2.2. Updating Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors

Updating Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors involves reinstalling the Hypervisor with a newer version of the Hypervisor ISO image. This includes stopping and restarting the Hypervisor. If migration is enabled at cluster level, virtual machines are automatically migrated to another host in the cluster; as a result, it is recommended that Hypervisor updates are performed at a time when the Hypervisor's usage is relatively low.
Ensure that the cluster to which the host belongs has sufficient memory reserve in order for its hosts to perform maintenance. If a cluster lacks sufficient memory, the virtual machine migration operation will hang and then fail. You can reduce the memory usage of this operation by shutting down some or all virtual machines before updating the Hypervisor.
It is recommended that administrators update Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors regularly. Important bug fixes and security updates are included in updates. Hypervisors that are not up to date may be a security risk.

Important

Ensure that the cluster contains more than one host before performing an upgrade. Do not attempt to reinstall or upgrade all the hosts at the same time, as one host must remain available to perform Storage Pool Manager (SPM) tasks.

Procedure 2.2. Updating Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisors

  1. Log in to the system hosting the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager as the root user.
  2. Ensure that you have the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor repository enabled: 
    # subscription-manager repos --enable=rhel-6-server-rhevh-rpms
  3. Update the rhev-hypervisor package:
    • Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor 6: 
      # yum update rhev-hypervisor6
    • Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor 7: 
      # yum update rhev-hypervisor7
  4. From the Administration Portal, click the Hosts tab, and then select the Hypervisor that you intend to upgrade.
    • If the Hypervisor requires updating, an alert message under Action Items and an icon next to the Hypervisor's name indicate that a new version of the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor is available.
    • If the Hypervisor does not require updating, no alert message or icon is displayed and no further action is required.
  5. Click Upgrade to open the Upgrade Host confirmation window.
  6. Select the appropriate Hypervisor ISO image.
  7. Click OK. The details of the Hypervisor are updated in the Hosts tab, and the status will transition through these stages:
    • Maintenance
    • Installing
    • Non Responsive
    • Up
    These are all expected, and each stage will take some time.
  8. Restart the Hypervisor to ensure all updates are correctly applied.
Once successfully updated, the Hypervisor displays a status of Up. Any virtual machines that were migrated off the Hypervisor are, at this point, able to be migrated back to it. Repeat the update procedure for each Hypervisor in the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization environment.

Important

After a Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor is successfully registered to the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager and then upgraded, it may erroneously appear in the Administration Portal with the status of Install Failed. Click Activate, and the Hypervisor will change to an Up status and be ready for use.