Installation Notes

Install Update within Cluster

Please read the following release notes carefully, before continuing. When installing this update on a Collax V-Cube+ cluster the following steps have to be performed:

/ Important information

Please have a look at the Collax V-Cube 6.8.22 Release Notes if the nodes have Version 6.8.20 or below and haven’t been updated yet. For this update, it is necessary that both nodes are set in maintenance mode simultaneously.

Procedure

1. Click at High Availability within the Dashboard.
2. Select the other (not the local) V-Cube+ node and change into the Start Maintenance dialog.
3. Now, put this other node into maintenance mode by confirming the query in the dialog. Wait until the maintenance mode is reached. Depending on the number of virtual machines and hard disk, this can take some time. Virtual machines will be migrated live, which can take a few minutes depending on the size of the RAM. The progress will be displayed in the list of background activities.
4. Close the dialog.
5. In the list of nodes, select again the other node whose software is to be updated by right-clicking it.
6. Change to System Update ….
7. Click Check for Updates. The completion will be displayed as “100%”.
8. Click Download and Install. This function will download the latest software packages from the update server and install them. The completion will be displayed as Install - 100%.
9. Close the dialog and set the node to active.
10. Please repeat this procedure for the local node.

New in this Version

Virtualization: HTML5 - New option for VM Console

By clicking on the screen icon in the column of virtual machines (VMs), the screen console of the VM is opened in a separate browser tab. Under certain circumstances, no cursor was displayed when using the QXL Videocard. The option “Show Dot when no cursor” in the advanced settings of the display console can solve the problem. Alternatively, the connection can also be called at any time via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

Virtualization: New system state of a virtual machine / paused VM can not be woken up via the

admin GUI

Previously, the state of a virtual machine could be *on, idle *, or off. With the new release, a new state “PMSuspend” will be added so that VMs will wake up again with action wakeup (PM). Previously, VMs in the idle mode initiated by the operating system were just turned off or restarted. The actual problem that VMs are paused can be fixed by the energy settings with hibernation = never inside the guest.

Virtualization: New Windows Virtio Driver for virtual Machines

The Virtio drivers for Windows will be renewed with this update. From this update on virtio driver version virtio-win-0.1.171 are available.

Changelog / Windows Virtio Drivers

V-Cube+: Support for Gude Expert Power Control 8226 fencing devices

This release supports Power Distribution Units (PDUs) Gude Expert Power Control 8226.

V-Cube+: Support for Raritan Rack PDU PX3-5190CR fencing device

This release supports Power Distribution Units (PDUs) Raritan Rack PDU PX3-5190CR.

System Management: Linux Kernel 4.9.182

This update installs Linux kernel 4.9.182.

Hardware: UEFI support

This update of the installation process of the ISO medium provides the support for systems with UEFI.

Hardware: Installer

For new installations of Collax V-Cube servers, from this software version on a custom installer is used. When selecting the network cards these can be marked and the “Localize” option leaves the network card flashing for identification. Furthermore, the version number of the software release is beeing displayed.

Hardware: Changed partition scheme for reinstallation

The product installer for new installations gets a customized partitioning scheme with this release and the modern block-based journaling file system ext4.

Hardware: Bootloader memtest

Starting from this version the start options of the Bootloader are adjusted and the not longer supported Memtest to check the RAM memory is removed as a boot option. See https://www.memtest86.com/ as an alternative for all interested parties.

Issues Fixed in this Version

Security: Important security relevant System Components

This update will also install/update the following important system components:

• apt
• SQLite 3.26.0
• vim-8.0.0785
• Spectre-v4-Schutz auf AMD Hardware gefixt

apt: content injection in http method / SQLite Release 3.26.0 / Vim Arbitrary Code Execution / Spectre v4 - Speculative Store Bypass (SSB)

Security: ZombieLoad

Experts have discovered critical security holes. ZombieLoad refers to an attack on Intel processors, much like Meltdown and Spectre. AMD and the latest Intel processors are not vulnerable to the newly discovered side channel attack. All other Intel processors, however, have to be protected by adjustments in the operating system and an update of the CPU microcode. With this update the kernel-side protection mechanisms and the new microcode are introduced.

Assigned Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) numbers:

CVE-2018-12126 / CVE-2018-12130 / CVE-2018-12127 / CVE-2019-11091

Security: TCP SACK Panic

Netflix experts have discovered and released critical vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel network stack. Under certain conditions, a kernel panic can be provoked via TCP. This denial-of-service (DoS) attack is protected with this update.

Hardware: Monitoring RAID state on Broadcom Controllers

Nagios’ active monitoring of RAID controllers from Broadcom (Avago / LSI) will be adapted with this release. Due to a behavior change, the code had to be adjusted to give a degraded RAID the status CRITICAL.

Notes

Hardware: Changed partition scheme for new installation since version 6.9.0 / Important

when replacing a node

If one of the nodes is defective, it can simply be exchanged via the “Add New Node” dialog. Due to a changed partition schemes take a few things into account.

• Both nodes should have nearly identical hardware equipment - Both nodes must have the same version - An additional 10 GB of free space must be available on the storage volume “default” if the version of the existing node at installation was older than 6.9.0. Under “Virtual Disks” click on “Storage Volumes”, then right click on the storage volume “default” and check the free space specified under Size.

Misc: Windows Setup notes Error Message 0x80300001

If Windows Server 2008 R2 and above is to be installed on Virtio hard disks using the Virtio driver CD for Windows, Windows reports the error code 0x80300001. The error message occurs if the partitions are recognized and the user clicks the button Next. The message means, that the installation CD of Windows needs to be inserted again.