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Update Peer Global File Service (PeerGFS)

This article describes how to install a minor update to PeerGFS. If you want to install a major upgrade, see Upgrade Peer Global File Service (PeerGFS).  Major releases require a new license, which can be requested by submitting the Peer Global File Service Upgrade Form.  See Peer Software Lifecycle Policy to learn more about Peer Software major and minor releases.

Update versus upgrade

While update and upgrade are frequently used interchangeably in the technology domain, there is a subtle distinction between them.  An update, often referred to as a patch, generally involves enhancements or fixes to the current version of the software, aiming to improve its performance or address issues.  On the other hand, an upgrade usually entails transitioning to an entirely new version of the software, often incorporating significant changes or additional features beyond what was available in the previous version.  In general, the processes for updating and upgrading are very similar; however, upgrading usually involves getting a new license version and a few additional steps.

Before you begin

Ensure that your environment is compliant with the Peer Global File Service environmental requirements by reviewing Peer Global File Service - Environmental Requirements.  Note that it is crucial to disable anti-malware and anti-virus software that may interfere with the installation and running of PeerGFS.  Review the list of services that must be exempted from such software.  More details can be found here.

Overview of the PeerGFS update process

The PeerGFS update process is outlined below:

Task 1. Check to see whether an update is available.

Task 2. Back up the current PeerGFS configuration.

Task 3. Download the Peer Management Center installer.

Task 4. Install the new version of Peer Management Center.

Task 5. Update Peer Management brokers.

Task 6. Update Peer Agents.

Task 7. Update clustered Agents.

Technical Note: Clustered versus non-clustered Peer Agents

Within this article, we differentiate between an Agent and a clustered Agent.:

  • An Agent is one that that is installed directly on a server. This is the typical Agent installation.
  • A clustered Agent is one that is operating in a Windows Failover Cluster environment. Microsoft Failover Clustering is a capability built into Windows Server 2008 Enterprise and later that allows running applications and services to migrate between two or more nodes (Windows servers) to mitigate downtime due to the failure of a single node.  Within this clustering framework, an application or service is only operational on a single node at any given time.
    A Peer Agent can be attached to and interact with a clustered file server role operating in a Windows Failover Cluster environment.   Once configured, the Peer Agent service will operate within the context of the file server role, using the same storage, IP address, and DNS name of the role. All Agent capabilities are available, as if the Agent was installed on a normal Windows File Server. In the event that the cluster node actively hosting the file server role and Peer Agent fails, both elements will automatically be moved and restarted on another node.  After a brief period of time following the failover to another node, the Agent will reconnect and all jobs set to auto-start will begin.

See the step-by-step guide for detailed instructions on the update process.

Step-by-step guide

Task 1. Check to see whether an update is available.

Check to see whether a new version of PeerGFS is available (see Check for a new version of PeerGFS for instructions):

  • If Peer Software has already provided you with a link to an update or patch, you can skip this task and proceed to Task 2. Back up the current PeerGFS configuration.
  • If a minor update is available, you will download the installer in Task 3. Download the Peer Management Center installer.
  • If a major update is available, see Upgrade Peer Global File Service (PeerGFS).

Task 2. Back up the current PeerGFS configuration.

This step is optional but recommended.

PeerGFS configuration information and logs from previous installations are automatically saved during the installation of Peer Management Center.  However, for an additional layer of protection, we strongly recommend that you manually back up PeerGFS.  For step-by-step instructions, see Back up your PeerGFS configuration manually.

Task 3. Download the Peer Management Center installer.

If Peer Software has provided you with a link to an update or patch, use the link to download the Peer Management Center (PMC) installer to a readily accessible place on your PMC server (such as a folder on the Desktop or under ~/), and then continue with Task 4.

If you did not receive a link but are using the Peer Management Center rich client on Windows and found in Task 1 that a minor update was available, continue with the following.


Downloading a PMC update from the rich client on Windows

  1. In the Check for Updates dialog, click Yes to download the Peer Management Center (PMC) installer.


    As the update is downloaded, a progress bar appears in the lower right corner of the Peer Management Center window.

    The installer is downloaded to the Peer Management Center installation folder (typically C:\\Program Files\Peer Software\Peer Management Center\Hub\workspace-client\Installs\).
    After the download is complete, the     Check for Updates dialog displays information about the update process.

  2. Click Yes to start the installation.

  3. Continue with Task 4.

Task 4. Install the new version of Peer Management Center.


Update Peer Management Center on Windows

To install the new version of Peer Management Center on Windows:

  1. Use Remote Desktop to connect to a Windows Server where Peer Management Center is to be updated.
  2. Right-click the installer and select Run as administrator.
    The installation wizard dialog appears.
  3. When the Welcome page of the Setup Wizard appears, click Next.
    The setup wizard detects the currently installed version.  The first action that the installer takes is to uninstall the old version.  This will not uninstall your jobs or configuration data.

