required updates, there must be spare worker capacity to move hosted application pods off the worker host(s) being updated such that hosted application services are not impacted.

The Update Orchestration Process

Update orchestration automatically iterates through all hosts on the system and installs the applied updates to each host: first the controller hosts, then the storage hosts, and finally the worker hosts. During the worker host updating, hosted application pod re-locations are managed automatically. The controller hosts are always updated serially. The storage hosts and worker hosts can be configured to be updated in parallel in order to reduce the overall update installation time.

Update orchestration can install one or more applied updates at the same time. It can also install reboot-required updates or in-service updates or both at the same time. Update orchestration only locks and unlocks (that is, reboots) a host to install an update if at least one reboot-required update has been applied.

You first create an update orchestration strategy, or plan, for the automated updating procedure. This customizes the update orchestration, using parameters to specify:

• the host types to be updated

• whether to update hosts serially or in parallel

Based on these parameters, and the state of the hosts, update orchestration creates a number of stages for the overall update strategy. Each stage generally consists of re-locating hosted application pods, locking hosts, installing updates, and unlocking hosts for a subset of the hosts on the system.

After creating the update orchestration strategy, the user can either apply the entire strategy automatically, or manually apply individual stages to control and monitor the update progress.