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XenServer-Hotfixes

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Citrix Hypervisor (XenServer) Hotfixes, suggested installation order and post-install actions

See page last modified date at bottom

Jump to: XenServer 8, Citrix Hypervisor 8.2 CU1 LTSR, XenServer 7.1 LTSR

Each fix listed shows the immediate impact of applying the update:

  • no action required after installation - will have no effect on running machines
  • toolstack restart - Running machines will not be affected, but you will be temporarily disconnected in XenCenter (which will reconnect automatically after 120 seconds)
  • restart or migrate VMs - the hosts do not need rebooting, but for the hotfix to apply to the VMs, they will either need to be rebooted or live-migrated to another host which also has the hotfix on
  • reboot - the physical server will need rebooting, so VMs will need to be moved onto another server (or shutdown). If using XenCenter, it'll move the VMs around for you automatically to keep them running throughout. However, to speed things up you can move them all off the pool master yourself and update/reboot that completely (as it may require multiple reboots) before moving VMs back to it and upgrading the other servers
  • reboot or live patch - as above, but if you have Citrix Hypervisor Premium rights, the patch will be done live without requiring a reboot.
  • upgrade VM tools - The XenServer guest tools should be upgraded as soon as convenient, but machines will continue to work without. Do NOT upgrade tools in VMs that are provisioned

N.B. XenServer fixes for 7.1 and later are provided as .iso files rather than .xsupdate. They are applied in the same way except that you cannot double-click on the fix file to automatically open it in XenCenter; choose Install update... from the Tools menu.

N.B. (2) XenServer 7.1 and later supports live patching if you have Citrix Hypervisor Premium licences (formerly XenServer Enterprise licences) or Citrix Hypervisor for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops rights. This applies the patch without requiring a reboot. Some patches can only be applied without a reboot if a specific earlier patch is already installed.

N.B. (3) Hypervisor security patches after October 2017 (xen kernel 4.7.2-2.6 or later, e.g. XS72E008) will stop NetBSD VMs from booting. To remedy this, you must run the following on each host and then reboot for it to take effect:
/opt/xensource/libexec/xen-cmdline --set-xen pv-linear-pt=true

This setting will be removed on a version upgrade, so it must be re-applied when upgrading to Hypervisor 8.0, for example.

You can determine your xen kernel version using xl info:
# xl info | grep xen_version
xen_version            : 4.7.2-2.7

N.B. (4) XenServer tools older than 6.5 or the legacy tools included with XenServer 7 will not work on Citrix Hypervisor 8.0 and later; the VM will BSOD. Please ensure you upgrade to the latest tools (if on a supported OS) or maintain a legacy 7.6 or 7.1 LTSR pool for your legacy VMs.

Citrix's list of recommended XenServer/Hypervisor hotfixes

XenCenter (all versions of XenServer and Citrix Hypervisor)

You should generally use the latest version of XenCenter you are entitled to, to manage all XenServer and Hypervisor pools regardless of pool version

  • XenCenter 2024.1.0 for Citrix Hypervisor 8.2 CU1 and XenServer 8 - no login required (will not connect to XenServer 7.1 LTSR)
  • XenCenter 8.2.7 (requires login and current CSS) - if you need to connect to XenServer 7.1 LTSR
  • XenCenter 8.2.3 (requires login) - if you need to connect to XenServer 7.1 LTSR

XenCenter 8.2.4 and later requires a Client ID to authenticate against a Citrix account. Even if you have already downloaded updates using your Citrix account and want to apply them manually this is required. You may still apply updates from the command line. For details on setting up a Client ID, click here.

Windows VM Management Agent and I/O drivers

Details here: https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX235403/updates-to-citrix-vm-tools-for-windows-for-xenserver-and-citrix-hypervisor

XenServer 8

With XenServer 8, there are no LTSR or Current Releases. When updates are applied, you no longer pick which you want - all are applied automatically. You may choose whether you want to follow the Normal or Early Access channels.

Citrix Hypervisor 8.2 (LTSR and Current Release)

From December 13th 2021, 8.2 has switched to a Long Term Support Release (LTSR) which requires the installation of Cumulative Update 1. From June 13th 2022, there will be no further updates for 8.2, only 8.2 CU1. To have the rights to use 8.2 CU1, you must have current CSS (Citrix Support Select) in place. Moreover, if you do not have a licence applied showing your entitlement to CSS, you will not be able to install any updates released after December 13th 2021, even from the command line: 

This operation is not allowed because your license lacks a needed feature. Please contact your support representative.
feature: XS82E035
<extra>: CSS

Here are all the update for Hypervisor 8.2 (without CU1 installed):

If you do not have CSS (and thus cannot install CU1), you should install these updates:

  • XS82E032 - reboot
  • XS82E034 - reboot or live patch if XS82E024 and XS82E030 installed

Here are all the updates for Hypervisor 8.2 CU1 (you must have current CSS and your pool must be licensed to be able to apply them):

(*) = hotfix already included in latest installation ISO (CitrixHypervisor-8.2.1-2306-install-cd.iso)

In addition to hotfixes, there may also be updated drivers for hardware in the hosts. A full list of driver versions included in the base installation and any updates can be found here, but this list is not always complete or up-to-date. We recommend that you search the Citrix support site for your desired driver.

Recommended driver updates can be found below (as commonly found on Lenovo System x and ThinkSystem servers). Update the drivers BEFORE doing firmware upgrades on the host:

N.B. If using the free edition it is crucial that you read the list of features moved to a paid version before upgrading

XenServer 7.1 CU2 - Long Term Support Release

XenServer 7.1 is a Long Term Support Release (LTSR) offering support for 10 years, but this requires maintaining Customer Success Services (CSS, previously known as Software Maintenance). Without CSS, there are no updates further updates for 7.1 since 2017. To switch to the LTSR branch, install XenServer 7.1 Cumulative Update 1 (CU1), then XenServer 7.1 Cumulative Update 2 (CU2). You may not install CU2 directly on 7.1. You may not downgrade to 7.1 CU2.

If you upgrade a host with legacy disk partition from XenServer 6.x to XenServer 7.1 CU1, and then attempt to apply XenServer 7.1 CU2 as an update, you may receive an insufficient space error. To avoid this happening, apply XS71ECU1033 on XS 7.1 CU1 before attempting to update to CU2.

XenServer 7.1 and earlier

We no longer maintain a list of hotfixes for 8.1 CR and earlier as we recommend all customers upgrade to 8.2 CU1 LTSR

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Page last modified on April 11, 2024, at 10:12 AM by sborrill