Do not downgrade from firmware version 7.2.36 or higher to a version below 7.2.36. If you do this, the LoadMaster becomes inaccessible and you cannot recover it.

You should never leave two LoadMasters with different firmware versions paired as HA in a production environment. To avoid complications, follow the steps below in sequence and do not perform any other actions in between the steps. Please upgrade/downgrade during a maintenance window and expect service disruption because there are reboots.

The steps below are high-level, for detailed step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade the LoadMaster firmware, refer to the Updating the LoadMaster Software Feature Description on the documentation page: Updating the LoadMaster Software Technical Note.

Upgrade the LoadMaster Firmware

To upgrade the LoadMaster firmware with the least disruption, follow the steps below in sequence:

  1. Identify the STAND-BY unit.
  2. Upgrade the LoadMaster firmware on the STAND-BY unit. Once the STAND-BY unit has rebooted, it remains in the STAND-BY state and the WUI is limited to the Local Administration options.
  3. Upgrade the LoadMaster firmware on the ACTIVE unit. When the ACTIVE unit is rebooting, the STAND-BY unit becomes ACTIVE.
  4. Depending on Preferred Host settings in the HA configuration, the Standby unit may failback over to the Active unit.

After these steps are completed the upgrade is finished.

Downgrade the LoadMaster Firmware

To downgrade the LoadMaster firmware with the least disruption, follow the steps below in sequence:

  1. Identify the STAND-BY unit.
  2. Downgrade the LoadMaster firmware on the STAND-BY unit. Once the STANDY-BY unit has rebooted, it remains in the STAND-BY state and the WUI is limited to the Local Administration options.
  3. Downgrade the LoadMaster firmware on the ACTIVE unit. When the ACTIVE unit is rebooting, the STAND-BY unit becomes ACTIVE.
  4. Depending on Preferred Host settings in the HA configuration, the Standby unit may failback over to the Active unit.

After these steps are completed the downgrade is finished.