Upgrade from a previous version¶

Overview¶

This page explains how to upgrade SaltStack Config to the latest stable version from a previous version. These upgrade instructions cover an upgrade from SaltStack Config version 6.4.0 to version 8.3.0.

Note

As part of VMware’s initiative to remove problematic terminology, the term Salt master will be replaced with Salt controller in SaltStack Config and related products and documentation. This terminology update may take a few release cycles before it is fully complete.

To upgrade SaltStack Config, you will need to:

Back up your data, including certain files and directories that are crucial to your specific installation of SaltStack Config
Upgrade PostgreSQL (optional, but recommended)
Upgrade your Salt infrastructure (optional, but recommended)
Download the upgrade files
Upgrade the RaaS node
Upgrade any Salt masters using the Master Plugin

This page explains how to complete each of these steps in more detail.

Warning

If you are upgrading your SaltStack Config installation, refer to the following upgrade instructions. Do not attempt to install using the automated installer (single-node or multi-node) or manual installation instructions.

Tip

SaltStack Config is powered by Salt. Consult these guides to ensure your environment is following best practices when implementing Salt in your infrastructure:

Upgrading versions earlier than 6.4.0¶

As a best practice, always upgrade from the latest major version of SaltStack Config to the new release. If you are upgrading from a version earlier than 6.4.0, you might see the best results if you upgrade in increments from one major release to the next.

For instructions on upgrading to earlier SaltStack Config versions, see the specific upgrade instructions for the releases you are upgrading from. The upgrade instructions for previous releases are included in the installation guide PDF for the subsequent release. For example, if you need to upgrade from 5.5 to 6.0, see the upgrade instructions in the 6.0 installation PDF.

Version	Installation and Upgrade Guide PDF
8.3	`8.3 Installation and Upgrade Guide`
6.4	`6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide`
6.3	`6.3 Installation and Upgrade Guide`
6.2	`6.2 Installation and Upgrade Guide`
6.1	`6.1 Installation and Upgrade Guide`
6.0.1	`6.0.1 Installation and Upgrade Guide`
6.0	`6.0.0 Installation and Upgrade Guide`
5.5.1	`5.5.1 Installation and Upgrade Guide`

Best practices when upgrading¶

When preparing to perform an upgrade of SaltStack Config, the following recommendations could be helpful:

Back up your data. In order to prevent data loss, back up your data. For an explanation of which files and directories must be backed up before upgrading, see Back up your data.
Perform upgrades during hours of slow network activity. Database upgrades require re-indexing data. Depending on the complexity of your data, a database upgrade could potentially take several hours. To prevent service disruptions, consider upgrading the database during slower business hours or trimming your database prior to an upgrade.
Check the database for any old commands being stored. In some cases, the PostgreSQL database stores old commands that haven’t run. These commands might run during the upgrade process, when you restart the Master Plugin. To prevent this from happening, check whether any old commands are stored in the database, and enable skipping jobs that are older than a defined time.
Test the upgrade before deploying. If possible, you could try running a dress rehearsal in a test environment to get a sense of how long the upgrade could take.
Read through the whole guide first. Consider also reading through this entire guide one time before you implement an upgrade so that you have a good sense of the tasks that are required and whether they require planning from your team or if stakeholders must be notified of pending changes.

Back up your data¶

Before upgrading SaltStack Config, you should always back up your data. The following sections explain which data needs to be backed up so that it can be restored after you complete the upgrade process.

Back up SaltStack Config files and directories¶

The following files and directories contain your custom SaltStack Config configurations and need to be backed up before upgrading:

On the RaaS node, back up these entire directories:
- /etc/raas/raas
- /etc/raas/raas.secconf
- /var/log/raas
- /etc/raas/pki/
Note

The pki directory contains hidden files, so ensure you back up the entire directory.

Backing up the log files in the /var/log/raas directory is optional. During the upgrade process, you’ll clear the log files to provide a clean log file if troubleshooting is necessary.
On each master, back up the /etc/salt/master.d/raas.conf and /etc/salt/master.d/eAPIMasterPaths.conf files.

Note

Depending on how you initially installed SaltStack Config, the eAPI master paths could instead be in the /etc/salt/master.d/raas.conf file instead.

After backing up the SaltStack Config and master files, proceed to the next section.

Back up your database schema¶

When upgrading your RaaS node, the database schema is updated. For that reason, ensure you create a backup of your database before the upgrade.

