Upgrading a Server

  • Before upgrading, be sure to read the release notes for the new version. The release notes contain a list of known issues, important compatibility information, supported upgrade paths, and module-specific data backup recommendations.
  • Apply all the latest updates available for your operating system, especially those that resolve issues with Java.
  • Install all patches and updates in an earlier version of Spectrum Technology Platform before you upgrade to Spectrum Technology Platform 2020.1.0
  • Important: We recommend that you create a backup before upgrading so that if an error occurs during the upgrade you can recover your flows, security settings, and other settings and customizations, if an error occurs during the upgrade process.

    To retain customized settings in the wrapper.conf file located in the SpectrumDirectory/server/bin/wrapper directory, you will need to compare the contents of wrapper.conf installed during the upgrade with the contents of the backed up copy of the file. You can then manually copy customizations that you want to retain after the upgrade into the updated version of the file. This is particularly important for changes to the initial and maximum Java heap sizes.

This procedure is for upgrading a single Spectrum Technology Platform server. Follow this procedure when upgrading a standard installation or when upgrading a node in a cluster. If you are upgrading a cluster, be sure to follow the cluster upgrade process. For more information, see Upgrading a Cluster.

If you upgrade the main server and start it before upgrading and starting the nodes, you will need to recreate your connections in Management console after upgrading.

  1. Download the updated version of Spectrum Technology Platform using the download instructions contained in the release announcement email.
  2. Unzip the downloaded installer to a temporary folder on the server you want to upgrade.
  3. Back up the server. For instructions on creating a backup, see the Administration Guide.
  4. Back up module-specific data for any of these modules if you have them installed.
    Note: For Screener, see the section Upgrading Screener in the Screener guide.
    Module Items to Back Up
    Advanced Matching, Data Normalization, and Universal Name Back up the contents of these subfolders located in SpectrumDirectory/server/modules:
    • cdqdb
    • lucene
    • matcher
    • parser
    • searchindex
    • tables
    Context Graph Open the Relationship Analysis Client and click Manage. Select the model you want to back up then click Backup. You can also perform Context Graph backups with CLI commands.
    In addition to backing up your models, back up these two property files:
    • server\modules\hub\hub.properties
    • server\modules\hub\db\neo4j.properties
    Spatial Back up your named resources, data, and configuration files.
  5. Optional: If you have customized settings that you want to retain in wrapper.conf located in the SpectrumDirectory/server/bin/wrapper directory, copy the customized file to a separate location.
    The upgrade does not retain changes to settings in this file. This is particularly important for changes to the initial and maximum Java heap sizes.
  6. Optional: You can reduce the time it takes to upgrade your system by purging old records from the execution history. Consider purging the execution history if it contains over 100,000 entries. You can view your execution history in Enterprise Designer under View > Execution History.

    If you are upgrading from version 12.0 SP1, 12.0 SP2, 12.0 SP2.1 18.2, or 19.1 use the JMX console to delete old history records. This process is faster than manually deleting records in Management Console, and is available on versions 12.0 SP1, 12.0 SP2, 12.0 SP2.1, 18.2, and 19.1. For more information, see Purging Execution History.

  7. Stop the Spectrum Technology Platform server.
    To stop the server, right-click the Spectrum Technology Platform icon in the Windows system tray and click Stop Spectrum.
  8. Wait for the server to finish the shutdown process before proceeding.
    Important: If you have Context Graph installed, make sure that all models are stopped. Models that do not shut down properly will not open successfully after upgrading.
    Note: If you have Global Sentry installed, stop the Global Sentry database server, then go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services, and stop the Global Sentry Database Server service.
  9. Run the Spectrum Technology Platform installer to upgrade your system.
  10. Apply all the updates for the platform and any modules you have installed. For a listing of updates, see Spectrum Technology Platform Updates.
Note: Any job or subflow stored in the system during a server upgrade is marked as exposed to provide the same behavior for those jobs and subflows as before the upgrade. Any job or subflow that is exported prior to the upgrade will not be exposed. Therefore, when importing these jobs or subflows back into the system, you must manually expose the imported job or subflow.

Some modules have post-upgrade steps you need to perform.

Context Graph Open this file in a text editor: server/modules/hub/db/neo4j.properties and set this property to true: dbms.allow_upgrade=true. This property protects against unintentional and irreversible store upgrades. Setting this property to "true" indicates that you understand the ramifications of proceeding with an upgrade and have taken the necessary precautions before proceeding.

Restart the Spectrum Technology Platform server. The server will upgrade each model. Examine the file server/logs/spectrum-server.log for errors or warning messages. Once all models have been upgraded, edit the neo4j.properties file again and comment out the dbms.allow_upgrade property.
Spatial During an upgrade, the pool size is reset to 4 if set to a lower value. A pool size setting of 4 or more is unaffected. To change the Remote Component Pool Size value after upgrading, open the Management Console and select Resources > Spatial. Change the pool size value and click Save. For details, see Modifying the Pool Size in the Spectrum Spatial Guide.
Spectrum Screener See the Upgrading Screener section of the Screener guide for details.