Overview
Release 2026.1 introduces Edge HA 2.0, Celona's new high-availability architecture for the Celona Edge. HA 2.0 replaces the Kubernetes-quorum-based HA 1.0 model used in release 2411 with an N-way active-active design, in which every Access Point connects to every Edge node in the cluster.
If your site's Edge cluster is running release 2411.x (single-node or 3-node HA 1.0), you move it to 2026.1 with a one-click action called MIGRATE TO V2 on the Edge Cluster page of the Celona Orchestrator. This article explains:
When to use Migration versus a regular Software Upgrade
What your site needs before you migrate
How to start and monitor a migration
What to do if a migration fails
Software Upgrade vs. Migration
The Celona Orchestrator has two separate ways to change software versions. They are not interchangeable.
Software Upgrade is the general mechanism for pushing new software to individual Access Points and Edge nodes. It is started per component, or in bulk, from the Software Upgrades page (Admin Settings → Software Upgrades).
Migration (One-Click Cluster Migration) is new in 2026.1. It automates the specific 2411.x → 2026.1 transition for a whole Edge cluster, including all of its Access Points, in one action. It is started from the Edge Cluster page.
Where | Use it for | Do not use it for |
Software Upgrades page | Upgrades within a release family - for example, 2411 (or earlier) to another pre-2026 version, or 2026.1.x to a newer 2026.1.y | Moving from 2411 to 2026.1. This option is never offered here. |
Edge Cluster page (MIGRATE TO V2 button) | The one-click 2411.x → 2026.1 migration only | Any other version change. The button disappears once the cluster is on 2026.1. |
After your cluster is on 2026.1, later 2026.1 patch or minor releases are applied from the Software Upgrades page as usual.
Before you begin
Supported migration paths
From | To | How |
Single-node (2411) | Single-node (2026.1) | MIGRATE TO V2 on the Edge Cluster page |
3-node HA 1.0 (2411) | 3-node HA 2.0 (recommended) | MIGRATE TO V2 during a maintenance window; no node removal needed |
3-node HA 1.0 (2411) | 2-node HA 2.0 + cold spare | MIGRATE TO V2 as above, then remove the third node and keep it as a spare |
Single-node (2026.1) | 2-node HA 2.0 | After migration, add a second Edge node. The cluster forms and syncs state with configuration preserved. |
3-node HA 1.0 is deprecated in 2026.1. Existing 3-node HA 1.0 clusters can continue running on 2411 until you are ready to migrate.
Site requirements
5G only: 2026.1 (phase 1) supports 5G networks only. Sites running 4G, including Neutral Host and private 4G deployments cannot migrate and remain on 2411.
Supported Access Points: HA 2.0 supports the AP2x series.
Software version: All Edge nodes and Access Points in the cluster must be on release 2411.x and reporting their version to the Orchestrator.
IP address planning: Make sure your static/internal IP pools are sized for 2026.1 , see the Edge Cluster IP network plan for 2026.1.
Network design: All Edge nodes in a cluster must be in the same Layer 2 domain.
Firewall: Firewall requirements are largely unchanged from 2411. Spectrum (SAS) services moved to the Celona cloud in 2026.1, so the Edge no longer needs direct SAS connectivity.
Access Points online: All Access Points at the site must be online and reachable. An offline AP will cause the migration to fail (see If a migration fails).
Plan a maintenance window
Plan the migration during a maintenance window. In Celona lab testing (a site with 1 AP20 and 3 AP21), migrations typically completed within these ranges:
Cluster topology | Typical end-to-end duration |
Single-node | About 1 hour 20 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes |
3-node | About 1 hour 40 minutes – 2 hours |
Access Points upgrade in parallel, so a site with more APs should take about the same time. Migrations can take longer on a slow site network, or if a step fails and you need to retry.
How eligibility is checked
The Orchestrator automatically checks, in the background, whether each cluster is eligible to migrate. No action is needed from you. If a cluster is not eligible, the MIGRATE TO V2 button is unavailable and its tooltip explains why. The checks are:
Check | The cluster is not eligible if… |
Migration already in progress | A migration for this cluster is already running |
AP hardware | Any AP at the site is AP1x |
AP radio configuration | Any AP is configured for 4G-only operation |
Version reported | No component in the cluster has reported a software version yet, or a reported version cannot be read |
Starting version | Any component is on a release earlier than 2411 |
Figure 1 — The tooltip lists why a cluster is not eligible to migrate, such as 4G-only APs.
Migrate the cluster to 2026.1
In the Celona Orchestrator, go to Edge Clusters and open the cluster you want to migrate.
On the cluster's Summary tab, click MIGRATE TO V2.
Figure 2 - The MIGRATE TO V2 button on the Edge Cluster page.
A Migrate Edge Cluster confirmation dialog appears: "Every access point and edge node in this cluster will be upgraded to 2026.1. The migration runs in the background and cannot be cancelled once it starts." Click MIGRATE to start.
Figure 3 — Confirming the migration. This is the only decision point in the process.
Important: A migration cannot be cancelled once it starts.
The migration now runs in the background. You can leave the page or close the browser tab; a banner confirms: "Migration to 2026.1 started. It continues in the background; you can leave this page."
