In order to reduce operational problems once an environment is upgraded, and to ensure like-for-like functional parity, an environment which has been upgraded and a freshly deployed environment should look the same from the following points of view:

1. Package versions installed on the host
2. The packages installed on the host
2. Container versions present on the host

The same should be true for a scaled-up new host in an environment that is freshly deployed or scaled up.

If there are any deviations from this pattern, they should be clearly noted in the documentation with the rationale behind the difference.

Currently it is required to run the update process on a scaled-up node in order to ensure that the node is up to date. This extends the time taken considerably.