Upgrading ONTAP 7.3.5 to 8.1 Mode

[NAYABRASOOL]

Hi Experts,

Going upgrade my Ontap version from 7.3.5 to 8.1 Mode , Can anybody tell how much time it will take for upgrade  and any down time needed , All suggestions are welcomed , please guide me to complete this successfully.

Thanks,

Nayab

[aborzenkov]

If system is correctly configured for failover, it can be done as NDU without downtime. CIFS and NDMP sessions will be interrupted though.

Why 8.0.1? I would say, either 8.0.3 latest patch or 8.1.1P1. What is the reason to chose this specific version?

[NAYABRASOOL]

Yes its FAS2040 A-A pair and configured as failover , no specific reason going for 8.1 in fact i don't know which version to choose , hope i will go with 8.1.1P1 as per your comment. Can i directly upgrade from my current version to 8.0.3 or 8.1.1P1 ????

Please advise

[aborzenkov · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can go directly from 7.3.x to 8.1 (check release notes and update guide for prerequisites). Do you have any reason to update at all? Any specific functionality that is missing? Have you ever heard “never touch a running system”? ☺

8.x is more resource demanding, so 7G may be better choice on low end systems unless you need some features missing in 7G.

[NAYABRASOOL]

Could you be more precise regarding  " RESOURCE DEMANDING "  and i will be very happy if you can list out MERITS and DEMERITS and also advise if this upgradation recommended  on this particular filer model as we are using FAS2040

[NAYABRASOOL]

Current NVRAM size 4GB which is causing some performance impact , is there a way to Increase the NVRAM so that we can have smooth functionality .

[rorzmcgauze]

Sadly NVRAM is a fixed size per controller so you have only really two options, buy a head upgrade to FAS3200 or get a second HA pair of FAS2200. C-mode could be an option but you have to flatten your current 7-mode box to change ONTAP flavour

[NAYABRASOOL]

Ok i will ask my change management team accordingly.

Thanks a lot for your assistance.

[craigbeckman]

Regarding the 'resource demanding' quote, check out these posts before upgrading to DOT 8.1

Also, probably look at 8.1.1P1 rather than 8.1.

https://communities.netapp.com/thread/22676

https://communities.netapp.com/thread/24244