This Is What Hitless Upgrade Networking Looks Like

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Sounds like every network engineer’s dream? With DriveNets’ new no-maintenance window (NMW) and smart rollout features, this dream is quickly becoming a reality. In this blog post, we’ll introduce these two operational game-changers, explain why DriveNets can do them while other network vendors can’t, and show how they translate into real business value for network engineers and operations teams.

Why does no-maintenance window (NMW) matter?

End customers expect constant connectivity, and even brief downtime can be costly due to SLA penalties, overtime pay, and customer compensations. Network engineers and operations teams need simpler, cost-effective ways to manage software upgrades.

Traditionally, upgrades or patches meant scheduling downtime during off-hours maintenance windows. DriveNets’ no-maintenance window capability aims to change all that by enabling live software upgrades with virtually no downtime (less than 1 second of traffic impact).

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Transforming Service Provider Networks

What does no-maintenance window mean in practice?

Here are the key benefits of no-maintenance window:

Always-on IP services: Live upgrades with less than 1 second of traffic disruption are virtually unnoticed by the service providers’ (SPs’) end customers.
No planned outages: This eliminates the need for scheduled downtimes and customer coordination, reducing SLA violations.
Simplified operations: Upgrades are simpler, with no need for rerouting traffic or redundant standby routers just to upgrade software.
Cost savings: Every planned outage comes with costs – overtime for staff, potential revenue loss, maybe even credits to customers. By eliminating planned downtime, NMW helps cut these costs. Plus, if you don’t need extra hardware solely for failover during upgrades, you save on capital expenses too. The result is a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for running the network.

In short, NMW ensures your network remains “always on,” simplifying operations and keeping customers satisfied.

Automating upgrades with smart rollout

So how do you deploy those seamless upgrades across a large network? That’s where smart rollout comes in. Think of smart rollout as the brains behind the scenes, automating the rollout of new software or patches across your entire network so you don’t have to do it device by device. It’s a feature of the DriveNets Network Orchestrator (DNOR) platform that essentially gives your network a “single upgrade button.”

Here’s what smart rollout brings:

Network-wide automated deployment: Instead of manually logging into hundreds of routers one by one, smart rollout lets you centrally schedule and push software updates or patches to all nodes in the network. It replaces the tedious site-by-site upgrade process with a streamlined, orchestrated rollout. You choose the software or patch version, select the target devices or sites, and smart rollout handles the rest.
Scheduled maintenance windows: Even though NMW means upgrades don’t require a maintenance window, you might still prefer to perform major updates during low-traffic periods. Smart rollout fully supports maintenance window planning.
Real-time progress tracking: When you kick off a smart rollout, you’re not flying blind. The DNOR interface provides real-time status and progress updates for each device being updated, so you can watch as each router goes through downloading, pre-check, and upgrade phases – all in one dashboard.

In essence, smart rollout turns the daunting task of upgrading a nationwide network into a much simpler, safer procedure. The result is faster deployment of new software (meaning faster access to new features or fixes) and much happier operations teams.

DNOR Smart Rollout Automation

Better together: seamless upgrades powered by smart rollout and NMW

Individually, NMW and smart rollout are each powerful. But together, they deliver something truly special: seamless, zero-downtime upgrades at scale. Smart rollout is the engine that automates an upgrade and schedule its process, while NMW is the capability that makes each individual upgrade hitless (or nearly hitless) to live traffic.

This isn’t just a lab experiment or a slideware promise. DriveNets demonstrated these capabilities live at MWC 2025 (Mobile World Congress), showing a production-ready network software upgrade in real time with zero noticeable impact. While routers updated, traffic flowed as if nothing happened – a true always-on experience.

Why can DriveNets do NMW when others can’t?

The secret to NMW lies in how DriveNets routers were built from the ground up as Distributed Disaggregated Chassis (DDC). By disaggregating the control and data planes, and containerizing every software component, DriveNets enables each functional part of the network – control, data, and management – to be upgraded independently. DriveNets Network Operating System (DNOS) is built on a microservices architecture, so when you need to update or add a new feature, only the relevant containers are touched. This granular approach minimizes the blast radius of any changes and allows upgrades to happen without taking down the entire system.

From a technical perspective, it’s all about precision. Upgrades use a multi-stage process where services enter a brief “blackout” mode before databases restart. Config changes are locked, operational data is frozen, and once the updated containers restart, services re-sync seamlessly. It’s this smart, modular approach that makes hitless upgrades possible – and reliable.

Monolithic vs. Disaggregated (DDC) Router Upgrade

Transforming operations – ready to experience NMW?

DriveNets’ no-maintenance window and smart rollout features are transforming network operations from a headache into a streamlined, automated workflow. They bring a friendly “cloud-like” operational model to service provider networks. The technical elegance of live upgrades and the practical benefits of automation come together to deliver real business value: higher availability, lower operational costs, happier customers, and more agile service deployment.

If the ideas of seamless upgrades and simplified operations sound appealing, we invite you to learn more. Reach out to DriveNets or request a demo to see NMW and smart rollout in action on a network like yours. Witness how we can upgrade an entire network with minimal fuss and zero planned downtime, and imagine what that could mean for your organization’s present and future.

Key Takeaways

Zero Downtime Maintenance: DriveNets’ hitless upgrade capability ensures that network software updates occur without any service interruptions, maintaining continuous operations even during critical maintenance periods.
Enhanced Network Reliability: By facilitating upgrades without disrupting services, DriveNets enhances overall network reliability, meeting the stringent availability requirements of modern networks.
Operational Efficiency: The ability to perform hitless upgrades reduces the need for scheduled downtimes, streamlining maintenance processes and improving operational efficiency.
Scalable Architecture: DriveNets’ distributed disaggregated chassis (DDC) architecture supports seamless scaling, allowing networks to grow and adapt without compromising service continuity.
Future-Proof Networking: Implementing hitless upgrades positions networks to better handle evolving demands and technologies, ensuring they remain robust and adaptable in a rapidly changing digital landscape.