With the 8.11.2 release of VMware Aria Automation Config, we have introduced the ability to upgrade the Master Plugin from the new Master Plugins workspace.
What is the Master Plugins workspace ?
The Master Plugins workspace provides you the ability to update the Master Plugin version on your Salt master to match the version of VMware Aria Automation Config. You can also download the latest version of the Master Plugin, along with the latest version of sseapiclient.
The new workspace contains information about the plugin status, plugin version, Salt version, last update JID, and more. To view the full description for each status, click the tooltip 
icon. Some tooltips include there is a newer plugin available, or that a one-time manual update is required, and possibly that the current version does not support update via this utility. For the latter, help documentation maybe consulted for troubleshooting tips.
Prerequisites
Before you can use the Master Plugins workspace, you must complete the following:
- Install the Master Plugin on your Salt master. See Install and Configure the Master Plugin for more information.
- Confirm each Salt master’s has been accepted in the VMware Aria Automation Config user interface.
- Verify that the Salt master is running as
root. If the Salt master is running as a non-root user, the update fails. - If the Salt master is running version 3002 or earlier, manually update the Salt version to 3002.1 prior to leveraging the Master Plugins workspace. See Upgrade Salt for more information.
- Confirm if the Salt master is running 8.11.2 or later of the Master Plugin. If your Salt master is running 8.11.1 or earlier, you must manually upgrade the plugin before you can use the Master Plugins workspace. See Upgrade the Master Plugin using the CLI for more information.
- Note:
You can only update the Master Plugin version through the Master Plugins workspace if the plugin status is Needs update. If the plugin status indicates that the Salt master requires manual intervention, you must log in to your Salt master to resolve the issue. See the Troubleshooting section below for more information.
Updating the Master Plugin
You can update the Master Plugin version on one Salt master, or you can update the Master Plugin on multiple Salt masters.
To update the Master Plugin:
- In SaltStack Config Cloud, select Administration > Master Plugins.
- Select a Salt master with a Needs update plugin status.
- Click Update.
- Review the information in the dialog box to ensure that you selected the correct Salt master.
- Click Update.
- Check the Activity workspace to confirm the job ran successfully and to review job returns.
- In the Master Plugins workspace, confirm that the plugin status has changed to Up to date. If the update fails, see the Troubleshooting section below.
Troubleshooting
While we don’t expect the plugin update to fail, here are a few steps you can take to resolve the issue by logging into your Salt master. Keep in mind there is no auto revert, so ensure there are backups of the appliances prior to updating.
Plugin updates could fail due to:
- Infrastructure issues
- Configuration issues with virtual machines
- Connection issues with the Salt master
Try the following steps to identify the cause for the failed update:
- Check the Last update JID and review the raw data for any errors.
- Run
systemctl status salt-masterto check the status of thesalt-masterservice. - Run
salt-master -l debugto start the Salt master in debug mode. - Download the Master Plugin from the Master Plugins workspace and manually install the plugin.
For additional information about Aria Automation Config see our YouTube playlist, Cloud Management blog, and TechZone for additional content.
