Upgrade the CommNet Server

Click on a link below to go to a specific section of the software upgrade:

The procedure on this page describes the steps involved in upgrading the CommNet Server in a non-clustered environment. This procedure provides steps for upgrading the CommNet Server only.

If multiple components are installed on a computer the upgrade program automatically upgrades all the components. In such a situation, the upgrade sequence may vary. Refer to the appropriate procedures for upgrade requirements and steps specific to the component.

Verify that the computer in which you wish to upgrade the software satisfies the minimum requirements specified in System Requirements - CommNet Server.

Upgrade Requirements
  • Review the following:

  • During the CommNet Server deployment, the CommNet Server Statistics Database is automatically enabled to enhance the performance of the software.

  • It is strongly recommended that you backup the CommNet Server database using the Microsoft SQL iDataAgent or the SQL Enterprise Manager before performing an upgrade.

    Note that the same SQL Server instance will be used during the CommNet Server upgrade and will not be changed.

  • It is strongly recommended that you run the CnReduceDBSize tool before performing the CommNet Server upgrade. This tool compresses the size of the CommNet Database and as a result the upgrade process will be significantly faster. Information on how to run this tool can be obtained in the Readme file provided with this tool.  This tool/utility is included in the Resource Pack available in Maintenance Advantage Web site. Download the latest version before using the tool/utility.
The CommServe Database Engine will be upgraded to Microsoft SQL Server database instance with the appropriate service pack during the CommServe software upgrade.

Verify and ensure that Microsoft SQL Server components are not already installed on the CommServe computer. For example, Microsoft SQL Server Native Client, Microsoft SQL Server VSS Writer, etc.

If these components are installed, the CommServe upgrade will fail; uninstall these components before upgrading the CommServe software.

Before You Begin
  • Log on to the computer as the local Administrator or as a member of the local Administrators group on that computer. For clustered computers, log on as Domain User with administrative privileges to all nodes in the cluster.

  • If the QSM software is installed on the CommNet Server computer, using the QSM Service Control Manager, manually stop the QSM Services.

  • If the CommNet Server upgrade fails during the following upgrade process, use the DBUpgrade utility from the Resource Pack to perform the upgrade. See Upgrade the CommNet Server Using the DBUpgrade Utility for more information.

Upgrade Procedure
1. Place the appropriate Software Installation Disc into the drive. After a few seconds, the installation menu is displayed.

If the installation menu does not display:

  • Click the Start button on the Windows task bar, a then click Run.
  • Browse to the installation disc drive, select setup.exe, click Open, then click OK.
  
2. Select the desired language and click Next to continue.  
3. Select the option to install software on this computer.

NOTES

  • The options that appear on this screen depend on the computer in which the software is being installed.
  
4. From the Welcome screen, click Next to continue if no other applications are running.
5. Read the virus scanning software warning.

Click OK to continue if virus scanning is disabled.
6. Read and agree to the license agreement.

Select I accept the terms in the license agreement then click Next to continue.
7. You are asked if you want to upgrade the software.

Click Next to continue.
8. A warning message appears that the entire contents of the installation folder will be cleaned.

Click Yes to continue.
9. A warning message appears to backup the CommNet Server database before upgrading the software.

Click No to continue if your CommNet Server database has been backed up.
10. Specify a password for the SQL user sa.

Enter Password - Enter the password for the SQL user sa.

Use Windows Authentication - Check this box to use a Windows Administrator account with SQL System Administrator privileges in place of the sa account to access the SQL database. This option is deselected by default.

Click Next to continue.
11. Click Yes to upgrade the CommNet Database Engine.

NOTES

  • This will upgrade the CommNet Database Engine to Microsoft SQL Server (Enterprise Edition) with the appropriate service pack. See System Requirements - CommNet Server for more information.

    This step may take several minutes to complete.

  • Clicking No will exit the upgrade program.
12. Click OK to install Microsoft .NET Framework.

NOTES

  • This option will only appear if Microsoft .NET Framework has not been installed on this computer.
13. Click Yes to install the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or click No if you would like to use the JRE Version already available in your computer.

NOTES

  • This prompt will be displayed only when JRE version 1.5.x is available in the computer.
14. If the Internet Information Server (IIS) is installed on this computer, the install program asks if you want to configure the software for web-based administration.

Click Yes to continue.

NOTES

  • If IIS is not installed then you will not receive this prompt.
  • The screen to the right may look different depending upon the software selected for install or upgrade.
15. When prompted for an alias, type the name (or use the default) of the Web alias that you want to use for accessing the CommNet Browser remotely.

Click Next to continue.

NOTES

  • If IIS is not installed then you will not receive this prompt.
16. Click Yes to continue.

NOTES

  • This prompt will be displayed if you have already configured the CommNet Browser for Web Administration.
17. Verify the summary of selected components.

Click Next to continue.

NOTES

  • The Summary to the right may look different depending upon the components selected for install or upgrade.
18. In order for the CommNet Server to successfully upgrade, the web publishing service needs to be stopped.

Click Yes to stop the service and continue the upgrade process.
19. Setup displays the successfully installed or upgraded software components. Click Finish to close the install program.

NOTES

  • The screen to the right may look different depending upon the components selected for install or upgrade.

Post-Upgrade Considerations

  • Install post-release updates or Service Packs that may have been released after the release of the software.

  • To protect the CommNet Server database against disasters, such as computer failure, application failure, etc. it is recommended that you have a Disaster Recovery strategy in place. See Disaster Recovery for more information.

  • The CommNet Services will be restarted after the upgrade. Note that you may see a higher CPU and memory utilization for some time immediately after the upgrade.

  • With the time-zone name changes implemented in Windows, it is recommended that Cell Synchronization operations for all the cells in the CommNet domain be executed at this time to update the CommNet Server with the new names. For example, (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada); Tijuana will become (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). For more information, see Synchronize Cells.
  • Running reports that include Cell-Client Group information may display errors if the time-zone of the CommNet Server is set to  (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada), and the time-zone of the Cell-Client Group is set to (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada), Tijuana. To resolve this issue, set the time-zone of the Cell-Client Group to (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). See Add/Modify a Cell-Client Group.