Updateing cluster from 4.4 to 5.x

[taenzerme]

Hello all,

we're running an existing cluster with 3 nodes on 4.4. Current nodes have identical hardware and running vms in production. No local storage, everything on Synology HA NFS.

We'd like to add 4 new nodes with different hardware (better in terms of RAM and CPU). The new nodes are clean, are running no vms and have PVE 5 installed already.

What is the recommended way to join these new nodes to the cluster and update the 3 old nodes to v5? Is it possible to add the new nodes to the cluster, migrate the old vms to the new hosts and then update the old hosts without risking a lot of downtime?

Best,
Sebastian

 

[Alwin]

While possible, I would recommend to create a new cluster with the PVE 5 machines, copy the vmid.conf files (storage needs to be the same), shutdown the VMs on the old cluster and start them on the new.

 

[taenzerme]

Alwin, thanks for the quick response.

Storage will be the same, no change here.

With "vmid.conf" files you mean the files located in /etc/pve/nodes/xxxxx/qemu-server?

 

[Alwin]

Yes, or lxc if you have container.

 

[taenzerme]

No lxc used at all, so not an issue for me. Do I simply copy the .conf files into the folders in /etc/pve/nodes/? Does PVE recognize them immediately or do I have to restart the new cluster?

 

[Alwin]

Once you copied the conf files to the node, you will see them in GUI & CLI as switched off VMs.

 

[taenzerme]

Thanks for the help. Everything worked perfectly. I scp'ed the files to the new hosts after stopping the vms and started all on the new hosts then. Downtime < 30 seconds.