Offline updates (v8.9+)

Applicability

Offline updates are typically required in air-gapped deployments or customer environments that don't allow Vectra Cloud connectivity.

Offline Updates is a feature that is only available for Quadrant UX (QUX) deployments. Respond UX (RUX) deployments require being connected to the Vectra Cloud. If you are unsure of your deployment type, please see Vectra Analyst User Experiences (Respond vs Quadrant).

If you are working with Vectra software prior to version 8.9, please see Offline Updates (prior to v8.9).

Overview

Offline updates is an optional feature that allows customers to download updates for their QUX deployment from a browser that has internet connectivity and then take the update .zip file to a system that can communicate with the Vectra Brain and upload the update .zip file to the Brain for processing and installation. After the Brain has been updated, any paired Senors or Stream appliance will be automatically updated. In versions prior to 8.9, only a single update could be uploaded/processed/installed at a time. The feature has been updated in v8.9+ to allow for multiple updates to all be contained in a single .zip file and then processed and installed in the proper order. Additionally, multiple individual updates can be uploaded, and the system will install them in the required order (oldest to newest). Versions cannot be skipped during the update process.

In order to enable the feature, 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 continue to be licensed offline for all license operations (initial, renewal).

  • Online updates are never possible for VMware Brains that were deployed in offline mode.

  • For more details regarding VMware Brains, please see the VMware Brain Deployment Guide.

• Customers using any other Brain type follow the steps below.

Manual Update Process

1. Enable Offline Updates.

   • Using the CLI on the Brain (As per this KB):

     vscli > show manual-update
     Manual Update: off
     vscli > set manual-update on
     vscli > show manual-update
     Manual Update: on

   • The default is that updates are performed automatically from the Vectra Cloud at a selectable time window.

2. Validate That the Offline Updates Feature Has Been Enabled.

3. Download Package(s).

4. Install Package(s).

2. Validate That the Offline Updates Feature Has Been Enabled

• Navigate in your Vectra UI to Data Sources > Network > Brain Setup > Version.

• In the default configuration you will see the configured update window:

After you have enabled the offline updates feature, you will see a "Manually Update" option:

If you decide to go back to automatically updating and/or are no longer in an air gap deployment:

• After clicking "Manually Update", you can "Edit" the setting to go back to Automatic Updates by toggling the "Off" slider to "On" and then selecting a update window and clicking "Save".

• You can also go back to manual updates if desired once you've enabled the feature for your deployment.

  • After the initial enablement command has been executed, you should be able to toggle the setting without requiring assistance from Vectra support.

3. Download Package

• Click the "Manually Update" link in your Vectra UI at Data Sources > Network > Brain Setup > Version.

• You should now be in a different part of the UI and only shows the update settings and a "Back to Brain Setup" link.

• Click the "Manually Update" link again.

• This is necessary because the updates are handled by different processes than the rest of the Brain UI and this portion of the UI is semi isolated from the rest of the UI.

• Click the "Copy" button to copy the link that is encoded with version information unique to the versions currently running in your deployment.

  • If the link isn't shown, or there are issues with the link, you can click the "Generate" button to generate a new link.

  • A new link should be used each time you want to perform updates since they are specially encoded with version information based on what is currently running.

• Open the link in another browser tab.

• If there are no updates available based on the versions running your deployment, the subsequent web page will say that:

• If the updates required are less than 40 GB in total, all update packages required can be offered in a single .zip archive.

• If this is the case, it is suggested to use this archive rather than individual download links for the various versions offered.

  • The system will later automatically install all included update packages in the correct order when using the single archive.

• Download the update package. Save the Checksum (Hash value) so you can to validate the download and later upload to the Vectra UI.

• If the updates required are over 40 GB, the updates will be offered in multiple archives.

  • It is again suggested to use the .zip archives at the top of the screen that can contain multiple updates per archive instead of the individual update packages offered below those.

  • If your system is low on disk space, you can download and upload/install individual packages as required to get up to date.

    • You can pull individual updates out of a multi-update .zip before upload if you like so that you don't need to download individual packages.

    • Similarly, if you have individual updates that you want to put into one larger .zip for upload to the Vectra UI because that makes things easier for you operationally, that is supported as well.

  • Disk space available is shown in the upload UI after a file upload is attempted. You can also check the system health dashboard for disk space available in percentages, or check the "show system-health --verbose" output at the CLI.

• As above, download the required update packages. Save the Checksums (Hash values) so you can validate the download and later upload to the Vectra UI.

4. Install Package(s)

• Back in your original browser tab, click the "Upload file" button in your Vectra UI to upload the package(s) to your Brain.

• As the package(s) are being uploaded, status will be displayed:

• The uploaded package(s) will be displayed along with their calculate hash value (checksum) after upload and the packages are then validated to see if they are genuine from Vectra.

  • Please use the "Hash" value displayed for each package and compare that to the "Checksum" that you saved from the download page.

    • We are using the terms hash and checksum interchangeably here. Both refer to the same value.

  • Vectra validates that the package is a genuine update package from Vectra.

  • If the dot in the screenshot is not green, then you can take an action that will be specified by the UI to correct the issue.

    • This can mean the package isn't a genuine Vectra update package.

    • If the package is genuine but there are other issues, the dot will not be green but the UI will guide you to a resolution.

      • An example would be if you are uploading individual packages out of order, the dependency to install an earlier version than the ones already uploaded will be shown until it is corrected.

• If you are low on disk space, you may not be able to upload/process/install all required updates at the same time.

  • You may need to do them individually.

• When ready, with green dots on uploaded files, click the "Install All" button on the bottom right.

  • Even if all dots are not green, the ones with green dots will be installed.

  • Keep in mind that during updates the UI becomes unavailable for other administrative functions.

  • The system will install all the updates in the correct order.

• As the installation proceeds, you will be given status of the process.

• After completion, you will be returned to the Vectra UI.

• It is recommended to check for updates on a regular basis to get the latest features, fix issues, etc.