Performing the upgrade

The upgrade script runs a series of steps automatically. It uploads updated container images and Helm charts to your registry, upgrades the iQ Studio operator if an operator bundle is present, applies the new ProductRelease manifest, and monitors the deployment until completion. The operator upgrades only components with version changes and leaves unchanged components running.

The upgrader skips operator upload and operator Helm upgrade automatically if the upgrade package doesn not include an operator bundle

Important: The upgrader skips operator upload and operator Helm upgrade automatically if the upgrade package does not include an operator bundle. When the upgrader skips these steps, it displays the following messages:

Operator bundle (*-operator.tar.gz) not found
No operator bundle present in upgrade package – skipping operator Helm upgrade

Note: Do not manually delete or modify any existing namespaces, secrets, ConfigMaps, or PVCs during the upgrade.

Qdrant migration during upgrade

During the upgrade, iQ Studio automatically migrates Qdrant data from the standalone deployment to a high-availability (HA) deployment. During this process, the system:

Migrates data to the HA deployment
Validates data integrity
Switches service endpoints
Removes the standalone instance after cutover

Before starting the upgrade:

Back up Qdrant data
Do not interrupt the upgrade or modify Qdrant resources
Ensure sufficient cluster resources
Monitor logs during execution

Temporary service interruption can occur during endpoint switchover. Upgrade duration depends on dataset size and cluster performance. If the upgrade fails during migration or deployment, uninstall the Qdrant HA instance using the Helm uninstall command, and then retry the upgrade. Rolling back is not recommended after you complete data migration and service cutover.

Run the upgrade command.

./iqstudio-installer.sh --upgrade --config-file=iqstudio-install.conf

The upgrade runs non-interactively. You do not need to respond to any prompts during the process. The following table summarizes the purpose of each step.

Step	Description
Verify upgrade bundle	Verifies required files are present.
Check and install required tools	Verifies `kubectl`, `helm`, and `skopeo`.
Display Kubernetes context and nodes	Confirms target cluster.
Configure registry settings	Loads registry credentials from the configuration file.
Identify upgrade bundle files	Locates operator and component bundles.
Set permissions on upload script	Sets execute permissions on scripts.
Upload iQ Studio operator images	Skipped automatically if no operator bundle is present.
Upload iQ Studio component images	Uploads updated images only.
Log in to Helm registry	Authenticates with the registry.
Create or update operator namespace and secrets	Verifies and updates namespace and secrets.
Create or update Istio namespace and TLS secret	Verifies and updates TLS secret if required.
Create or update iQ Studio config ConfigMap	Verifies FQDN configuration.
Get load balancer IP and configure DNS	Verifies DNS configuration.
Upgrade iQ Studio operator via Helm	Skipped automatically if no operator bundle is present.
Verify `ProductRelease` CRD installation	Confirms CRD is established.
Configure storage classes	Verifies storage class configuration.
Update and apply `ProductRelease` YAML	Applies updated `ProductRelease` manifest.
Monitor deployment	Monitors operator logs until upgrade completes.

Verify that the upgrade status.
```
kubectl get productrelease -n iqstudio-operator
```
When the upgrade completes, you see a deployment summary and the ProductRelease status transitions to Ready.

All upgraded components are deployed.