Chapter 6. Upgrading Data Grid clusters

Data Grid Operator handles Data Grid cluster upgrades when new versions become available.

Important

Hot Rod rolling upgrades are available as a technology preview feature.

6.1. Technology preview features

Technology preview features or capabilities are not supported with Red Hat production service-level agreements (SLAs) and might not be functionally complete.

Red Hat does not recommend using technology preview features or capabilities for production. These features provide early access to upcoming product features, which enables you to test functionality and provide feedback during the development process.

For more information, see Red Hat Technology Preview Features Support Scope.

6.2. Data Grid cluster upgrades

The spec.upgrades.type field controls how Data Grid Operator upgrades your Data Grid cluster when new versions become available. There are two types of cluster upgrade:

Shutdown
Upgrades Data Grid clusters with service downtime. This is the default upgrade type.
HotRodRolling
Upgrades Data Grid clusters without service downtime.

Shutdown upgrades

To perform a shutdown upgrade, Data Grid Operator does the following:

  1. Gracefully shuts down the existing cluster.
  2. Removes the existing cluster.
  3. Creates a new cluster with the target version.

Hot Rod rolling upgrades

To perform a Hot Rod rolling upgrade, Data Grid Operator does the following:

  1. Creates a new Data Grid cluster with the target version that runs alongside your existing cluster.
  2. Creates a remote cache store to transfer data from the existing cluster to the new cluster.
  3. Redirects all clients to the new cluster.
  4. Removes the existing cluster when all data and client connections are transferred to the new cluster.
Important

You should not perform Hot Rod rolling upgrades with caches that enable passivation with persistent cache stores. In the event that the upgrade does not complete successfully, passivation can result in data loss when Data Grid Operator rolls back the target cluster.

If your cache configuration enables passivation you should perform a shutdown upgrade.

6.3. Upgrading Data Grid clusters with downtime

Upgrading Data Grid clusters with downtime results in service disruption but does not require any additional capacity.

Prerequisites

  • If required, configure a persistent cache store to preserve your data during the upgrade.

    Important

    At the start of the upgrade process Data Grid Operator shuts down your existing cluster. This results in data loss if you do not configure a persistent cache store.

Procedure

  1. Ensure that Shutdown is set as the value for the spec.upgrades.type field, which is the default. 

    spec:
  upgrades:
    type: Shutdown
  2. Apply your changes, if necessary.

When it detects a new Data Grid version, Data Grid Operator automatically upgrades your cluster or prompts you to manually approve the upgrade before proceeding.

6.4. Performing Hot Rod rolling upgrades for Data Grid clusters

Performing Hot Rod rolling upgrades lets you move to a new Data Grid version without service disruption. However, this upgrade type requires additional capacity and temporarily results in two Data Grid clusters with different versions running concurrently.

Procedure

  1. Specify HotRodRolling as the value for the spec.upgrades.type field. 

    spec:
  upgrades:
    type: HotRodRolling
  2. Apply your changes.

When it detects a new Data Grid version, Data Grid Operator automatically upgrades your cluster or prompts you to manually approve the upgrade before proceeding.