Upgrade Cayosoft Administrator from earlier version

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Content: 

Upgrading Cayosoft Administrator requires following a few essential steps to ensure a smooth and safe process. This guide covers prerequisites, considerations, and instructions for different upgrade scenarios.

Prerequisites

Full server backup

Cayosoft recommends creating a full backup or snapshot of the server where Cayosoft Administrator is installed. 
If you are using VMware or HyperV to host Cayosoft Administrator, review the following articles for instructions on how to backup your virtual servers:

• File-Based Backup and Restore of vCenter Server
• Back up Hyper-V virtual machines

Video tutorial

In this video guide, you will learn how to perform the Cayosoft Administrator Service upgrade.

Manual backup

If you cannot take a full server backup, take a backup of the product databases.

Note: Store the backup archive in a secure location, such as an off-site storage or a secure cloud service.

1. Ensure other users are not connected to Configuration & Automation or Administrative Web Portal.
2. Look at the status light in the console toolbar. Ensure the light is blue, which indicates no tasks are currently running.
3. Navigate to the installation directory (by default it is C:\Program Files\Cayo Software\AdminAssistant).
4. Compress the .db files into a ZIP archive for backup.

Learn more in: Backing up and handling Cayosoft Administrator databases.

Important! If for some reason no backup was created before running the upgrade, or the backup is corrupted, you would still be able to rollback using an automated backup of the configuration database, but the rollback process will be different.

Restrictions 

1. Replication Groups: If using replication groups, upgrade the Publisher before Subscribers. Learn more in: Upgrading when replication group is configured. 
2. Remote Console Users: Upgrade the Cayosoft Remote Console after the Publisher and Subscribers. Learn more in: Welcome page. 
3. General Upgrade Notes: A red banner may appear requesting permission regrants. These permissions are essential and should be granted minimally based on feature needs.

Keeping custom rule changes

To retain custom changes:

1. Enable Design Mode for the rule.
2. Select Keep manual changes on upgrade. 
   Note: The Keep manual changes on upgrade option should only be used when explicitly instructed by Cayosoft Technical Support. Using this setting incorrectly may result in unexpected behavior during future upgrades. Always consult with support before enabling this option.
3. Save changes.

Upgrade Scenarios

1. From Cayosoft Administrator 11.1 and above - upgrade to the latest version directly within the product. Learn more in: Upgrading from Product UI.
2. From Cayosoft Administrator version below 11 - download the installer manually from the Cayosoft website. Learn more in: Performing a Version Upgrade (Full Backup + Config Backup).

Upgrading from Product UI

When a new version is released, a banner will prompt you to upgrade. Choose from the following options:

• Update Now: Initiates the upgrade immediately.
• Schedule Update: Allows you to select a specific time for the upgrade.

Note: To skip the upgrade, go to Configuration > Settings > Version Information in the Administrator console and select Skip This Update.

Upgrade Procedure

The upgrade process may take up to 30 minutes. The Cayosoft Administrator application will automatically close and perform the update in the background.

Once the update is complete, relaunch Cayosoft Administrator to resume operations.

Upgrading from installation file

Performing a version upgrade (full backup + config backup)

1. Log in to Cayosoft.com with your cayosoft.com account (not support.cayosoft.com account) and download the latest Cayosoft Administrator version.

2. Close the Configuration & Automation and Administrative Web Portal on the upgrade server.

3. Stop the Cayosoft Administrator Service from the Services Console.

4. Double-click the downloaded installer, select Install, and follow the prompts to complete the installation.

5. Reboot the server and allow 5 minutes for services to initialize.

Upgrading when replication group is configured

1. Temporarily disable replication: In each subscriber, go to Home > Rules > Built-in Rules > Replication, and uncheck Enable.
2. Upgrade the Publisher first, followed by each Subscriber.
3. After the upgrade, run Change History | Import From DB File on the publisher.
4. Re-enable replication by checking Enable in the replication rules on each subscriber.

Cloud Update for Replication Group

Starting with version 11.1.0, cloud updates are supported for replication groups. Refer to the article Update Product from Cloud for more details.

Offline Upgrade (Limited Internet Access)

1. On an internet-connected machine, download the latest installer.
2. Choose Download Installation Package to obtain installation files only.
3. Transfer files to the offline machine and run CayosoftAdministrator_x64.exe to install.

Rolling back after unsuccessful upgrade

Rolling back to a full backup

1. Locate the full backup or snapshot created before the upgrade. Ensure it includes both system and application files. Learn more in: Full Server Backup.
2. Follow your virtualization platform's instructions to restore the server:
   • For VMware: Use the vSphere Web Client or other VMware tools to revert to the snapshot.
   • For Hyper-V: Use the Hyper-V Manager or Data Protection Manager to restore the backup.
3. Verify Restoration
   • Ensure the Cayosoft Administrator service is running.
   • Confirm that all settings, rules, and configurations are intact.
4. If changes were made after the backup, consider reapplying them cautiously. Review logs and documentation for any actions performed post-backup.

Rolling back using automatic configuration backup

If you haven't created the full server backup or a manual backup, you can still revert to the previous version of Cayosoft Administrator using the steps below:

1. On the computer when Cayosoft Administrator is installed, navigate to the Services snap-in and stop the Cayosoft Administrator Service.
2. Open the Control Panel, locate the current version of Cayosoft Administrator, and uninstall it.
3. Restore the Database:
   • Navigate to the backup directory: C:\ProgramData\Cayo Software\AdminAssistant\Backups
   • Identify the most recent backup file created before the upgrade.
   • Follow the restoration steps to reinstate the previous configuration.
4. Reinstall the previous version:
   • Check the Updates folder at: C:\ProgramData\Cayo Software\AdminAssistant\Updates for the installer used during the upgrade.
   • If unavailable, locate the installer from your last upgrade or contact Cayosoft Support.
   • Provide the exact version and build to get the correct installer.
5. Start the Cayosoft Administrator Service.

Rolling back using manual configuration backup

If you need to roll back to a previous version of Cayosoft Administrator using a manual backup, the steps are the same as for an automatic configuration backup, except you will copy your manually backed-up files instead of files from the Backups folder.

1. On the computer when Cayosoft Administrator is installed, navigate to the Services snap-in and stop the Cayosoft Administrator Service.
2. Open the Control Panel, locate the current version of Cayosoft Administrator, and uninstall it.
3. Restore the Database:
   • Navigate to the location where you saved your manual backup files.
   • Identify the most recent backup file created before the upgrade.
   • Follow the restoration steps to reinstate the previous configuration.
4. Reinstall the previous version:
   1. Check the Updates folder at: C:\ProgramData\Cayo Software\AdminAssistant\Updates for the installer used during the upgrade.
   2. If unavailable, locate the installer from your last upgrade or contact Cayosoft Support.
   3. Provide the exact version and build to get the correct installer.
5. Start the Cayosoft Administrator Service.

Post-Upgrade Steps

• Cloud Upgrade: No additional actions are required. If follow-up steps are needed, a banner will appear on the home page.
• Action Needed: If any issues occur, the product home page will display an Action Needed banner.

Additional Topics

Upgrading web portal branding (Banner)

If the native banner changes in the new version, your custom banner will be replaced. Refer to the Branding article for instructions on reapplying it.

Upgrading rules

After the upgrade, some rules may need updates. Review the Rules to be upgraded page and click Upgrade Rule for each or Upgrade All Rules for bulk upgrade.