  4. Click Next.
    The License Agreement page appears
  5. Select I accept the agreement to accept the license terms and conditions, and then click Next.
    The Select Destination Directory page appears.

  6. Click Next to select the previous installation folder.


    The Select Start Menu Folder page appears.
  7. Click Next to accept the default Start Menu folder location.
    The Installing page appears. It shows the progress of the installation.  At this point, all Peer services are stopped.
    After the installation is completed, the wizard presents several options:

  8. Select your options:

    OptionDescription
    Run the Peer Management Center ClientSelect this option to open the Peer Management Center rich client.
    Download Peer Agent installerSelect this option if you want a copy of the Agent installer so that you can manually update an Agent or if you want to add a new Agent to your environment.
    Show the Installation folderSelect this option to view the Peer Management Center installation folder.
    Show the README fileSelect this option to open the Peer Management Center read-me file.
  9. Select Finish to finalize the installation.
    After the installation is finalized, Peer services are automatically restarted, and the main Peer Management Center window reappears.  Notice the Agents will be displayed in red in the Agents view, indicating that they need to be updated.
Update Peer Management Center on Linux

To install the new version of Peer Management Center on Linux:

  1. Use SSH to connect to the Linux server where Peer Management Center is to be updated.

  2. Make the .sh installer executable by running:

    CODE 
    sudo chmod a+x <PMC_Installer_linux_version.sh>

  3. Run the .sh installer by running:

    CODE 
    sudo . /<PMC_Installer_linux_version.sh>

  4. Follow the prompts.

  5. When prompted for the installation folder, make sure it matches that of the previous installation.

  6. After the installation is finalized, Peer services are automatically restarted, and the Peer Management Center web interface is available again.

Task 5. Update Peer Management brokers.

If you are not using the Network of Brokers or automated failover between active/passive PMCs, you can skip this task.

In versions prior to v6.0, the process of updating Peer Management brokers is manual.  Once you upgrade to v6.0, you can update brokers within the PMC.


Update Brokers from within Peer Management Center

If you are running PeerGFS v6.0 or later, this is the preferred method for updating brokers.  It will work with both Windows-based and Linux-based Peer Management brokers.

To update connected Peer Management brokers through Peer Management Center, follow these steps:

  1. Open Peer Management Center.
  2. In the Brokers view, right-click on a broker that appears with "Update Required" and select Install Software Update.

    Note that if this option is unavailable as seen below, you are using an older version of the Peer Management broker that cannot be updated from the PMC.  Follow the steps below to manually update this broker.  After this manual update, future updates should be possible through the PMC.
  3. The update process begins immediately.  When complete, the selected broker should now be listed as Online with a green icon.
  4. Repeat for all other brokers.
Manually Update a Broker on Windows

To manually update a Windows-based Peer Management broker:

  1. Use Remote Desktop to connect to a Windows Server where the broker to be updated is installed.

  2. Download the broker installer using one of the following methods:
    • In the PMC, select the Download Broker Installer command from the Help menu.
    • Use the download link that is included in the email containing your PeerGFS license.
  3. Right-click the installer and choose Run as administrator.
    The installer will automatically uninstall the old version of the broker.
  4. When the Welcome page of the Setup Wizard appears, click Next.
    The License Agreement page appears.
  5. Select I accept the agreement to accept the license terms and conditions, and then click Next.
    The Select Destination Directory page appears.
  6. Select the destination directory of the installation folder; it should be same as the previous installation.
  7. Once the installation is completed, ensure that the broker has been successfully updated by checking for the absence of the yellow status icon labeled Software Update Required.
  8. Repeat for all other brokers.
Manually Update a Broker on Linux

To manually update a Linux-based Peer Management broker:

  1. Use SSH to connect to the Linux server where the broker to be updated is installed.

  2. Download the broker installer using one of the following methods:
    • If you are running a Linux-based PMC, select the Download Broker Installer command from the Help menu in the PMC web client.  Use the scp command to get the installer to the appropriate Linux server.
    • Use the wget command and the download link that is included in the email containing your PeerGFS license.

  3. Make the .sh installer executable by running:

    CODE 
    sudo chmod a+x <PM-Broker_Installer_linux_version.sh>

  4. Run the .sh installer by running:

    CODE 
    sudo . /<PM-Broker_Installer_linux_version.sh>

  5. Follow the prompts.

  6. When prompted for the installation folder, make sure it matches that of the previous installation.

  7. Once the installation is completed, ensure that the broker has been successfully updated by checking for the absence of the yellow status icon labeled Software Update Required.

  8. Repeat for all other brokers.

Task 6. Update Peer Agents.

The process for updating Agents depends on whether they are clustered Agents (Agents that are attached to a Windows Failover Cluster) or non-clustered Agents:

  • If your PeerGFS environment doesn't contain any clustered Agents, follow the instructions in this task.
  • If your PeerGFS environment consists of clustered Agents, follow the instructions in Task 7.
  • If your PeerGFS environment contains a mixture of both clustered and non-clustered Agents, follow the relevant instructions for each Agent.

