Offline updates (prior to v8.9)
Offline Updates
If you are running version 8.9 or higher of Vectra software, please see: Offline Updates (v8.9+) for guidance. In versions 8.9 and higher, the offline updates feature has been enhanced to allow for multiple packages to be downloaded and installed automatically to ease deployment and reduce sneakernet usage in air gap situations.
For customers who do not allow connectivity to the Vectra cloud for receiving online updates, Vectra has the ability to upgrade offline without requiring connectivity to the Vectra cloud. The feature can be enabled upon customer request.
In order to enable the feature, please contact support ([email protected]). Please note the following:
For customers using a VMware Brain, when you enable offline mode for deployment during the initial configuration, this also enables the offline update feature.
VMware Brains deployed in offline mode are offline for licensing and must be licensed offline for all license operations (initial, renewal).
Online updates are never possible for VMware Brains deployed in offline mode.
Customers using any other Brain type still need to work with Vectra support to enable the feature flag.
Follow the steps below in order to update your Vectra platform manually.
Validate that the Offline Updates feature has been enabled.
Login to you Vectra UI (Brain).
Navigate to Settings > General.
Scroll to bottom look for the "Version" section.
Check to see that the "Manually update" link is available.
Once automatic updates are disabled, the link to ‘Manually update’ becomes available.
If you do not see the "Manually update" feature, you must work with Vectra to have this feature enabled. Offline Updates functionality is intended for use by customers who are in air gapped networks or have special circumstances that necessitate updating manually. The default configuration is for Vectra to provide updates automatically following the schedule you set in the Settings > Version area.
Download the package
While still in the "Version" area of the Settings > General page, click "Manually update".
Upon Clicking on “Manually update”, the "Upload New Version" dialog should pop-up.
Click on the "Generate" button and the offline upgrade package download link will be generated.
Next click on "Copy" to copy the link:
Use the copied URL in a new browser window or tab to download the offline update package(s).
Follow the instructions shown on web-page.
Please keep the note of file hash in Checksum field of each downloaded file as that must be checked before uploading them.
Verifying the integrity of the downloaded package(s)
File hashes can be used to verify the integrity of the downloaded update package. Hash checksum of a particular file does not change over time or depending on the system - checksum is only changed if the file is modified. The update packages provided using the generated Offline Updates URL page include the each filename's hash in SHA256.
Depending on the system you are using, you can verify the checksum of the file using the following ways:
On Microsoft Windows using the certutil utility:
syntax:
example:
On GNU/Linux systems using sha256sum :
syntax:
example:
Compare the hash checksum provided alongside the update package that you have downloaded with the one that you have obtained using either of the commands above.
If the hashes do not match, postpone the installation of the update package until you have verified that:
there were no interrupts during the file download (retry download if necessary)
no software running on your computer or the network could have modified the file during the download
For any questions, please reach out to Vectra Customer Support (more on this here).
Upload the package(s)
Go back to your browser window or tab that is logged into your Vectra Platform (Brain).
Navigate to Settings > General (if you are still in the "Manually Update" dialog you can skip forward to uploading the file).
Scroll to bottom to go to "Version" section.
Click on “Manually update”.
Upon popup of "Upload New Version" Page click on the "Upload file" button.
Upload the file. The UI will indicate that the file is updating.
Note: Only valid update files from Vectra are allowed, any other files will be rejected by the system. Further, Vectra allows only incremental updates.
For example, in order to upgrade from 3.10 to 3.12, upon request, customers will receive two offline upgrade packages – one for 3.11 and one for 3.12. Customers will have to perform the 3.11 offline upgrade first followed by the 3.12 upgrade. It is recommended that customers update regularly and are in lock step with the current Vectra release in order to receive maximum benefit from the new detections, detection enhancements, new features and platform enhancements that Vectra provides as a part of its monthly releases.
Once the upload is complete, the UI will present the hash checksum of the package that was uploaded. This can be used to compare to the checksum provided with the package to verify that the right file was uploaded to the system.
There are two options that are provided – "install" and "install later". Clicking on "Install" will start the installation process right away. Otherwise, customers have the convenience to use "install later" to exit the modal and install at a later point in time. The uploaded package will still be preserved in the system and the upgrade can be installed at a later point in time by navigating back to *Settings > Version *page in the UI and clicking on ‘"Manually update".
Install the package
Once installation starts, the user is redirected to the Updating page in the UI.
Once the update is complete, the user will be redirected to the Dashboard page in the UI. Updates can take 10 – 15 mins.
Please Note:
As stated earlier, offline updates are not enabled by default and will be enabled by Vectra Support on request. Vectra Support will require UI access to the appliance (e.g. using Support VPN or a remote screen sharing session) to enable this feature.
If you edit the setting and re-enable automatic updates on a schedule and later wish to return to using offline updates, you will need to work with Vectra again to re-enable the offline updates capability.
Support
For more information please contact support at [email protected]
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