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.

SUSE Multi-Linux Manager server hosts that are hardened for security may restrict execution of files from the /tmp folder. In such cases, as a workaround, export the TMPDIR environment variable to another existing path before running mgradm. For example:

export TMPDIR=/path/to/other/tmp

In SUSE Multi-Linux Manager updates, tools will be changed to make this workaround unnecessary.

SSL certificates are needed at a later stage. If not using the self-signed generated CA and certificates, ensure you have the following before starting:

A certificate authority (CA) SSL public certificate. If you are using a CA chain, all intermediate CAs must also be available.
An SSL database private key An SSL database certificate All files must be in PEM format.

The hostname of the SSL server certificate must match the fully qualified hostname of the machine you deploy them on. You can set the hostnames in the X509v3 Subject Alternative Name section of the certificate. You can also list multiple hostnames if your environment requires it. Supported Key types are RSA and EC (Elliptic Curve).

Database SSL certificate requires reportdb and db and the FQDN used to access the report database as Subject Alternative Name.

During a migration the server SSL certificate and CA chain are copied from the source server, meaning that only the database certificates are required

1. Client Tools Rebranding

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Unassign the outdated SUSE Manager Client Tools for XYZ channels.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

For example workflow, see Switch to new client tools channels.

2. 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.

2.1. 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.

2.2. Distribution Upgrade and Server Migration

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

Verify Current Product Status
SUSEConnect --status-text
Confirm:

Base OS: SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5

Extension: SUSE Manager Server 5.0 Extension
Ensure system is updated
transactional-update patch
If patches were applied, stop the server and then reboot the system before proceeding to migration:
mgradm stop
reboot
If no updates were found, you can proceed directly to the migration step.
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.
Stop the server and then reboot to apply changes:
mgradm stop
reboot
Post-Reboot checks:

Verify upgraded OS and SUSE Multi-Linux Manager extension:
cat /etc/os-release
SUSEConnect --status-text
You should see:
PRETTY_NAME="SUSE Linux Micro 6.1"
SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Server 5.1 Extension

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.
Verify SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Tools
mgradm --version
Expected output:

Version 5.1.11 or higher

References 5.1.0 or higher
Upgrade server containers
mgradm upgrade podman
Follow the prompts to pull and configure the new 5.1.0 containers.
Check running containers:
podman ps
You should see:

server:5.1.0 or higher

server-postgresql:5.1.0 or higher

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

2.3. Migration Complete

The system is now running SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1 on SL Micro 6.1. Validate your setup before resuming production operations. If you have a SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 proxy connected to this server, proceed to the Proxy Migration from 5.0 to 5.1 guide to upgrade the proxy host.

2.4. Database Backup Volume

Server migration or upgrade with mgradm migration or mgradm upgrade can create a volume with the database backup.

When the PostgreSQL database version is increased, the old database must be stored in a separate location before running the upgrade. For this purpose mgradm dynamically creates the volume var-pgsql-backup. When the migration or upgrade is done and the user has validated that the new system is working as expected, this volume can be removed safely.

3. 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.

3.1. 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.

3.2. Distribution Upgrade and Server Migration

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

Verify current product status
SUSEConnect --status-text
Confirm:

Base OS: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6

Extension: SUSE Manager Server 5.0 Extension
Apply all system patches
zypper patch
Stop the server, and then reboot if the update stack was updated:
mgradm stop
reboot
Launch the Zypper migration tool
zypper migration
Zypperは、可能な移行ターゲットと詳細を表示します。
適切なターゲットを選択し、プロンプトに従って移行を実行します。
After the migration completes, stop the server and then reboot the system:
mgradm stop
reboot
Post-Reboot checks:

Verify upgraded OS and SUSE Multi-Linux Manager extension:
cat /etc/os-release
SUSEConnect --status-text
You should see:

VERSION="15-SP7"

SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Server 5.1 Extension for SLE
Verify SUSE Multi-Linux Manager Tools version
mgradm --version
Expected output:

Version 5.1.11 or higher

Image tag 5.1.0 or higher
Upgrade server containers
mgradm upgrade podman
Follow prompts to pull the new container images and reconfigure the environment.
Check running containers
podman ps
Expected containers:

server:5.1.0 or higher

server-postgresql:5.1.0 or higher

3.3. Migration Complete

The system is now running SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.1 on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7. Validate your setup before resuming production operations. If you have a SUSE Multi-Linux Manager 5.0 proxy connected to this server, proceed with Proxy Migration from 5.0 to 5.1.

3.4. Database Backup Volume

Server migration or upgrade with mgradm migration or mgradm upgrade can create a volume with the database backup.