To back up your database you need to first look up your PostgreSQL database name and then copy the contents:

On the PostgreSQL server, back up these files:
- postgres.conf
- pg_hba.conf
Log in as the postgres user using the following command:
```
sudo su - postgres
```
Get your database name, using the following commands to enter PostgreSQL and then list the databases:
```
psql
\l
```
To exit PostgreSQL and log out as the postgres user, press Ctrl+D and then run the following command:
```
exit
```

Copy database contents to a file. The following command gives an example:

pg_dump -U salt_eapi raas_db_name > postgres_raas_backup_$(date +%Y-%m-%d).sql

Your database files are now backed up. For the latest information about performing backups, see PostgreSQL database backups.

Upgrade PostgreSQL database¶

SaltStack Config requires a PostgreSQL 9.6 database, but PostgreSQL 12.4 is recommended. The recommended version of PostgreSQL is included with the SaltStack Config installer.

Upgrading to the latest version of PostgreSQL is not required. However, upgrading PostgreSQL can possibly improve performance. For instructions on upgrading to the latest version of PostgreSQL, see PostgreSQL upgrade.

Upgrade Redis database¶

SaltStack Config requires a Redis 5.x database, but Redis 5.0.4 is recommended. The recommended version of Redis is included with the SaltStack Config installer.

Upgrading to the latest version of Redis 5.x is not required. However, upgrading Redis can possibly improve performance. For instructions on upgrading Redis, see Redis Administration.

Upgrade Salt¶

For best performance, ensure your Salt components are running on the latest major version of Salt. For instructions on upgrading your masters and other Salt components, see Upgrading Your Salt Infrastructure.

For instructions on upgrading the Salt Crystal package, see How to Upgrade Salt Crystal.

Download upgrade files¶

To download the files for upgrading:

On the Downloads page, go to the Upgrade 6.4.0 to 8.3.0 requirements section.
Download all files listed needed for upgrading.
Verify the files. For specific instructions, see Verify the installation files.

After you’ve downloaded the files, proceed to the next section.

Upgrade the RaaS node¶

This section explains how to upgrade the RaaS node from 6.4.0 to version 8.3.0. Be aware that database upgrades require re-indexing data. If your data is complex, a database upgrade could potentially take several hours. For a discussion of when to plan an upgrade and other tips, see Best practices when upgrading.

Warning

Before upgrading your RaaS node, you must back up your system data to avoid data loss. For an explanation of which files and directories must be backed up before upgrading, see Back up your data.

To upgrade the RaaS node:

Save any changes you made to the default file system, pillar data, and jobs as new files or jobs.
Note any pillar assignments that are made to the default targets. These need to be re-assigned after upgrade.
Stop the RaaS service using the following command:
```
sudo systemctl stop raas
```
Remove the log file(s) in the /var/log/raas directory. Clearing the log files provides a clean log file if troubleshooting is necessary.
Remove the currently installed version of the API (RaaS) with the following command:
```
sudo yum remove raas
```
Upgrade the RaaS node by installing the latest RPM. Use the following example command, replacing the exact file name of the RPM:
```
sudo yum install raas-rpm-file-name.rpm
```
IMPORTANT: Restore the backup of the following files:
- /etc/raas/raas
- /etc/raas/raas.secconf
- /etc/raas/pki/
Update permissions for the raas user with the following command:
```
sudo chown -R raas:raas /etc/pki/raas/certs
```
OPTIONAL: If you have a SaltStack SecOps license and want to add the compliance library, add the following new section to the /etc/raas/raas file:
```
sec:
  ingest_override: true
  locke_dir: locke
  post_ingest_cleanup: true
  username: 'secops'
  content_url: 'https://enterprise.saltstack.com/secops_downloads'
  download_enabled: true
  download_frequency: 86400
  stats_snapshot_interval: 3600
  compile_stats_interval: 10
  ingest_on_boot: True
  content_lock_timeout: 60
  content_lock_block_timeout: 120
```
Note

This step is optional and only applies to organizations that have a valid SaltStack SecOps license. This add-on module is available for SaltStack Config versions 6.0 and later. The previous configuration options in the /etc/raas/raas configuration file are specific to these add-on modules.

