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SolusVM 2 Updates

SolusVM 2 is constantly adding new features, improvements, and bugfixes. To ensure that SolusVM 2 is up to date, automatic installation of SolusVM 2 updates is enabled by default. To stay safe and enjoy the latest features, we strongly recommend that you keep automatic updates enabled. Moreover, you can schedule when SolusVM 2 updates are installed and choose the update type (mainline, stable, or testing).

You can see information about the current SolusVM 2 version, available updates, and release notes, in System Updates. To see notifications about available and installed updates, click the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Updates

SolusVM 2 updates are free of charge. They add new features, enhancements, and bugfixes, which update the following:

  • The SolusVM 2 itself installed on the management server.
  • The SolusVM 2 Agent installed on added compute resources.

SolusVM 2 automatically checks for updates every 15 minutes. During an update, the management server goes down and then restarts after the update. Unlike the management server, compute resources and servers don’t have any downtime. Usually an update takes about a couple of minutes. You can update SolusVM 2 in a number of ways:

  • Automatically (recommended and enabled by default) by schedule.
  • Manually via the SolusVM 2 interface.
  • Manually via the CLI.

Note

SolusVM 2 updates are applied sequentially. You can’t install only a specific update or skip one of the updates.

Selecting the Update Type

SolusVM 2 offers three types of updates you can choose from:

  • Mainline updates, which contain the latest features and bugfixes. The delivered features have already been tested. You can choose mainline updates in most cases including SolusVM 2 production use.
  • Stable updates, which contain only critical bugfixes and don’t deliver brand-new features. Stable updates deliver former mainline updates with a short delay. You receive new features in bulk and rigorously tested. Stable updates are selected by default.
  • Testing updates, which contain all new features, enhancements, and bugfixes. Choose these updates if you want to enjoy the latest SolusVM 2 features even if they are still in beta and being tested. Do not choose testing updates if you and your users use SolusVM 2 in production.

Note

You receive notifications and see the info in System Updates only about the selected update type.

To select the SolusVM 2 update type:

  1. Go to Settings > System Updates.
  2. Under “Source channel”, select “stable”, “mainline”, or “testing”, and then click Save.

After you change the update type, SolusVM 2 will be updated to the latest version according to the selected type (if automatic updates are enabled).

Scheduling Automatic SolusVM 2 Updates

By default, SolusVM 2 automatically checks for updates, downloads, and installs them on Saturday. You can set the desired weekdays and time when automatic updates are installed.

To set the desired weekdays and time when SolusVM 2 auto-updates are installed:

  1. Go to Settings > System Updates.
  2. Select the weekday and time when updates will start, and then click Save.

Updating SolusVM 2 Manually via the Interface

To have more control over installing updates, you may want to turn off automatic updates and update SolusVM 2 manually. In this case, you can decide if you want an update or not and can install updates when it’s convenient for you.

To update SolusVM 2 manually via the interface:

  1. Go to Settings > System Updates.
  2. Under “Update Method”, select “Manually”, and then click Save.
  3. Regularly check updates in System Updates and install an update by clicking Install Now.

Updating SolusVM 2 manually via the CLI

You may want to update SolusVM 2 manually via the CLI in the following cases:

  • You cannot update via the interface for any reason. For example, the management server is down.
  • You updated SolusVM 2 but one or more compute resources were not updated (see the screenshot below). You want to restart the update.

  • An update failed and you tried to restart the corresponding task in the interface but it didn’t help. You now want to try updating via the CLI.

  • You specifically want to update via the CLI and control the update process.

To update SolusVM 2 manually via the CLI:

  1. Access the management server command line.
  2. (Optional) You may want to install an update whose type differs from the one you selected in the interface. Let’s say, you selected stable updates but you want to install a mainline update via the CLI. In this case, open /usr/local/solus/config/config.yml and change the update type in channel, for example:
    update_service:
      channel: mainline
    
  3. Run the command of the following pattern:
    /usr/local/solus/bin/installer -update -to <version>
    
    where <version> is the latest version of SolusVM 2. For example:
    /usr/local/solus/bin/installer -update -to 1.2.3.4
    

The update will start and you will see its progress in the terminal.

Reverting to the Previous SolusVM 2 Version via the CLI

No updates can be completely safe. For this reason, SolusVM 2 backs up its database before each update. If anything goes wrong during or after the update, you can try troubleshooting by reverting to the previous SolusVM 2 version. The management server will go down and then restart with the previous SolusVM 2 version. Compute resources and servers don’t have any downtime during reverse.

To revert to the previous SolusVM 2 version via the CLI:

  1. Access the management server command line.
  2. Run the command of the following pattern:
    /usr/local/solus/bin/installer -revert -to <version>
    
    where <version> is the previous version of SolusVM 2. For example:
    /usr/local/solus/bin/installer -revert -to 1.2.3.3
    
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