Migration, Upgrade, and Downgrade Instructions

Basic Procedure for Upgrading to Release 21.4R2

For more information about the installation process, see Installation and Upgrade Guide and Upgrading Junos OS with Upgraded FreeBSD.

Procedure to Upgrade to FreeBSD 12.x-Based Junos OS

Products impacted: MX240, MX480, MX960, MX2010, and MX2020.

To download and install FreeBSD 12.x-based Junos OS:

1. Using a Web browser, navigate to the All Junos Platforms software download URL on the Juniper Networks webpage:

   https://www.juniper.net/support/downloads/

2. Select the name of the Junos OS platform for the software that you want to download.

3. Select the release number (the number of the software version that you want to download) from the Release drop-down list to the right of the Download Software page.

4. Select the Software tab.

5. In the Install Package section of the Software tab, select the software package for the release.

6. Log in to the Juniper Networks authentication system using the username (generally your e-mail address) and password supplied by a Juniper Networks representative.

7. Review and accept the End User License Agreement.

8. Download the software to a local host.

9. Copy the software to the routing platform or to your internal software distribution site.

10. Install the new jinstall package on the routing platform.

    Note:

    We recommend that you upgrade all software packages out of band using the console because in-band connections are lost during the upgrade process.

    All customers except the customers in the Eurasian Customs Union (currently composed of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia) can use the following package:

    • For 32-bit Routing Engine version:

    • For 64-bit Routing Engine version:

    Customers in the Eurasian Customs Union (currently composed of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia) can use the following package (Limited encryption Junos package):

    • For 32-bit Routing Engine version:

    • For 64-bit Routing Engine version:

    Replace source with one of the following values:

    • /pathname—For a software package that is installed from a local directory on the router.

    • For software packages that are downloaded and installed from a remote location:

      • ftp://hostname/pathname

      • http://hostname/pathname

      • scp://hostname/pathname

    Do not use the validate option while upgrading from Junos OS (FreeBSD 6.x, 10.x, and 11.x) to Junos OS (FreeBSD 12.x). This is because programs in the junos-upgrade-x package are built based on FreeBSD 12.x, and Junos OS (FreeBSD 6.x, 10.x, and 11.x) would not be able to run these programs. You must run the no-validate option. The no-validate statement disables the validation procedure and allows you to use an import policy instead.

    Use the reboot command to reboot the router after the upgrade is validated and installed. When the reboot is complete, the router displays the login prompt. The loading process might take 5 to 10 minutes.

    Rebooting occurs only if the upgrade is successful.

Upgrade and Downgrade Support Policy for Junos OS Releases and Extended End-Of- Life Releases

We have two types of releases, EOL and EEOL:

• End of Life (EOL) releases have engineering support for twenty four months after the first general availability date and customer support for an additional six more months.

  Extended End of Life (EEOL) releases have engineering support for thirty six months after the first general availability date and customer support for an additional six more months.

For both EOL and EEOL releases, you can upgrade to the next three subsequent releases or downgrade to the previous three releases. For example, you can upgrade from 20.4 to the next three releases – 21.1, 21.2 and 21.3 or downgrade to the previous three releases – 20.3, 20.2 and 20.1.

For EEOL releases only, you have an additional option - you can upgrade directly from one EEOL release to the next two subsequent EEOL releases, even if the target release is beyond the next three releases. Likewise, you can downgrade directly from one EEOL release to the previous two EEOL releases, even if the target release is beyond the previous three releases. For example, 20.4 is an EEOL release. Hence, you can upgrade from 20.4 to the next two EEOL releases – 21.2 and 21.4 or downgrade to the previous two EEOL releases – 20.2 and 19.4.

For more information about EOL and EEOL releases, see https://www.juniper.net/support/eol/junos.html.

For information about software installation and upgrade, see the Installation and Upgrade Guide.

Upgrading a Router with Redundant Routing Engines

If the router has two Routing Engines, perform the following Junos OS installation on each Routing Engine separately to avoid disrupting network operation:

1. Disable graceful Routing Engine switchover (GRES) on the master Routing Engine, and save the configuration change to both Routing Engines.

2. Install the new Junos OS release on the backup Routing Engine while keeping the currently running software version on the master Routing Engine.

3. After making sure that the new software version is running correctly on the backup Routing Engine, switch over to the backup Routing Engine to activate the new software.

4. Install the new software on the original master Routing Engine that is now active as the backup Routing Engine.

For the detailed procedure, see the Installation and Upgrade Guide.

Downgrading from Release 21.4R2

To downgrade from Release 21.4R2 to another supported release, follow the procedure for upgrading, but replace the 21.4R2 jinstall package with one that corresponds to the appropriate release.

For more information, see the Installation and Upgrade Guide.