> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.aviatrix.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pre-Upgrade Tasks for Controller and Gateways

> Check the following prerequisites before you upgrade your controller and gateways:

Check the following prerequisites before you upgrade your controller and
gateways:

Before upgrading your Controller and gateways, check the following
prerequisites:

<a id="disable-controller-logging" />

## Disable Deprecated Controller-Logging Configurations

If you have logging configurations enabled in Controller for the following
external log servers, the out-of-the box logging services for these external log
servers were deprecated in previous Controller releases and are removed in
Controller 7.1 versions - that is, any Controller version that begins with 7.1:

* Elastic Filebeat
* Splunk Enterprise/Cloud
* Sumo Logic

You cannot upgrade from any Controller 7.0 version to any Controller 7.1 version
until you have disabled these deprecated logging configurations.

To disable the deprecated logging configurations:

* Depending on your environment, you may want to enable your log forwarding
  under rsyslog and verify the functionality is working before disabling the
  deprecated logging configurations. For information about using rsyslog as the
  logging mechanism to forward Aviatrix platform logs to your external log
  server, see
  <a href={"/docs/enterprise/" + "10.1" + "/reference/ui/settings/configuration#configure-logging-services"}>Aviatrix Controller Logging</a>
  .
* Disable the deprecated logging configurations for Elastic Filebeat/Splunk
  Enterprise or Cloud/Sumo Logic, as applicable, in the Controller > Settings >
  Logging page. Locate the applicable external log server's respective option
  and switch its toggle from Enabled to Disabled.

## Inspect the Current Controller Resource Utilization

1. Inspect the current Controller's overall CPU and memory utilization from
   *CoPilot UI > Monitor > Performance*:

   * Ensure that the CPU utilization of the Controller is no more than 50%.
   * Do not proceed with the upgrade unless the Controller's Memory Available
     metric is at least 40% of Total Memory.

   These utilization thresholds should be met before initiating the upgrade.

2. Check the Controller storage usage from *CoPilot UI > Monitor > Performance*:
   * If you are upgrading to version 6.8, add additional disks. Add
     approximately 2.5MB per tunnel.
   * Ensure that the Controller has enough free disk space (at least 30% free)
     for the upgrade.
   * If the available disk space is insufficient,
     <a href={"/docs/enterprise/" + "10.1" + "/guides/controlplane/disk-management"}>resize the Controller disk</a>
     to an appropriate size before proceeding with the upgrade. Or you can
     contact [Aviatrix Support](https://support.aviatrix.com) to migrate the
     Controller with a large disk size before proceeding with the upgrade.

## Perform Controller and CoPilot Backup

Perform a full backup of Copilot and the Controller:

* Before initiating the upgrade process, it is crucial to perform a full backup
  of both Copilot and the Controller.
* Save the previous backup in case it is needed for restoration purposes.

For Controller backup and restore, see

<a href={"/docs/enterprise/" + "10.1" + "/guides/maintenance/controller-backup-restore"}>Back Up and Restore Your Controller</a>
for details.

For CoPilot Backup and restore, see

<a href={"/docs/enterprise/" + "10.1" + "/guides/maintenance/controller-backup-restore#copilot"}>CoPilot Backup and Restore</a>
for details.

## Check for the Non-HA (without High Availability) Gateways

Check for the non-HA gateways:

* Please note that the upgrade procedure provided below is designed for
  environments with HA gateways.
* Please ensure that all deployed environments include redundancy, with both
  primary and high-availability (HA) gateways configured.
* If your environment does not have HA gateways and extensively uses Site2Cloud,
  there will be some downtime during the gateway image upgrade. It is
  recommended to consult [Aviatrix Support](https://support.aviatrix.com) before
  proceeding with the upgrade.

## (Optional) Set up a Testing Environment

Before proceeding with the upgrade in the production environment, it is highly
recommended to establish a dedicated testing environment. This environment
should closely mirror the production setup, including hardware, software, and
configurations. By doing so, you can simulate the production conditions and
assess the compatibility and performance of the upgraded software in a
controlled manner.

Only when the testing phase is successfully completed, and all identified issues
have been resolved, should you proceed with the upgrade in the production
environment.