Figure 4 - The progress panel shows the current step and a link to per-component progress.
The progress panel stays on the Edge Cluster page during the migration and updates step by step (for example, "Step 3 of 3: upgrading edge"). The migration runs three steps in order:
Step | What happens |
1. Package update | Internal upgrade tools on the Edge are updated to their 2026.1 versions. |
2. AP upgrade | Every Access Point at the site(s) in the cluster upgrades to 2026.1, in parallel. |
3. Edge upgrade | The Edge cluster itself upgrades to 2026.1. |
The migration ends as Completed or Failed (with a reason). Migration progress is saved as it runs, so a service restart on the Celona side does not interrupt it, the migration resumes where it left off.
Monitor migration progress
The Edge Cluster banner shows step-level progress only. To see the status of each Edge node and Access Point, click View per-component upgrade progress in the progress panel. This opens the Software Upgrades page (Admin Settings → Software Upgrades).
The Software Upgrades page lists the cluster, its site(s), and every Access Point underneath, with columns for Edge Cluster, Access Point, Current Version, Upgrade Status, and Upgrade Time. During a migration:
The cluster row shows the overall status, for example Migration: upgrading edge (step 3 of 3).
A Multiple badge (with a count) appears under Current Version when components in the cluster are on different versions. This is expected mid-migration — APs already on 2026.1 sit alongside an Edge that has not finished yet. Click the badge to see the versions.
Each AP row shows Successful (green check) with a completion timestamp once that AP finishes.
Figure 5 — Per-component migration progress on the Software Upgrades page.
Each AP row also shows its current and target version. Click an AP row to open the Access Point Upgrade Stages panel, which marks each stage Done as it completes:
Request received
Pre-validation started
Pre-validation completed
Offloading user equipment
User equipment offloaded
Downloading upgrade metadata
Downloaded
Upgrade started
Upgrade applied
Post-validation started
Post-validation completed
Successful
Use this panel to see exactly where an AP's upgrade is, or where it stopped.
Figure 6 — The Access Point Upgrade Stages panel.
If a migration fails
Important: Migration has no rollback, for single-node or multi-node clusters. Recovery is to retry the migration, or — in one case described below — to contact Celona Support.
MIGRATE TO V2 button is greyed out
This is not a failure — the migration has not started. The most common reason is IP addresses: 2026.1 needs one IP address per device. If an IP range is too small, the button is disabled and its tooltip names the range and how many more addresses it needs. Add addresses to that range, then click MIGRATE TO V2.
Figure 7 — The tooltip shows which IP range needs more addresses.
"Migration failed" banner
Any step can fail. When one does, the Edge Cluster page shows a Migration failed banner with the reason, and the MIGRATE TO V2 button is available again. There is no separate Retry button — clicking MIGRATE TO V2 again is the retry. For example, if step 1 fails:
Migration failed - Failed to update packages on edge. Please retry the migration.
Figure 8 — A failed migration shows the reason and the MIGRATE TO V2 button to retry.
Retrying is safe no matter which step failed. A retry re-runs all three steps, but it does not redo finished work: APs that already upgraded are skipped, and re-running the package update causes no harm.
An Access Point is offline or unreachable
This is the most common reason step 2 fails. If even one AP at the site cannot be reached, its upgrade fails and the migration is marked failed. The banner shows how many APs failed:
Migration failed — AP upgrade failed: 1 of 2 APs failed. Make sure the failed APs are online in CSO before retrying. An AP that is offline or unreachable will keep failing on every retry. If an AP stays offline, please contact support.
Figure 9 — Migration failed because an AP was unreachable.
Retrying will fail the same way while the AP is unreachable. First, check in the Celona Orchestrator whether the AP is online, and try to bring it back.
If the AP cannot be brought back quickly, you can keep the site moving:
Remove the unreachable AP from the site.
Click MIGRATE TO V2 again. With only reachable APs left, the migration can complete.
When the AP is reachable again, add it back to the site.
An AP added back to a site that is already on 2026.1 upgrades itself automatically to match. No separate upgrade or second migration is needed.
Edge upgrade fails after the Edge is already on 2026.1
If the Edge upgrade fails during post-upgrade validation — meaning the Edge has already moved to 2026.1 but the check that runs right after it fails — MIGRATE TO V2 is not offered again. Contact Celona Support. The banner reads:
Migration failed - Edge cluster migration failed: <cluster_id>. Please contact support.
Figure 10 — Edge post-validation failure. Contact Celona Support.
Known limitations
A migration cannot be cancelled from the Orchestrator once it starts.
You cannot retry only the failed step. Clicking MIGRATE TO V2 again re-runs all three steps, which is safe because finished work is skipped.
There is no automatic rollback. If a later step fails, earlier changes (such as updated Edge packages or APs already on 2026.1) are not undone.
An AP that stays offline blocks the migration from completing. There is no "skip this AP" option; remove the AP from the site, migrate, then add it back.
Single-node sites have a service outage during migration, because there is no second Edge node to carry traffic.
Sites already on 2025.1
This article applies only to clusters on 2411.x. To move a site from 2025.1 to 2026.1, see Site Migration from 2025.1 to 2026.1.