What is an essential step before upgrading the HA cluster firmware?

Backing up current configurations is a crucial step before upgrading the firmware of an HA (High Availability) cluster. This process ensures that you have a safe copy of the existing settings, policies, and structures in case something unexpected happens during the upgrade. If the upgrade results in issues, you can revert to the previous configurations without losing important data or having to reconfigure everything from scratch.

Having a backup minimizes downtime and restores operational normalcy more quickly. It is part of standard best practices in IT management to always have a fallback option before initiating significant changes like firmware upgrades. This proactive approach helps in preserving configurations and maintaining overall system integrity.

While upgrading secondary devices first might seem logical, this practice follows after ensuring a successful backup. Notifying users to log out may be a courtesy step but doesn't directly protect configurations, and checking for network stability, although important for operational effectiveness, does not safeguard the settings themselves in the event of a firmware failure.