Release of the QRadar Network Insights 7.3.1 Patch 7 ISO (7.3.1.20181123182336)

Content

What's new

For information on what's new in QRadar products for version 7.3.1, see: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS42VS_7.3.1/com.ibm.qradar.doc/c_qradar_ov_whats_new_731.html

About this upgrade

These instructions are intended to assist administrators to update appliances from QRadar 7.2.8 to QRadar Network Insights 7.3.1 Patch 7 by using an ISO file. This ISO can update QRadar SIEM, QRadar Risk Manager, and QRadar Vulnerability Manager products from 7.2.8 to version 7.3.1 Patch 7.

QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 7 uses an ISO file to update hosts to the latest software version. A minimum of QRadar 7.2.8 Patch 1 (or later) is required to be able to upgrade to QRadar Network Insights 7.3.1 Patch 7. Each host must be updated individually.

See QRadar: Software update check list for administrators for a list of steps to review before updating your QRadar deployment.

If you have installed QRadar 7.2.8 version or later, you are not required to install each ISO release to update to QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 7.

Figure 1: If you have installed QRadar 7.2.8 or later, you are not required to install each ISO release to update to QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 7.

Administrator notes

1. The QRadar Console must be updated before you update your QRadar Network Insights appliance.
2. If you have a software installation, you need your Red Hat Enterprise ISO and the QRadar Network Insights ISO. Administrators with software installations on their own hardware must read the QRadar Network Insights Install Guide to understand how to partition their systems appropriately.
3. QRadar Network Insights must be on QRadar 7.2.8 Patch 3 or later to upgrade.
4. The upgrade from QRadar 7.2.8 Patch 3 to QRadar Network Insights 7.3.1 Patch 7 will use a .ISO file. Previously, ISOs were for new appliance installations only, but QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 7 is an exception to this rule because of the Red Hat kernel update requirements.
5. The ISO must be mounted to the appliance and run locally on each host.
6. The 7.3.1 Patch 7 upgrade will take longer than expected due to the kernel changes to Red Hat 7 Enterprise. Early upgrade customers are reporting 2 to 2.5 hours to upgrade the Console appliance. You should be aware of this longer time frame and plan your maintenance accordingly.
7. If power users created utilities or custom scripts for their QRadar deployment, these files should be copied off the system. During the 7.3.1 Patch 7 update, a warning is displayed that only data in /store is going to be preserved. After the appliance reboots, any scripts, 3rd party accounts, or utilities in /tmp, or /, or /root will be deleted. This does not impact ISO files mounted initially using /root because this cleanup only occurs later in the installation procedure.

Before you upgrade

Ensure that you take the following precautions:

• Back up your data before you begin any software upgrade and verify that you have recent configuration backups that match your existing Console version. If required, take an on demand configuration backup before you begin. For more information about backup and recovery, see the IBM QRadar Administration Guide.
• All appliances in the deployment must be at the same software and patch level in the deployment.
• Verify that all changes are deployed on your appliances. The update cannot install on appliances that have undeployed changes.
• A QRadar Network Insights 7.3.1 Patch 7 ISO is available to upgrade from QRadar 7.2.8 Patch 3 or install a new appliance or virtual machine. To complete a new installation, review the QRadar Network Insights Installation Guide.
• If you are unsure of the IP addresses or hostnames for the appliances in the deployment, run the utility /opt/qradar/support/deployment_info.sh to get a .CSV file with information about the QRadar deployment. The CSV file will contain a list of IP addresses for each managed host.
• If you are unsure of how to proceed when reading these instructions or the documentation, it is best to ask before starting your upgrade. To ask a question in our forums, see: http://ibm.biz/qradarforums.

Part 1. Staging files and pretesting your deployment (required)

It is important that you pretest your deployment to ensure that you will not experience unexpected issues when you update to QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 7. A pretest is a common precaution that should be taken before you install an update to locate potential issues. The pretest does not restart services and can be completed without scheduled downtime. The pretest typically takes between 3 to 5 minutes to complete on each appliance. If for some reason your SSH session is disconnected, you can reconnect to the remote host using screen.

Procedure
The pretest should be completed on all hosts by the administrator before you attempt to upgrade to QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 7.

1. Download the QRadar Network Insights 7.3.1 Patch 7 ISO (5+ GB) from the IBM Fix Central website: https://www-945.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/selectFixes?product=ibm%2FOther+software%2FIBM+Security+QRadar+Incident+Forensics&fixids=7.3.1-QRADAR-QIFFULL-20181123182336&function=fixId&parent=IBM%20Security
   
   NOTE: QRadar Incident Forensics and QRadar Network Insights use the same ISO for both products to upgrade from 7.2.8 to 7.3.1 Patch 7.