OPTIONAL: If you have a SaltStack SecOps license and want to add the vulnerability library, add a new section to the /etc/raas/raas file:

vman:
  vman_dir: vman
  download_enabled: true
  download_frequency: 86400
  username: vman
  content_url: 'https://enterprise.saltstack.com/vman_downloads'
  ingest_on_boot: true
  compile_stats_interval: 60
  stats_snapshot_interval: 3600
  old_policy_file_lifespan: 2
  delete_old_policy_files_interval: 86400
  tenable_asset_import_enabled: True
  tenable_asset_import_grains: ['fqdn', 'ipv4', 'ipv6', 'hostname', 'mac_address', 'netbios_name',
                                'bios_uuid', 'manufacturer_tpm_id', 'ssh_fingerprint',
                                'mcafee_epo_guid', 'mcafee_epo_agent_guid', 'symantec_ep_hardware_key',
                                'qualys_asset_id', 'qualys_host_id', 'servicenow_sys_id', 'gcp_project_id',
                                'gcp_zone', 'gcp_instance_id', 'azure_vm_id', 'azure_resource_id',
                                'aws_availability_zone', 'aws_ec2_instance_ami_id',
                                'aws_ec2_instance_group_name', 'aws_ec2_instance_state_name',
                                'aws_ec2_instance_type', 'aws_ec2_name', 'aws_ec2_product_code',
                                'aws_owner_id', 'aws_region', 'aws_subnet_id', 'aws_vpc_id',
                                'installed_software', 'bigfix_asset_id'
                                ]

Note

This step is optional and only applies to organizations that have a valid SaltStack SecOps license. This add-on module is available for SaltStack Config versions 6.0 and later. The previous configuration options in the /etc/raas/raas configuration file are specific to these add-on modules.

The RaaS currently has a known issue related to stale jobs. (See Known issues for more information.) When upgrading, some users might notice a queue of stale jobs that are stuck in a pending state. Upgrading the RaaS node can cause these jobs to run unless they are first cleared out.

To prevent this from happening, first check whether any old commands are stored in the database. On your PostgreSQL node, check for any pending jobs using the following command:
```
select count(1) from commands where state = 'new';
```
The result is the number of pending jobs. If the number of jobs is 0, proceed with the rest of the upgrade process. If the number of jobs is greater than 0, Contact Support for a workaround.
Upgrade the RaaS service database using the following command:
```
sudo su - raas
raas upgrade
```
Note

Depending on the size of your database, the upgrade can take anywhere from several minutes to over an hour.

If you encounter errors, check the /var/log/raas/raas logfile for more information.
After the upgrade, exit the session for the raas user with the following command:
exit

Start the RaaS service using the following command:

sudo systemctl enable raas
sudo systemctl start raas

Verify that SaltStack Config is functioning correctly and is running the latest version. Proceed to the next section.

Upgrade masters with the Master Plugin¶

After you have successfully upgraded the RaaS node, you can then upgrade any masters that use the Master Plugin to connect to SaltStack Config.

Note

Before you upgrade the masters, ensure that the pip3 application is installed on the masters. If you are upgrading from the latest version of the Master Plugin, this application is already installed.

To upgrade the Master Plugin on a master:

Stop the salt-master service using the following command:
```
sudo systemctl stop salt-master
```
Check which version of Python is running on the master. If it is running Python 3.6 or higher, no changes are needed. Otherwise, delete the prior version of the SSEAPE module. (The SSEAPE is the SaltStack Config plugin for the master). For example:
RHEL/CentOS

Ubuntu
sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/SSEAPE*
sudo rm /usr/lib/python3.6/dist-packages/SSEAPE*
Upgrade the Master Plugin by manually installing the updated Python wheel. Use the following example commands, replacing the exact name of the wheel file:
RHEL/CentOS

Ubuntu
sudo pip3 install SSEAPE-file-name.whl --prefix /usr
sudo pip3 install SSEAPE-file-name.whl
Note

Some users might need to alter the syntax to pip3.6 or pip36 for their operating systems.
Update the API (RaaS) module paths by editing the /etc/salt/master.d/eAPIMasterPaths.conf file to reference the paths to the various modules. For example, you might change all python2.7 references in this file to python3.6.

Note

Depending on how you initially installed SaltStack Config, the eAPI master paths could instead be in the /etc/salt/master.d/raas.conf file instead.
Check the engines section in /etc/salt/master.d/raas.conf to confirm that it matches the following:
```
engines:
  - sseapi: {}
  - eventqueue: {}
  - rpcqueue: {}
  - jobcompletion: {}
```
Note

If a problem occurred, you may need to restore your backups of the /etc/salt/master.d/raas.conf and /etc/salt/master.d/eAPIMasterPaths.conf files.
Start the salt-master service with the following command:
```
sudo systemctl start salt-master
```

The upgrade process is now complete. If you encounter any other errors, refer to the Troubleshooting page or Contact Support.