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Downgrade a NetScaler standalone appliance

You can downgrade to any earlier release on a standalone NetScaler by using the CLI or GUI.

Note:

Loss in configuration might occur when downgrading. Compare the configurations before and after the downgrade, and then manually reenter any missing entries.

Downgrade a NetScaler appliance by using the CLI

Follow the steps given below to downgrade a NetScaler standalone appliance running release 14.1 to an earlier release.

In this procedure, <release> and <releasenumber> represent the release version you are downgrading to, and <targetbuildnumber> represents the build number that you are downgrading to.

  1. Open an SSH connection to the NetScaler by using an SSH client, such as PuTTY.

  2. Log on to the NetScaler by using the administrator credentials. Save the running configuration. At the prompt, type:

    save config

  3. Create a copy of the ns.conf file. At the shell prompt, type:

    1. cd /nsconfig
    2. cp ns.conf ns.conf.NS<currentbuildnumber>

    You should backup a copy of the configuration file on another computer.

  4. Copy the <releasenumber> configuration file (ns.conf.NS<releasenumber>) to ns.conf. At the shell prompt, type:

    cp ns.conf.NS<releasenumber> ns.conf
    <!--NeedCopy-->
    

    Note:

    ns.conf.NS<releasenumber> is the backup configuration file that is automatically created when the system software is upgraded from release version <releasenumber> to the current release version.

    There may be some loss in configuration when downgrading. After the appliance restarts, compare the configuration saved in step 3 with the running configuration, and make any adjustments for features and entities configured before the downgrade. Save the running configuration after making the changes.

    Important:

    If routing is enabled, perform step 5. Otherwise, skip to step 6.

  5. If routing is enabled, the ZebOS.conf file contains the configuration. At the shell prompt, type:

    cd /nsconfig
    cp ZebOS.conf ZebOS.conf.NS
    cp ZebOS.conf.NS<targetreleasenumber> ZebOS.conf
    <!--NeedCopy-->
    
  6. Change directory to /var/nsinstall/<releasenumber>nsinstall, or create one if it does not exist.

  7. Change directory to build_<targetbuildnumber>, or create one if it does not exist.

  8. Download or copy the installation package (build-<release>-<targetbuildnumber>.tgz) to this directory and extract the contents of the installation package.

  9. Run the installns script to install the new version of the system software. The script updates the /etc directory.

    Notes:

    • NetScaler version 14-1 build 12.35 or earlier: You might see a prompt to load the configuration file if the configuration file for the build you are downgrading to does not exist. You can select a different configuration file from the list and downgrade the system software.
    • NetScaler version 14-1 build 17.x or later: The downgrade fails if the configuration file for the build you are downgrading to does not exist. You must use the ./installns -a command to select the configuration file and then downgrade the system software manually.

    If the free space available on the flash drive is insufficient to install the new build, the NetScaler aborts the installation. Manually clean up the flash drive and restart the installation.

Example:

login: nsroot

Password: nsroot

Last login: Mon Apr 24 02:06:52 2017 from 10.102.29.9

Done

> save config

> shell

root@NSnnn# cp ns.conf.NS10.5 ns.conf

root@NSnnn# cd /var/nsinstall

root@NSnnn# mkdir 10.5nsinstall

root@NSnnn# cd 10.5nsinstall

root@NSnnn# mkdir build_57

root@NSnnn# cd build_57

root@NSnnn# ftp 10.102.1.1

ftp> mget build-10.5-57_nc.tgz

ftp> bye

root@NSnnn# tar -xzvf build-10.1-125_nc.tgz

root@NSnnn# ./installns

installns version (10.5-57) kernel (ns-10.5-57.gz)

...

...

...

Copying ns-10.5-57.gz to /flash/ns-10.5-57_nc.gz ...

Changing /flash/boot/loader.conf for ns-10.5-57 ...



Installation has completed.



Reboot NOW? [Y/N] Y
<!--NeedCopy-->

Downgrade a NetScaler appliance by using the GUI

You can use the upgrade wizard of the GUI to downgrade a NetScaler appliance running release 14.1 to an earlier release.

Notes:

You cannot downgrade a NetScaler appliance running release 14.1 directly to release 10.5 or earlier by using the GUI. Citrix recommends using the CLI for downgrading.

Visit the Product Matrix site for more information on the NetScaler release lifecycle.

It is a best practice to downgrade to one major release at a time.

For example, if the NetScaler appliance is on release 14.1, and you want to downgrade to release 13.0, you must downgrade the appliance to release 13.1 first, and then to release 13.0.

Follow the steps given below to downgrade a NetScaler appliance running release 14.1 to an earlier release by using GUI.

  1. In a web browser, type the IP address of the NetScaler, for example http://10.102.29.50.
  2. In User Name and Password, type the administrator credentials and then click Log On.
  3. Navigate to System and click System Upgrade.
  4. From the Choose File menu choose the appropriate option: Local or Appliance. If you want to use the Appliance option, the firmware must be uploaded to the NetScaler first. You can use any file transfer method such as WinSCP to upload the NetScaler firmware to the appliance.

  5. Select the correct file and click Upgrade.

  6. Follow the instructions to downgrade the software.

  7. When prompted, select Reboot.

After the downgrade, close all browser instances and clear your computer’s cache before accessing the appliance.

The following resources provide related information about upgrading or downgrading a NetScaler appliance:

Downgrade a NetScaler standalone appliance