# Upgrading Sisense with Kubernetes using RKE2 > How to upgrade your version of Sisense with the newer Kubernetes using RKE2. *Source: https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/upgrading-sisense-k8s-rke2.htm* --- Last updated: June 10, 2026 | | | | --- | --- | | [Tier](https://www.sisense.com/pricing/#pricing) | [Deployment](https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/introduction-to-sisense-cloud-managed-services.md#ComparisonofManagedCloudandSelfHosted) | | Enterprise | On-Prem | **Note:** This entire topic relates only to on-premise customers who chose to use the Sisense deployment script to deploy and manage your on-premise Kubernetes cluster via the RKE tool. ## Overview Rancher Kubernetes Engine (RKE) is a tool developed by Rancher, which is used for deploying and running Kubernetes clusters on your on-premise server(s). RKE is reaching its [End Of Life](https://www.suse.com/support/kb/doc/?id=000021513): [Copy](javascript:void(0);) ``` RKE uses Docker, which is no longer maintained as a container runtime by Kubernetes. This is critical as Docker’s removal from the Kubernetes project (as of release 1.24) necessitates a shift. RKE2 adopts containerd, providing a more secure and efficient environment. This change not only enhances the stability of container workloads but also aligns with the latest industry standards for container management. RKE2 and K3S offer a more secure, efficient, and future-proof environment for your Kubernetes needs. ``` Therefore, Sisense has updated our on-prem deployment process to deploy the Kubernetes cluster using the new RKE2. The final Sisense version that will install/upgrade Kubernetes using RKE1 is **L2025.1**. Subsequent Sisense versions will still be able to deploy over RKE1 (using only `update: true` and `update_k8s_version: false`). However, for new installations for which deploying the Kubernetes cluster via the Sisense deployment code is desired, RKE2 will be installed. ## Upgrading from RKE1 to RKE2 **Upgrading from RKE1 to RKE2 is not supported.** This means that if you have RKE installed via a Sisense version <=L2025.1 and you are about to update to a newer version, you could run `update: true`, but you cannot run it with `update_k8s_version: true`. Therefore, if you want to update to the later Kubernetes version, there are two options: **Note:** Whichever method you choose, **you must first backup your Sisense data, and then restore your data in the new environment:** - [Backing up and Restoring Sisense](https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/backing-up-and-restoring-sisense.md) - [Migrating Sisense in Linux Environments](https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/migrating-sisense-in-linux-environments.md) - [Migrating from RKE1 to RKE2](https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/migrating-rke1-to-rke2.md) - **Recommended method:** Launch a new server(s) and run a fresh install on it. This will ensure that you do not lose any data while migrating from the old environment to the new one. - Less preferred method: Completely uninstall (`uninstall_cluster: true`, `uninstall_sisense: true`, and `remove_user_data: true`) and then run a fresh reinstall. ## Removing a Node The `remove_node` feature is no longer supported, as RKE2 has deprecated this functionality. If you want to remove a node from your existing Kubernetes cluster, you must do it manually (and update your `config.yaml` file accordingly). - [Safely Drain a Node](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/safely-drain-node/) - [Uninstall | RKE2](https://docs.rke2.io/install/uninstall) (uninstall RKE2 only inside the server/node you wish to remove) ## NFS Storage Class Change For on-premise customers who use NFS storage: Once upgrading to RKE2 (whether installing on a new server(s) or uninstall+reinstall), the old storage class `nfs-client` will be replaced with `nfs-csi`. The `nfs-csi` storageClass is the native way to work with your NFS. See [GitHub - kubernetes-csi/csi-driver-nfs: This driver allows Kubernetes to access NFS server on Linux node](https://github.com/kubernetes-csi/csi-driver-nfs). ## Containerd Installation Required For the offline/air-gapped customers: See [Installing Sisense in an Offline Environment](https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/installing-sisense-in-an-offline-air-gapped-environment.md). It is no longer necessary to have Docker pre-installed before running the installation. However, you must have **Containerd v1.7.24** or newer installed on your server(s) before running the installation. **Note:** Containerd is included as part of Docker, so if you already have Docker installed, there is no need to separately install Containerd. [Copy](javascript:void(0);) ``` ubuntu@node1:~$ ctr --version ctr containerd.io 1.7.24 ``` In addition, running `./installer/offline/offline_installer.sh run .yaml` will automatically start the installation. This means that there is no need to `cd sisense-${SISENSE_VERSION}` and run `./sisense.sh .yaml`. **Note:** If you want to skip parameters validation, you can run `./installer/offline/offline_installer.sh run .yaml -y`.