Introduction

Red Hat provides a direct upgrade path from Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 to 2.6, with streamlined processes for topology migration, enterprise authentication, and IAM migration. This guide walks you through the upgrade process.

Pre-Upgrade Planning

Compatibility Check

Before upgrading, verify:

  • Your current AAP version is 2.4.x
  • You're running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (required for RPM installations)
  • All current jobs and workflows are in a stable state
  • You have recent backups of your database and configurations

What's Included in the Upgrade

| Feature | AAP 2.4 → 2.6 |

|---------|----------------|

| Direct upgrade path | ✅ Yes |

| Supported topology migration | ✅ Yes |

| Streamlined enterprise auth migration | ✅ Yes |

| Automated IAM migration | ✅ Yes |

Step-by-Step Upgrade Process

Step 1: Backup Your Environment

``bash

Backup the AAP database

pg_dump -U awx awx > aap_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Backup configuration files

tar czf aap_config_backup.tar.gz /etc/ansible-automation-platform/

`

Step 2: Download AAP 2.6

Download the AAP 2.6 installer from the Red Hat Customer Portal or use the subscription manager:

`bash

Via subscription-manager

subscription-manager repos --enable ansible-automation-platform-2.6-for-rhel-9-x86_64-rpms

`

Step 3: Run the Installer

The AAP 2.6 installer detects your existing 2.4 installation and handles the upgrade automatically:

`bash

Extract and run the installer

tar xf ansible-automation-platform-setup-2.6.tar.gz

cd ansible-automation-platform-setup-2.6/

./setup.sh

`

Step 4: Verify the Upgrade

After the installer completes:

`bash

Check platform version

automation-controller-service status

Verify all services are running

systemctl status automation-controller

systemctl status automation-hub

systemctl status automation-eda-controller

``

Topology Migration (RPM to Containerized)

AAP 2.6 supports a documented "lift and shift" process to move from RPM-based to containerized installations:

1. Export your current configuration

2. Deploy a containerized AAP 2.6 environment

3. Import your jobs, data, and configurations

4. Validate and cut over

This is especially important since RPM installations are deprecated after AAP 2.6.

Enterprise Authentication Migration

SAML, LDAP, and OIDC configurations are seamlessly migrated to the platform gateway. The automated migration:

  • Preserves all authentication settings
  • Migrates users, teams, roles, and permissions
  • Maintains RBAC model and administrator privileges

Post-Upgrade Checklist

  • [ ] Verify all job templates execute successfully
  • [ ] Test enterprise authentication (LDAP/SAML/OIDC)
  • [ ] Confirm Event-Driven Ansible rulebooks are functional
  • [ ] Review the new automation dashboard
  • [ ] Test the Lightspeed intelligent assistant
  • [ ] Plan your migration to containerized installation

Conclusion

The upgrade from AAP 2.4 to 2.6 is a well-supported pa