This topic describes how to update an instance of  to a newer version. To identify the versions of the application being upgraded, see Release Version Numbering

If you are running a version of  with a release date prior to 2015_02 you must upgrade to the 2017_01 release before installing a later version. 

  1. Download the 2017_01 installer package from https://www.agiloft.com/ewdownload/archive/2017_01/ and upgrade your system to 2017_01. 
  2. After the successful upgrade, upgrade to the current version of , releases 2017_02 and later.

In general, the update process has the following steps:

  1. Backup everything that should be backed up. This may include KBs, software code, database files, etc, depending on what is to be updated. See Backup a Knowledgebase.
  2. Obtain new licenses for the new release, if it is a major upgrade with a new main version number. See Licensing.
  3. Run the Setup Assistant to replace installed software and/or data that should be updated. See Setup Assistant.
  4. Roll back to pre-update state if something goes wrong. See Rolling Back.

There are three ways to run the update process:

Online Update

The online update option is the simplest method.

  1. Run the Setup Assistant in your installation directory and select Software Update from the main menu, then click Check for updates online. 
  2. Setup will automatically check to see if a new version of  is available, and if so, will download it and start the update. 
  3. The user can monitor and set update options using the web interface.

Manual Update

If an earlier release of  is already installed, you can update the software by simply downloading and installing the latest version. The latest official release of  can be found at https://www.agiloft.com/ewdownload.

Run the downloaded installer. The installer will detect an existing  instance and prompt the user about a possible update.

Confirm the selection in the Update Options screen, and the installer will walk you through the upgrade. 

Update options

Update options allow the user to set certain update process details. When performing an update in web GUI mode, you can change the default options on the update options page, shown below:

The update options here are explained in more detail in Command line options. You should exercise caution with these commands if you are not certain of their operation, particularly if you are working on a live system. 

Command Line Utility Ewupdate

The ewupdate command line utility performs an update with all default options if run without any arguments.  Use the –help option to print a short help screen. If you wish to use the command line updater with non-default options, use the command line arguments listed below.

Command line options

These options are also available using the ewupdate utility. Default options can be changed using the command-line options listed, which correspond to the options presented in web GUI mode. The list below consists of the most commonly and recommended options. 

Update option

Corresponding ewupdate command-line option

Description

Backup database data using OS-level backup

-k,--skiposlevel

This command only applies if the built-in MySQL server is used. Under normal circumstances a full OS-level backup is made.  Use this option to skip the default OS-level backup of the MySQL directory. No database restoration will be possible if the upgrade fails.

Skip checkers unless any patchers were run

-p,--scup

When the application server starts it performs data checks for consistency; data checking may take a long time. Use this option to skip data checking if no data was changed on update. This may speed the application server starting.

Skip project backup if possible

-K,--skipprjbckp

At the very beginning of the update process all existing projects are saved to the backup directory. If this option is set then no project backup is performed, if allowed. Project backup is required in some update modes.

Don't delete temporary files after update

-t,--keeptemp

Upon update, temporary files are normally stored on the hard drive. These may include data backups, unpacked new code, etc. By default, temporary files are removed after an update. If this option is set then temporary files are left on the device and will only be deleted before the next update.

Don't backup temporary files - logs etc

-i,--backuptemp

If this option is set then no temporary files such as log files are backed up before the update. This saves used disk space and shortens elapsed time.

For additional update options, use the –help command to print a list of commands.

Example: ewupdate --stable
 -s,--stable                  Download stable release version (Offical Release)
 -l,--latest                  Download latest release version (Beta)
 -d,--devel                   Download development version (Alpha)
 
 -C,--custom <host>           Download from custom server
 -F,--file <file>             Upgrade from a distribution that has already been
                              downloaded to the local hard drive
 -f,--force                   Unattended update, all prompts are answered 'yes'
 -c,--caution                 Unattended update, all prompts are answered 'no'
 -k,--skiposlevel             Skip OS level backup (avoid using this when
                              skipping project backup)
 -K,--skipprjbckp             Skip project backups (avoid using this when
                              skipping OS level backup)
 -t,--keeptemp                Keep temp files
 -p,--scup                    Skip checkers unless patchers were run
 -i,--backuptemp              Backup temporary files such as logs (when
                              unattended mode)
 -r,--requiredspace <Gb>      Disk space (Gb) required for update (use with
                              care)
 -w,--warn <MMM or MMM:NNN>   Displays a warning message to customers about an
                              impending update. Argument syntax is MMM or MMM:NNN, where MMM is the number of
                              minutes before update and NNN is the estimated update duration in minutes
 -A,--allowsameversion        Do update even if new version is same as old one
 -X,--forceincompat           Forces an upgrade between releases that should not
                              be compatible. Do not use this option.
 
 -v,--verbose                 Print error details
 -h,--help                    Prints this help


Rolling Back

If the upgrade fails due to any problem, the setup will halt with an error message, and roll back to its former state. It should retain all your settings. The error will provide you with the installer logs, which you can use to trace the cause of the upgrade failure to resolve it before trying the upgrade again. 

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