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HCI pre-upgrade check witness node error
  

George Fady Lv2  Posted 2026-Oct-15 23:45

Last edited by George Fady 2026-Oct-15 23:47.

Hello Sangfor Community

I am George Fady, Technical Support Engineer, and I would like to share a practical troubleshooting case related to a pre-upgrade check failure on a 2-node Sangfor HCI cluster with a witness node.

  Problem Description

During a planned upgrade of a two-node cluster with a witness node from HCI 6.11.1 to 6.11.1 R1, the HCI Upgrade Navigator pre-upgrade check completed with 1 fault:
Check Arbiter Config — “Witness node has not been upgraded. Please upgrade it first.”
Both data nodes were Online on 6.11.1, but the fault blocked the cluster upgrade.

  Root Cause

In a 2+1 topology, the witness node is upgraded independently of the data nodes. The pre-upgrade check verifies that the witness node has already been upgraded to the target version. Here the witness node was still on the old build, so the check failed as designed.

  Resolution Steps

  • Download the witness node upgrade package. It is separate from the cluster package and must match the target version.

  • Make sure the aDeploy pre-upgrade inspection is done and any other abnormal items are resolved.

  • Log in to the witness node’s own management interface (https://witness-IP) and click Device Upgrade. Do not use Upgrade Navigator for this step.

  • Upload the package and wait for verification. Use hot upgrade if supported. Otherwise proceed with a cold (offline) upgrade.

  • Confirm and start the upgrade.

  • Wait for the witness node backend services to take effect.

  • Re-run the pre-upgrade check in HCI Upgrade Navigator. “Check Arbiter Config” now passes.

  • Continue with the normal cluster upgrade to 6.11.1 R1.

Key Takeaway
For 2+1 clusters, always upgrade in this order: witness node first, wait for services, then the data nodes. After an offline witness upgrade, the witness may show “Offline” because its version differs from the data nodes. This is expected and clears once the data nodes are upgraded.
When troubleshooting this fault, check:
Witness Version → Witness Package → Pre-upgrade Inspection → Cluster Membership → Recheck in Upgrade Navigator
Also note that the witness node must already be part of the cluster before it can be upgraded.
I hope this troubleshooting case helps other engineers working with Sangfor HCI.
Feel free to share your experience with witness node upgrades in the comments.
#Sangfor #SangforHCI #HCI #Upgrade #WitnessNode #Cluster #Virtualization #TechnicalSupport #Troubleshooting

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