Utilities

The Utilities menu in A10 Control provides Organization-Admins with a centralized interface to perform key administrative tasks on registered Thunder devices and clusters. This module simplifies day-to-day device management, improves operational efficiency, and ensures consistent configuration and maintenance practices across the network.

Key Capabilities

• Performing and Scheduling CLI Operations
  • Run ad-hoc CLI commands on selected devices or clusters.
  • Save frequently used commands as CLI templates for repeated execution.
  • Schedule CLI commands to run automatically at specified times.
  • Track command execution history, view detailed responses, and search within CLI output for auditing and verification.
• Taking Device Backups
  • Perform manual backups of device configurations and state.
  • Schedule regular automated backups to ensure device configurations are safely stored and recoverable.
  • Restore backups when required to maintain device continuity and quickly recover from misconfiguration or failures.
• Upgrading and Managing Device Images
  • Upload, deploy, and manage ACOS images across devices.
  • Schedule image upgrades to minimize downtime and coordinate updates across clusters.
  • Monitor upgrade progress and verify device status post-upgrade to ensure operational stability.

  • Upgrades can be either:

    • Disruptive Upgrade: The device or cluster experiences downtime; traffic may be interrupted until the upgrade completes.

    • Non-Disruptive Upgrade: Upgrades occur node by node, minimizing traffic impact. Supported for aVCS and VRRP-A clusters. Real-time alerting is available for aVCS clusters.

Device and Cluster Image Upgrade Workflow

A10 Control supports automated image upgrades of Thunder devices and clusters. It is designed to minimize operational risks through pre/post validation checks, and detailed upgrade logs.

To upgrade the device and cluster image A10 Control, perform the following steps:

1. Upload the required ACOS image in A10 Control. For more information, see Upload Device Images .
2. Take device backup. For more information, see Schedule or Create Device Backup .
3. (Optional) Configure a pre-post template. For more information, see Configure CLI Templates.

4. Upgrade the device or cluster. For more information, see Upgrade Device Images and Upgrade Cluster Image.

   Device Upgrade

   1. Before starting the device upgrade, ensure primary and secondary disk of device have same configuration to avoid the operational risk for ACOS.
   2. Use the Device CLI to run the following commands on the selected device and partition:

      1. Check the current startup configuration:

         show startup-config all

      2. Verify the boot images and identify the non-active disk:

         show bootimage

      3. Synchronize the active and non-active disk configurations to ensure both have the same running configuration:

         link start-config <current-startup-config> <non-active-disk> all-partition

   3. Start device upgrade. For more information, see Upgrade Device Images

      1. Select the uploaded ACOS image.
      2. Select the target device.
      3. Choose the upgrade drive.
      4. Select the non-active disk.
      5. Enable saving the current configuration.
      6. Enable reboot after upgrade.
      7. Select when to upgrade.
      8. Select the configured Pre-Post check template for upgrade validation.
   4. Execute Upgrade process.
      • Image pushed to device.
      • Reboot from non-active disk.
      • Pre-check and post-check validations run automatically.
   VRRP-A Cluster Upgrade

   Key Considerations:

   • The cluster must consist of exactly two devices - one in active mode and the other in standby mode.
   • Active/Active cluster upgrades are not supported for cluster level upgrades, so a device-level upgrade is recommended.

   Upgrade Steps

   1. Before starting the cluster upgrade, use the Device CLI to run the following commands on the selected device and partition:

   1. Check the current startup configuration:

      show startup-config all

   2. Verify the boot images and identify the non-active disk:

      show bootimage

   3. Synchronize the active and non-active disk configurations to ensure both have the same running configuration:

      link start-config <current-startup-config> <non-active-disk> all-partition

   2. Start cluster upgrade. For more information, see Upgrade Cluster Image.

      1. Select the uploaded ACOS image.
      2. Select the target VRRP-A cluster.

      3. Choose the upgrade drive.

      4. Select the non-active disk.

      5. Save configuration for all partitions.

      6. Select when to upgrade.
      7. Select Pre-Post Check Template for upgrade validation.
   3. Upgrade execution.
      • The system first upgrades the standby device(s) to ensure that the primary traffic-handling device remains operational during the upgrade.
      • Once the standby device is upgraded, the active device is upgraded. Failover is handled automatically, allowing traffic to continue through the upgraded standby if needed.
      • Reboot is triggered automatically after the upgrade of each device.
      • During reboot, traffic is redistributed across the remaining active/non-active devices to maintain service.

      • Pre-check and post-check validations run automatically.

   aVCS Cluster Upgrade

   1. Before starting the cluster upgrade, use the Device CLI to run the following command on the selected device and partition to ensure the total traffic across all aVCS cluster devices does not exceed the capacity of any individual device during upgrade:

      show interface brief

   2. Start cluster upgrade. For more information, see Upgrade Cluster Image.

      1. Select the uploaded ACOS image.
      2. Select the target aVCS cluster.

      3. Choose the upgrade drive.

      4. Select the active disk.

         NOTE:

         Upgrade the active disk only if total traffic across all aVCS devices is below 100% to avoid traffic drops during failover.

      5. Save the current configuration.
      6. Select when to upgrade.
      7. Select Pre-Post check template for upgrade validation.

      8. Select the rollback image to ensure the cluster automatically reverts to the previous version if the upgrade fails.

   3. Upgrade execution.
      1. After clicking Upgrade, the system first runs user-defined and standard pre-checks on both Master and Blade devices.
      2. The Blade is placed in Forced Standby, redirecting all its traffic to the Master.
      3. The Blade upgrade is initiated and completed automatically.
      4. Once the upgrade finishes, the system brings the Blade back online to resume handling traffic.
      5. The Master is placed in Forced Standby, and traffic is shifted to the upgraded Blade.
      6. The system then switches device roles (Master ↔ Blade) to continue the process.
      7. The former Master (now Blade) is upgraded automatically.
      8. After the upgrade, the system restores traffic handling on the upgraded device.
      9. The system ensures both devices are running the same boot image version.
      10. User-defined and standard post-checks are executed to validate the upgrade.
      11. Finally, the system restores the original Master and Blade roles.

5. Post-upgrade verification.

   1. Review the logs generated during the upgrade to ensure all steps are completed successfully. For more information, see View the Workflows .

   2. Verify that a successful floating notification is displayed on the A10 Control interface once the upgrade completes.

   3. Review Pre/Post Check output:
      1. Select the required device and partition in Executed Upgrades. For more information, see View Executed Upgrades.
      2. Compare the captured standard, pre, and post check command output to validate the upgrade.

   4. Check for any anomalies or failures on the A10 Control Organization-Admin scope home page. For more information, see Manage Alerts .

   5. If email notifications are configured, a summary email is sent to the login user’s registered email ID confirming the upgrade status.

   6. Confirm that the upgraded device or cluster devices configurations are correct.