Upgrade with Disaster Recovery enabled

Overview

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for upgrading F5 Insight when Disaster Recovery (DR) is configured. The entire upgrade process is performed through the F5 Insight web interface on both nodes - no command-line access is needed.

When DR is active, both nodes must be upgraded to the same software version. The recommended approach is to upgrade the standby node first, verify its health, and then upgrade the primary node. This ensures continuous availability throughout the upgrade process.

Prerequisites

Before starting the upgrade, make sure the following conditions are met:

  • Both nodes are healthy: Go to Settings ‣ Disaster Recovery on the primary node and verify that the DR Pair Status displays Operational Status: Active (green indicator).
  • Replication is active: Confirm the primary node shows Active / Read-Write status and the standby node shows Standby / Read-Only status.
  • Upgrade package is available: Make sure the new software version is accessible for upload through the UI on both nodes.
  • Maintenance window is scheduled: Plan for a maintenance window. While the system remains available during the upgrade, individual nodes restart as part of the process.

Upgrade the standby node

  1. Open a browser and navigate to the standby node UI (https://<standby-node-ip>).
  2. Log in with your administrator credentials.
  3. Navigate to Settings ‣ About.
  4. Select Upgrade and upload the new package bundle. Wait for the bundle to fully upload into the VM.
  5. Once the upload reaches 100%, select Start Upgrade to begin the upgrade process.
  6. The system displays a progress indicator. The standby node restarts automatically as part of the upgrade.
  7. Wait for the standby node to complete the upgrade and become accessible again.

Note

During the standby upgrade, the primary node continues to operate normally. All configuration changes, data collection, and monitoring remain fully functional on the primary node.

Verify standby node health

After the standby node has restarted and is accessible:

  1. Log in to the standby node UI.

  2. Verify the standby banner is displayed:

    “This node is in standby mode. Configuration changes must be made on the primary node.”

  3. Navigate to Settings ‣ Disaster Recovery and confirm:

    • The node displays Standby / Read-Only status.
    • The software version matches the newly installed version (visible on the About page).

  4. Verify that data is visible on the standby dashboards, confirming that replication from the primary node is active.

Upgrade the primary node

Once the standby node is confirmed healthy:

  1. Open a browser and navigate to the primary node UI (https://<primary-node-ip>).
  2. Log in with your administrator credentials.
  3. Navigate to Settings ‣ About.
  4. Select Upgrade and upload the new package bundle. Wait for the bundle to fully upload into the VM.
  5. Once the upload reaches 100%, select Start Upgrade to begin the upgrade process.
  6. The system displays a progress indicator. The primary node restarts automatically as part of the upgrade.
  7. Wait for the primary node to complete the upgrade and become accessible again.

Note

During the primary node upgrade, the standby node remains in standby mode. Once the primary node restarts, DR replication and data synchronization resume automatically.

Verify disaster recovery pair health

After both nodes have been upgraded:

On the primary node:

  1. Log in to the primary node UI.
  2. Navigate to Settings ‣ Disaster Recovery and verify:
    • DR Pair Status displays Operational Status: Active (green indicator).
    • Primary Node card shows Active / Read-Write status with the new software version.
    • Standby Node card shows Standby / Read-Only status with the new software version.
  3. Verify the primary node dashboards display current data.

On the standby node:

  1. Log in to the standby node UI.
  2. Verify the standby banner is visible and dashboards display replicated data from the primary.
  3. (Optional) Make a configuration change on the primary node (for example, adding or modifying a device) and verify the change is reflected on the standby node to confirm replication is functioning correctly.

Important notes

  • Upgrade order matters: Always upgrade the standby node first, then the primary node. This ensures the primary remains fully operational while the standby is being upgraded.
  • Version compatibility: Both nodes must run the same software version. Don’t leave the nodes on different versions for an extended period.
  • Automatic state restoration: After each node upgrade, the system automatically restores the DR configuration — including data replication, storage pipelines, and network settings. You don’t need to reconfigure anything manually.
  • BIG-IP log destinations: After the upgrade is complete, verify that your BIG-IP log destinations (SSL Logs and iRule Telemetry) are still correctly pointed to the primary node. No changes should be needed if the primary node IP remains the same.