2. Use SSH to log in to your Console as the root user.
3. Type the following command: screen
4. To make the directory for the update, type: mkdir -p /media/cdrom
5. To verify that you have enough space (5.5 GB), type: df -h /root /var/log | tee diskchecks.txt
   • Best directory option: /root
     It is available on all appliance types, and is the best option to host the ISO file.
   • 2nd best directory option: /var/log
     This directory is available on all appliances, but there might not be the required space available.
   • DO NOT USE: /tmp, /store/tmp, or /store/transient for your ISO upgrade. These directories are partitioned as part of the upgrade and administrators cannot use them as storage locations or mount points for the ISO file.
     
     If the disk check command fails, retype the quotation marks from your terminal, and then re-run the command. This command returns the details to both the command window and to a file on the Console named diskchecks.txt. Review this file to ensure that all appliances have a minimum of 5.5 GB of space available in a directory to copy the ISO before attempting to move the file to a managed host. If required, free up disk space on any host that fails to have less than 5.5 GB available.
     
     Reminder: Utilities or custom scripts that administrators have created for QRadar should be copied off the system. During the 7.3.1 update a warning is displayed that only data in /store will be preserved. Therefore, scripts, 3rd party utilities in /tmp, or /, or /root will be deleted during the upgrade.

6. If there is not 5.5GB of space in /root or /var/log, the administrator must make directory space for the ISO file.
7. Use WinSCP or SCP to copy the ISO to the /root or /var/log directory on the QRadar Network Insights appliance.
8. To mount the ISO on all appliances, type mount -o loop /root/Rhe764QRadar7_3_1_20181123182336.stable-7-3-1.iso /media/cdrom
9. To pretest the Console appliance, type: /media/cdrom/setup -t
   The pretest output is written to the command window. Review this output after the pretest completes.
10. Use SSH to open an SSH session to the other appliances in your deployment. QRadar Support recommends that all administrators run the pretest on each host to identify issues before the update begins.
11. To pretest the managed host, type: /media/cdrom/setup -t
    
    Results
    If an appliance in your deployment fails the pretest, take the recommended action from the pretest utility. The issue must be resolved before the update to 7.3.1 Patch 7 begins to prevent downtime for specific appliances. If there are messages you do not understand or want to discuss further, you can use our forums http://ibm.biz/qradarforums to get advice. Administrators can open a ticket directly with QRadar Support (http://ibm.biz/qradarsupport).

Part 2. Installing the QRadar Network Insights 7.3.1 Patch 7 ISO

These instructions guide administrators through the process of upgrading an existing QRadar Network Insights install at 7.2.8 Patch 1 or later to QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 7. The update on the Console must be completed before you attempt to update QRadar Network Insights.

Procedure

1. Use SSH to log in to the Console as the root user.
2. Use SSH to log in to the QRadar Network Insights appliance.
3. To run the ISO installer on the Console, type the following command: /media/cdrom/setup
   
   Important: Upgrading from QRadar Network Insights 7.2.8 Patch 1 or later to QRadar Network Insights 7.3.1 Patch 7 can take approximately 1 to 2 hours.

Note: In QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 6, a kernel update was introduced to address issues with appliances failing to log in or list unit files. These issues could prevent the appliance from rebooting. This new kernel does not take effect until the appliance is rebooted. You might need to reboot your system manually for the kernel update to take effect.

To work around this issue, do one of the following:

•  If you are able to use SSH, type the following command: systemctl --force --force reboot
•  If you are not able to use SSH, you must perform a cold reboot of the appliance. To do this, physically reboot the appliance or use Integrated Management Module (IMM)

Results
A summary of the ISO installation advises you of any issues. If there are no issues, administrators can use SSH to log in to managed hosts and start the installer on each host to run the setup in parallel.

Part 3. Installation wrap-up

1. After all hosts are updated, send an email to your team to inform them that they will need to clear their browser cache before they log in to QRadar SIEM.
2. To unmount the /media/cdrom directory on all hosts, type: umount /media/cdrom"
3. Administrators can delete the ISO from all appliances.
4. Review any static routes or customized routing. As mentioned in the administrator notes, all routes were removed and must be reconfigured after the upgrade completes.
5. Review all configured iptable rules because the interface names have changed in QRadar 7.3.1 Patch 7 due to the Red Hat Enterprise 7 operating system updates. Any iptables rules that use the Red Hat 6 interface naming conventions must be updated.

Resolved issues

Some APAR links in the following table might take 24 hours to display properly after a software release is posted to IBM Fix Central.

Where do I find more information?