ONTAP 9 Manuals ( CA08871-402 )

Supported ONTAP upgrade paths

The version of ONTAP that you can upgrade to depends on your hardware platform and the version of ONTAP currently running on your cluster’s nodes.

To determine your current ONTAP version:
  • In ONTAP System Manager, click Cluster > Overview.

  • From the command line interface (CLI), use the cluster image show command.
    You can also use the system node image show command at the advanced privilege level to display details.

Types of upgrade paths

Automated nondisruptive upgrades (ANDU) are recommended whenever possible. Depending on your current and target releases, your upgrade path will be direct, direct multi-hop, or multi-stage.

  • Direct

    You can always upgrade directly to the next adjacent ONTAP release family using a single software image. For many releases, you can also install a software image that allows you to upgrade directly to releases that are up to four releases later than the running release.

    For example, you can use the direct upgrade path from 9.11.1 to 9.12.1, or from 9.11.1 to 9.15.1.

    All direct upgrade paths are supported for mixed version clusters.

  • Direct multi-hop

    For some automated nondisruptive upgrades (ANDU) to non-adjacent releases, you need to install the software image for an intermediate release as well the target release. The automated upgrade process uses the intermediate image in the background to complete the update to the target release.

  • Multi-stage

    If a direct or direct multi-hop path is not available for your non-adjacent target release, you must first upgrade to a supported intermediate release, and then upgrade to the target release.

Before you begin any major upgrade, it is a best practice to upgrade first to the latest patch release of the ONTAP version running on your cluster. This will ensure that any issues in your current version of ONTAP are resolved before upgrading.

Supported upgrade paths

The following upgrade paths are supported for automated and manual upgrades of your ONTAP software. These upgrade paths apply to on-premises ONTAP.

For mixed version ONTAP clusters: All direct and direct multi-hop upgrade paths include ONTAP versions that are compatible for mixed version clusters. ONTAP versions included in multi-stage upgrades are not compatible for mixed version clusters. For example, an upgrade from 9.8 to 9.12.1 is a direct upgrade. A cluster with nodes running 9.8 and 9.12.1 is a supported mixed version cluster. An upgrade from 9.8 to 9.13.1 is a multi-stage upgrade. A cluster with nodes running 9.8 and 9.13.1 is not a supported mixed version cluster.

From ONTAP 9.10.1 and later

Automated and manual upgrades from ONTAP 9.10.1 and later follow the same upgrade paths.

If your current ONTAP release is… And your target ONTAP release is… Your automated or manual upgrade path is…

9.14.1

9.15.1

direct

9.13.1

9.15.1

direct

9.14.1

direct

9.12.1

9.15.1

direct

9.14.1

direct

9.13.1

direct

9.11.1

9.15.1

direct

9.14.1

direct

9.13.1

direct

9.12.1

direct

9.10.1

9.15.1

multi-stage
-9.10.1 → 9.14.1
-9.14.1 → 9.15.1

9.14.1

direct

9.13.1

direct

9.12.1

direct

9.11.1

direct

From ONTAP 9.9.1

Automated and manual upgrades from ONTAP 9.9.1 follow the same upgrade paths.

If your current ONTAP release is… And your target ONTAP release is… Your automated or manual upgrade path is…

9.9.1

9.15.1

multi-stage
-9.9.1→9.13.1
-9.13.1→9.15.1

9.14.1

multi-stage
-9.9.1→9.13.1
-9.13.1→9.14.1

9.13.1

direct

9.12.1

direct

9.11.1

direct

9.10.1

direct

From ONTAP 9.8

Automated and manual upgrades from ONTAP 9.8 follow the same upgrade paths.

If you are upgrading a MetroCluster IP configuration from 9.8 to 9.10.1 or later on any of the following platforms, you must upgrade to 9.9.1 before you upgrade to 9.10.1 or later.

  • ETERNUS HX2200

  • ETERNUS AX2100

  • ETERNUS AX2200

Clusters in MetroCluster IP configurations on these platforms cannot be upgraded directly 9.8 to 9.10.1 or later. The listed direct upgrade paths can be used for all other platforms.

If your current ONTAP release is… And your target ONTAP release is… Your automated or and manual upgrade path is…

9.8

9.15.1

multi-stage
-9.8 → 9.12.1
-9.12.1 → 9.15.1

9.14.1

multi-stage
-9.8 → 9.12.1
-9.12.1 → 9.14.1

9.13.1

multi-stage
-9.8 → 9.12.1
-9.12.1 → 9.13.1

9.12.1

direct

9.11.1

direct

9.10.1

direct

9.9.1

direct

From ONTAP 9.7

The upgrade paths from ONTAP 9.7 might vary based upon whether you are performing an automated or a manual upgrade.

Automated paths
If your current ONTAP release is… And your target ONTAP release is… Your automated upgrade path is…

9.7

9.15.1

multi-stage
-9.7 → 9.8
-9.8 → 9.12.1
-9.12.1 → 9.15.1

9.14.1

multi-stage
-9.7 → 9.8
-9.8 → 9.12.1
-9.12.1 → 9.14.1

9.13.1

multi-stage
-9.7 → 9.9.1
-9.9.1 → 9.13.1

9.12.1

multi-stage
-9.7 → 9.8
-9.8 → 9.12.1

9.11.1

direct multi-hop (requires images for 9.8 and 9.11.1)

9.10.1

direct multi-hop (requires images for 9.8 and 9.10.1P1 or later P release)

9.9.1

direct

9.8

direct

Manual paths
If your current ONTAP release is… And your target ONTAP release is… Your manual upgrade path is…

9.7

9.15.1

multi-stage
-9.7 → 9.8
-9.8 → 9.12.1
-9.12.1 → 9.15.1

9.14.1

multi-stage
-9.7 → 9.8
-9.8 → 9.12.1
-9.12.1 → 9.14.1

9.13.1

multi-stage
-9.7 → 9.9.1
-9.9.1 → 9.13.1

9.12.1

multi-stage
- 9.7 → 9.8
- 9.8 → 9.12.1

9.11.1

multi-stage
- 9.7 → 9.8
- 9.8 → 9.11.1

9.10.1

multi-stage
- 9.7 → 9.8
- 9.8 → 9.10.1

9.9.1

direct

9.8

direct

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