Offline and Online Update for Object First Out-of-the-Box Cluster

Object First OOTBI updates enhance the system’s security, management, and monitoring capabilities. In the past, I have written on how to update Object First OOTBI Cluster via the IPMI and ObjectFirst dashboard. But in this post, we shall discuss how to perform Offline and Online Update for Object First Out-of-the-Box Cluster. Please, see how to update Veeam Backup and Replication [VBR], and “Best Storage for Veeam: Comparing OOTBI by ObjectFirst to VHR“

Note: You can update Object First OOTBI Appliance with internet connection or without interne connectivity. For other security best practices and how to perform offline OOTBI update, see OOTBI Security Best Practices: Enable Honeypot on Object First.

OOTBI Appliance connected to the Internet

When connected to the internet, the appliance can automatically check for and download updates directly from the vendor. This ensures that you receive the latest security patches, bug fixes, performance enhancements, and new features as soon as they are released.

This process is fast and convenient, as the appliance manages both the download and installation in a single step. Additionally, it can send notifications automatically whenever new updates are available, keeping you informed and proactive.

To do this, log in to the OOTBI Web UI and if there are updates. This will be evident also in the Alerts and Events notification.

As you can see below. From the alerts, we are immediately aware of a new OOTBI software version.

Please, see Troubleshooting WinRM and Kerberos Delegation for WAC, and how to Setup Windows Admin Center Modern Gateway for Single Sign-On.

Apply OOTBI Update Online

Navigate to Settings after log in and click on Cluster Update. As you can see below, the never version available is immediately displayed. All you need to do now is click on Update Cluster.

Review the release note on the install cluster update window. When complete, click on “Install”.

As you can see, the update installation is in progress.

The cluster has been successfully updated.

Now, the cluster is up to date. If the version is up-to-date, the Cluster Update manager will display the following message “The installed version is up to date”.

A reboot the cluster during the update is necessary. In most cases, the server does this automatically.

Please, see How to Configure Object First OOTBI Appliance, Object First OOTBI Appliance Unboxing and Quick Setup, and how to integrate ObjectFirst OOTBI Appliance with VBR.

Test VBR Backup Jobs

After updating the OOTBI cluster, it is vital to perform a Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) backup to verify that all services, configurations, and storage integrations are functioning properly with the latest version if you wish.

This post-update backup acts as a validation test to ensure that Veeam can still read and write data to the Object First appliance without issues. It also establishes a new restore point under the updated environment, safeguarding your workloads against any unexpected problems introduced by the update.

Essentially, running a VBR backup confirms both operational readiness and data integrity after the cluster upgrade.

The backup speed is unbelievable!

The Object First OOTBI appliance is built on object storage architecture optimized specifically for Veeam data protection workflows.

Unlike traditional block or file storage, OOTBI uses S3-compatible object storage that distributes data across nodes with erasure coding and parallel processing. This architecture eliminates bottlenecks and allows multiple backup streams to be written simultaneously.

Please, see how to add Synology NFS Storage to Proxmox VE for VMs and Backups, and how to setup Veeam Software Appliance v13.

Apply OOTBI Update Off-line

In air-gapped or security-restricted environments where the appliance cannot access the internet, you can manually download and apply the update package offline, ensuring the system still receives critical patches and remains secure, stable, and compliant even without direct internet connectivity.

You can find the latest version of the offline bundle, along with the list of improvements in our Release Notes. Please download it.

Next, navigate to the Cluster Update menu and select Upload offline bundle.

Next, Locate offline bundle file and press Open and wait for the upload to complete.

As you can see the offline updated completed successfully.

Please, see What is taking up by Synology NAS Volume Space, and how to download and update Synology DiskStation NAS to DSM 7.3.

Reboot or Shutdown OOTBI Cluster

In certain lab or non-production environments, it is reasonable to shut down the Object First OOTBI node when it is not actively required. Powering down the appliance helps reduce electricity consumption and hardware wear, especially when running the system continuously is not operationally necessary.

Shutting down the OOTBI node properly ensures that all services are gracefully stopped, preventing metadata corruption, incomplete writes, or potential data inconsistencies. It’s always best to use the OOTBI console or web interface shutdown option, rather than cutting power abruptly.

If you wish to reboot manually, here is how to do it. But, if you wish to save electricity cost, you can manually shut it down here using the “Shutdown Cluster” button.

Turning off the appliance when idle saves on electricity costs, which can be significant over time in a test or home lab setup. Please, confirm shutdown.

Cluster shutdown in progress. Even if the OOTBI node is not running 24/7, it’s important to power it on occasionally to perform key maintenance and protection task. Also, to perform backup and recovery and test new features and report bug to Object First.

I hope you found this guide useful on how to perform Offline and Online Update for Object First Out-of-the-Box Cluster. Please, feel free to leave a comment below.