Virtual Directory Server Upgrade Guide (4299560)

Virtual Directory Server Upgrade Guide

The upgrade process is based on the fact that multiple releases of VDS can be installed at the same workstation, at the same time. New versions get installed in their own directory adjacent to the rest, so that the user can choose which Administration Console to start, and quickly switch from one to other.

It’s even possible that instances from different versions run at the same time. The only requirement is that no instance listens on the same ports as any other.

In Windows, a new folder is also created in the Start Menu. All shortcuts that were created manually will also need to be manually updated to point to the new version.

These instructions assume the upgrade is performed from a recent version of VDS (6.0.3 or later). Older versions (such as Symlabs 5.5) may need additional steps; more information can be found in other solutions from the Knowledge Base.

We highly recommend that, for production instances, the upgrade is first performed and tested in a proper testing environment.

Upgrade Steps:

 

1) Locate the configurations that should run in the new version

2) Install the new version normally, using the installer

3) Open the Admin Consoles of both old and new versions

4) Follow the next steps for each configuration to be upgraded:

 Open the old configuration in the old Admin Console; check it is running normally and receiving traffic.

 Windows: Go to “Global Parameters -> Running Parameters” and make sure "Lock Windows Service Details" is unchecked, so that the service is uninstalled when the instance is stopped

 Copy the instance to the new release. There are two ways you can do this:

o Export the instance in the old Admin Console and import it in the new one (preferably including passwords and not logs)

o Copy the whole configuration folder from the confs directory of the old version, to the confs folder in the new one (optionally, delete all logs under the logs folder)

 Open the new configuration in the new Admin Console

 It is recommended to perform a visual inspection to check that everything present in the old configuration still exists in the new one (plugins, values in different sections, etc.)

o If applicable, review passwords in connection pools, and use the test button to verify

o If applicable, review SSL certificate paths of Listeners and ServerGroups (they might need to be updated to the path of the new version)

 

 Save the configuration. 

 Go to the old Admin Console and stop the old instance. You can choose between normal stop and "Graceful Shutdown", which might make the process more smooth for applications that are currently sending traffic

 Go to the new Admin Console and start the new instance

 Take some time to monitor logs and traffic to check that everything runs well with the new instance. If you experience any trouble, you can follow the Rollback steps below

5) Once this process has been followed for all the configurations, the upgrade process is complete. At this point you can choose between uninstalling the old version of VDS or leave it in the system. We recommend that it is uninstalled after a while, when it’s certain a rollback will not be needed, so that in the future there is no confusion between the two versions.

 

 

Rollback Steps:

If by any chance one or more configurations start misbehaving after the upgrade (either right after the process or later in time), they can be quickly rolled back to the old, running version with these steps:

 

1) (If needed) Open the Admin Consoles of both old and new versions

2) Follow the next steps for each configuration to be rolled back:

 (If needed) Open the new (misbehaving) configuration in the new Admin Console

 Windows: Go to “Global Parameters -> Running Parameters” and make sure "Lock Windows Service Details" is unchecked, so that the service is uninstalled when the instance is stopped

 (If needed) Open the old (working) configuration in the old Admin Console

 Go to the new Admin Console and stop the new instance. You can choose between normal stop and "Graceful Shutdown", which might make the process more smooth for applications that are currently sending traffic

 Go to the old Admin Console and start the old instance

 Check that everything is running as it used to do in the old instance

3) Analyze the logs and any other information available to find out what caused the problems with the new version. If needed, contact Support to open a case and include all this information (at least the configuration itself and its logs)