Distribution Upgrade and Server Migration

  • SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 must be stopped before upgrade.

  • SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 is not supported on top of SL Micro 6.1 & SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 as host os

1. SLE Micro 5.5 to SL Micro 6.1

This document provides the tested procedure to upgrade a SLE Micro 5.5 host deployed with SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 Server to SL Micro 6.1 and migrate to SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1.

1.1. Prerequisites

  • SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 is installed and running on SLE Micro 5.5.

  • System is registered and has active subscriptions with SCC.

1.2. Distribution Upgrade and Server Migration

Procedure: Migration from SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 to SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1

  1. Verify Current Product Status

    SUSEConnect --status-text

    Confirm:

    • Base OS: SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5

    • Extension: SUSE Manager Server 5.0 Extension

  2. Ensure System is Updated

    transactional-update patch

    • If patches were applied, reboot the system before proceeding to migration:

    reboot

    • If no updates were found, you can proceed directly to the migration step.

  3. Start the Migration:

    transactional-update migration --auto-agree-with-licenses --gpg-auto-import-keys

    Follow the prompts and select the available migration to SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 and SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Server Extension 5.1.

  4. Reboot to Apply Changes

    reboot

  5. Post-Reboot Checks:

    Verify upgraded OS and SUSE Multi-Linux Manager extension:

    cat /etc/os-release
SUSEConnect --status-text

    You should see:

    • SL-Micro 6.1

    • Multi-Linux Manager Server Extension 5.1

  6. Enable Root SSH Access (if required). SL Micro 6.1 disables root login via SSH by default. Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/sshd.conf:

    PermitRootLogin yes

    And restart the service:

    systemctl restart sshd

    For more information, see Remote root login on SL Micro.

  7. Upgrade Server Containers

    mgradm upgrade podman

    Follow the prompts to pull and configure the new 5.1.0 containers.

  8. Check running containers:

    podman ps

    You should see:

    • server:5.1.0

    • server-postgresql:5.1.0

  9. Verify SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Tools

    mgradm --version

    Expected output:

    • Version 5.1.11 or later

    • References 5.1.0

  • Errors for missing services like uyuni-db or saline during upgrade can be ignored if not installed previously.

1.3. Migration Complete

The system is now running SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1 on SL Micro 6.1. Continue with post-migration validation.

2. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 to 15 SP7

This document provides the tested procedure to upgrade a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 host deployed with SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 Server to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 with SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1.

2.1. Prerequisites

  • SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 is installed and running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6.

  • The system is registered and has valid subscriptions in SUSE Customer Center (SCC).

  • Ensure backups are created before proceeding.

2.2. Distribution Upgrade and Server Migration

Procedure: Migration from SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 to SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1

  1. Verify Current Product Status

    SUSEConnect --status-text

    Confirm:

    • Base OS: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6

    • Extension: SUSE Manager Server 5.0 Extension

  2. Apply All System Patches

    zypper patch

    Reboot if the update stack was updated:

    reboot

  3. Launch the Zypper migration tool

    zypper migration

    Zypper will show the possible migration targets with detailed summaries.

  4. Select the appropriate target, and follow the prompts to complete the migration.

  5. After the upgrade completes, reboot the system:

    reboot

  6. Post-Reboot: Verify Upgrade Status

    cat /etc/os-release
SUSEConnect --status-text

    Expected output:

    • VERSION="15-SP7"

    • SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Server Extension 5.1 is active

  7. Upgrade Server Containers

    mgradm upgrade podman

    Follow prompts to pull the new container images and reconfigure the environment.

  8. Check Running Containers

    podman ps

    Expected containers:

    • server:5.1.0

    • server-postgresql:5.1.0

  9. Verify SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Tools Version

    mgradm --version

    Expected output:

    • Version 5.1.11 or later

    • Image tag 5.1.0

2.3. Migration Complete

The system is now successfully upgraded to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 and SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1. Validate your setup before resuming production operations.

SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1 introduces a rebranded set of client tools for all supported operating systems. This transition is seamless, and users performing a new product synchronization should only notice the updated channel names.

Channels named SUSE Manager Client Tools for XYZ, used by clients previously registered with SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 4.3 or 5.0, are no longer available in version 5.1 and will no longer receive updates in 5.1.

Although the legacy channels remain assigned to existing clients after migration, the corresponding repositories have been removed.

To ensure continued updates, users must:

  • Mirror the new SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Client Tools for XYZ channels for the relevant products and assign them to the appropriate clients.

  • Unassign the outdated SUSE Manager Client Tools for XYZ channels.

This also means that any CLM projects based on the old client tools must be adjusted accordingly.