Peer Management Center provides the ability to directly download and install software updates for Agents from within Peer Management Center.  If, for some reason, the update through Peer Management Center fails or times out, you can manually update the Agent.


Update Agents from within Peer Management Center

This is the preferred method for updating Agents.  It will work with both Windows-based and Linux-based Peer Agents, regardless of the operating system hosting Peer Management Center.

To update connected Agents through Peer Management Center, follow these steps:

  1. Open Peer Management Center.
  2. In the Agent view, select all connected Agents to be updated.
  3. Right-click and select Install Software Updates.

    The Install Agent Software Update dialog appears.
  4. Click Yes.
    The Agents are automatically disconnected, and the Agent update process begins. The installation process can take several minutes, depending on your connection speed and on the version of the Agent from which you are upgrading. 
  5. Initially, the Agents will be disconnected and will be displayed in red; once an Agent is upgraded, its status should be shown as Connected and will be displayed in green.
  6. Once all Agents are updated, restart your jobs.
Manually Update an Agent on Windows

If the update through Peer Management Center fails or times out, you can manually update the Agent on the local server host where the Agent is installed.

To manually update a Windows-based Peer Agent, follow these steps:

  1. Download the Agent installer using one of the following methods:
    • In the PMC, select the Download Peer Agent Installer command from the Help menu.
    • Use the download link that is included in the email containing your PeerGFS license.
  2. Use Remote Desktop to connect to a Windows Server where the Agent to be updated is installed.
  3. Copy the installer to the server where the Agent is installed.
  4. Right-click the installer and select Run as administrator.
    The installer will automatically uninstall the old version of the Agent.
  5. When the Welcome page of the Setup Wizard appears, click Next.
    The License Agreement page appears.
  6. Select I accept the agreement to accept the license terms and conditions, and then click Next.
    The Select Destination Directory page appears.
  7. Select the destination directory of the installation folder; it should be same as the previous installation.
  8. When prompted by the installer, make sure that the broker settings are correct and match those of the prior installation.
  9. Once the installation process is complete, check the Agents view in Peer Management Center to ensure that the Agent has successfully reconnected.  The Agent should appear green and connected and no longer require a software update.
  10. Repeat for all other Agents.
Manually Update an Agent on Linux

If the update through Peer Management Center fails or times out, you can manually update the Agent on the local server host where the Agent is installed.

To manually update a Linux-based Peer Agent, follow these steps:

  1. Use SSH to connect to the Linux server where the Peer Agent to be updated is installed.

  2. Download the Peer Agent installer using one of the following methods:
    • If you are running a Linux-based PMC, select the Download Peer Agent Installer command from the Help menu in the PMC web client.  Use the scp command to get the installer to the appropriate Linux server.
    • Use the wget command and the download link that is included in the email containing your PeerGFS license.

  3. Copy the installer to the server where the Peer Agent is installed.

  4. Make the .sh installer executable by running:

    CODE 
    sudo chmod a+x <P-Agent_Installer_linux_version.sh>

  5. Run the .sh installer by running:

    CODE 
    sudo . /<PM-Agent_Installer_linux_version.sh>

  6. Follow the prompts.

  7. When prompted for the installation folder, make sure it matches that of the previous installation.

  8. When prompted by the installer, make sure that the broker settings are correct and match those of the prior installation.

  9. Once the installation process is complete, check the Agents view in Peer Management Center to ensure that the Agent has successfully reconnected.  The Agent should appear green and connected and no longer require a software update.

  10. Repeat for all other Agents.

Task 7. Update clustered Agents.

The following steps describe how to update existing Agents in Windows Failover Cluster environments.

These instructions do not apply to adding new Agents to a cluster. Contact Peer Support for information on how to attach a new Agent to a Windows Failover Cluster.

Manually update clustered Agents

To manually update Windows Failover-clustered Agents:

  1. Contact Peer Support to request the clustered Agent installer.
  2. Download the installer for a clustered Agent to an easily accessible place on the Agent server (such as a folder on the Desktop).
  3. Use Remote Desktop to connect to a Windows Server where one Agent is installed.
  4. Start the Windows Failover Cluster Manager.
  5. Disable the Agent service that is attached to each clustered file server role.
  6. Run the new clustered Agent installer.
    The new installer will automatically uninstall the old version of the Agent. When prompted by the installer, make sure that the broker settings are correct and match those of the prior installation.
  7. When asked by the installer for the number of clustered file server roles, set it to the total number of roles that will run with an attached Agent across all nodes in this particular cluster. This number must match that of the previous installation.
  8. When prompted for each clustered file server role, enter the exact file server role name and the Agent working directory. The working directory will point to a location on a cluster disk attached to that clustered file server role. These settings must match those of the previous installation.
  9. Repeat for all other cluster nodes where the Agent is installed.
  10. Once all nodes have been updated, manually restart the Agent services attached to each clustered file server role from within the Windows Failover Cluster Manager.


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