Configuring the FQDN post-installation

Reference for updating the Automation Suite FQDN post-installation via cluster_config.json and uipathctl.

To update the FQDN of Automation Suite, you must update the cluster_config.json file and run the uipathctl installer.

The FQDN update process is applicable to both single-node evaluation mode and multi-node HA-ready production mode.

Note:

Changing the FQDN requires new server certificates. If a new certificate is not available, you have two options: either continue with the new self-signed certificate configured by the installer automatically, or stop the installation and bring in a new CA-issued certificate.

You can configure the certificate via the server_certificate field in the cluster_config.json file.

Updating the config file with the new FQDN value

Note:

We support only lowercase FQDNs. Do not use uppercase characters in your FQDN.

You must update the following parameters in the input.json file. Any combination of these values is allowed, depending on your requirements.

• fqdn - update this field with new FQDN that you need to access the cluster.
• fixed_rke_address - if this value is identical to the fqdn field in cluster_config.json, you must ensure the two values match to reflect the new FQDN. In case of Active/Passive or Active/Active setup this value must match the cluster_fqdn.
• cluster_fqdn - update this field for the Active/Passive or Active/Active cluster.
  Note:

  cluster_fqdn update is required when you change the DNS configurations at the load balancer level for any of the clusters

The following example shows the cluster_config.json configuration required to update the FQDN.

{
  "fqdn": "new-automationsuite.mycompany.com" //this is the fqdn for accessing the automation suite cluster
  "fixed_rke2_address": "new-automationsuite.mycompany.com,"//this is only required for the node joining, if customer wish to change "cluster_fqdn": "new-primary-automationsuite.mycompany.com" //this is only required for the a/p or a/a cluster
}

Step 1: Updating FQDN at the infrastructure level

To update the FQDN at infrastructure layer, run the installer only on the the first server machine. This will update all the other nodes in the cluster, including the remaining server nodes, agent nodes, and specialized agent nodes.

To update the FQDN, run the following command:

./bin/uipathctl rke2 update-fqdn -i /path/to/cluster_config.json --versions versions/helm-charts.json

Note:

If you run the command with the --force flag, it will override the warning prompts and perform the FQDN changes directly.

The installer warns you of the consequences of updating the FQDN. It asks for confirmation before proceeding.

[WARN]  You are about to change the FQDN of the Automation Suite Cluster.
        Changing the fqdn is a disruptive operation, and it will result in 
        disconnecting your robots, mobile orchestrator users, ML Activities, 
        and ML Skills and invalidating any pending user invites. 
        
        If you wish to continue type 'yes' and hit enter to continue.

Step 2: Enabling maintenance mode

Before triggering the FQDN update at the components and services level, you must enable maintenance mode. This shuts down the ingress controller and all the UiPath® services, blocking all the incoming traffic to the Automation Suite cluster.

To put the cluster in maintenance mode, run:

./bin/uipathctl cluster maintenance enable

To verify that the cluster is in maintenance mode, run:

./bin/uipathctl cluster maintenance is-enabled

Step 3: Updating FQDN at the components and services level

To update the FQDN, run the following command:

./bin/uipathctl manifest apply /path/to/cluster_config.json --versions versions/helm-charts.json

Note:

If you run the command with the --force flag, it will override the warning prompts and perform the FQDN changes directly.

The installer warns you of the consequences of updating the FQDN. It asks for confirmation before proceeding.

[WARN]  You are about to change the FQDN of the Automation Suite Cluster.
        Changing the fqdn is a disruptive operation, and it will result in 
        disconnecting your robots, mobile orchestrator users, ML Activities, 
        and ML Skills and invalidating any pending user invites. 
        If you wish to continue type 'yes' and hit enter to continue.

The installer also warns you if there is no new valid certificate related to the FQDN. If the certificate validation fails, the installer requires you to provide the new CA-issued certificate or continue with the new self-signed certificate.

************************************************************************************
[ERROR] Validating certificate... Failed
[ERROR] Certificate doesn't have new-automationsuite.mycompany.com in the SAN
************************************************************************************

Certificate provided is invalid for the new fqdn, would you like us to configure the new self signed certificate?
If you wish to continue type `yes` and hit enter to continue.

Note:

Make sure to clear all the data from your Redis database. You can do this by running the FLUSHALL command.

Step 4: Disabling maintenance mode

After updating the FQDN, disable maintenance mode to restore traffic to the Automation Suite cluster.

To disable maintenance mode, run:

./bin/uipathctl cluster maintenance disable

For details, refer to uipathctl cluster maintenance disable.

Updating FQDN in an Active/Active deployment

If you change the FQDN of the primary cluster in an Active/Active setup, you need to take the following additional steps:

1. Enable maintenance mode on the primary cluster:

   ./bin/uipathctl cluster maintenance enable
   

2. Generate a new kubeconfig for the primary cluster.

3. Add the new kubeconfig in the cluster_config.json of the secondary cluster, under other_kube_config.

4. On the secondary cluster, run the following command:

   uipathctl manifest apply cluster_config.json --versions versions/helm-charts.json
   

5. Disable maintenance mode on the primary cluster:

   ./bin/uipathctl cluster maintenance disable
   

   For details, refer to uipathctl cluster maintenance disable.