--- layout: docs page_title: General Upgrade Process sidebar_title: General Process description: >- Specific versions of Consul may have additional information about the upgrade process beyond the standard flow. --- # General Upgrade Process ## Introduction This document describes some best practices that you should follow when upgrading Consul. Some versions also have steps that are specific to that version, so make sure you also review the [upgrade instructions](/docs/upgrading/instructions) for the version you are on. ## Download the New Version First, download the binary for the new version you want. All current and past versions of the OSS and Enterprise releases are available here: - https://releases.hashicorp.com/consul Docker containers are available at these locations: - **OSS:** https://hub.docker.com/_/consul - **Enterprise:** https://hub.docker.com/r/hashicorp/consul-enterprise If you are using Kubernetes, then please review our documentation for [Upgrading Consul on Kubernetes](/docs/k8s/operations/upgrading). ## Prepare for the Upgrade **1.** Take a snapshot: ``` consul snapshot save backup.snap ``` You can inspect the snapshot to ensure if was successful with: ``` consul snapshot inspect backup.snap ``` Example output: ``` ID 2-1182-1542056499724 Size 4115 Index 1182 Term 2 Version 1 ``` This will ensure you have a safe fallback option in case something goes wrong. Store this snapshot somewhere safe. More documentation on snapshot usage is available here: - https://www.consul.io/docs/commands/snapshot - https://learn.hashicorp.com/tutorials/consul/backup-and-restore **2.** Temporarily modify your Consul configuration so that its [log_level](/docs/agent/options.html#_log_level) is set to `debug`. After doing this, issue the `consul reload` command on your servers. This will give you more information to work with in the event something goes wrong. ## Perform the Upgrade **1.** Issue the following command to discover which server is currently the leader: ``` consul operator raft list-peers ``` You should receive output similar to this (exact formatting and content may differ based on version): ``` Node ID Address State Voter RaftProtocol dc1-node1 ae15858f-7f5f-4dcb-b7d5-710fdcdd2745 10.11.0.2:8300 leader true 3 dc1-node2 20e6be1b-f1cb-4aab-929f-f7d2d43d9a96 10.11.0.3:8300 follower true 3 dc1-node3 658c343b-8769-431f-a71a-236f9dbb17b3 10.11.0.4:8300 follower true 3 ``` Take note of which agent is the leader. **2.** Copy the new `consul` binary onto your servers and replace the existing binary with the new one. **3.** Perform a rolling restart of Consul on your servers, leaving the leader agent for last. Only restart one server at a time. After restarting each server, validate that it has rejoined the cluster and is in sync with the leader by issuing the `consul info` command, and checking whether the `commit_index` and `last_log_index` fields have the same value. If done properly, this should avoid an unexpected leadership election due to loss of quorum. ~> It is important to issue a `consul leave` command on each server node when shutting Consul down. Make sure your service management system (e.g., systemd, upstart, etc.) is performing that action. If not, make sure you do it manually or you _will_ end up in a bad cluster state. **4.** Double-check that all servers are showing up in the cluster as expected and are on the correct version by issuing: ``` consul members ``` You should receive output similar to this: ``` Node Address Status Type Build Protocol DC dc1-node1 10.11.0.2:8301 alive server 1.8.3 2 dc1 dc1-node2 10.11.0.3:8301 alive server 1.8.3 2 dc1 dc1-node3 10.11.0.4:8301 alive server 1.8.3 2 dc1 ``` Also double-check the raft state to make sure there is a leader and sufficient voters: ``` consul operator raft list-peers ``` You should receive output similar to this: ``` Node ID Address State Voter RaftProtocol dc1-node1 ae15858f-7f5f-4dcb-b7d5-710fdcdd2745 10.11.0.2:8300 leader true 3 dc1-node2 20e6be1b-f1cb-4aab-929f-f7d2d43d9a96 10.11.0.3:8300 follower true 3 dc1-node3 658c343b-8769-431f-a71a-236f9dbb17b3 10.11.0.4:8300 follower true 3 ``` **5.** Set your `log_level` back to what you had it at prior to the upgrade and issue `consul reload` again. ## Troubleshooting Most problems with upgrading occur due to either failing to upgrade the leader agent last, or due to failing to wait for a follower agent to fully rejoin a cluster before moving on to another server. This can cause a loss of quorum and occasionally can result in all of your servers attempting to kick off leadership elections endlessly without ever reaching a quorum and electing a leader. Most of these problems can be solved by following the steps outlined in our [Outage Recovery](https://learn.hashicorp.com/tutorials/consul/recovery-outage) document. If you are still having trouble after trying the recovery steps outlined there, then these options for further assistance are available: - OSS users without paid support plans can request help in our [Community Forum](https://discuss.hashicorp.com/c/consul/29) - Enterprise and OSS users with paid support plans can contact [HashiCorp Support](https://support.hashicorp.com/) If you end up contacting support, please make sure you include the following information in your support ticket: - Consul version you were upgrading FROM and TO. - [Debug level logs](/docs/agent/options.html#_log_level) from all servers in the cluster that you are having trouble with. These should include logs from prior to the upgrade attempt up through the current time. If your logs were not set at debug level prior to the upgrade, please include those logs as well. Also, update your config to use debug logs, and include logs from after that was done. - Your Consul config files (please redact any secrets). - Output from `consul members -detailed` and `consul operator raft list-peers` from each server in your cluster.