Topic: Update 8.0 to 8.1 via DVD

[jekal]

Yesterday I upgraded my old 7.6 to 8.0 (Downloaded on Friday just before 8.1 came up  ).
After 7h I had my old data up and running (thanks to that good description in the wiki)
Unfortunatly I cannot install the required contribs because of this error.

Code: [Select]

[Errno -3] Error performing checksum
Now my question (because I did updates in the past only online):
Is the Update from v8.0 to v8.1 a Data-in-Place-Update or do I have to restore all my data again?

Regards
Jens

[wellsi]

This really needs to be raised as a bug, I believe it is affecting more than just you.
It may be due to python-hashlib. It needs to be investigated and a good solution given - hopefully just documentation.

[wellsi]

Is the Update from v8.0 to v8.1 a Data-in-Place-Update or do I have to restore all my data again?

8.0 to 8.1 is meant to be a Data-in-Place update, it should 'just work' otherwise there is an error that we need to resolve.

[jekal]

thanks, I'll try it tomorrow morning

[wellsi]

Raised as http://bugs.contribs.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8255

[jekal]

thanks, I'll try it tomorrow morning

I did the update to 8.1. Now it's working

[chris burnat]

Updating on this issue:
Tests have shown that a bear installation from CD of sme8.0 fails to update to sme8.1 using yum.  Looking like a  bug - not identified yet.
Note that updating a bear sme8.0 to sme8.1 using the sme8.1 DVD appears to work ok.
Bugteam is following on this issue, check http://bugs.contribs.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8255 for more information.

As a side note, upgrading an sme7.xx to sme8.xx is not recomended.  Best practice consists in backing up the sme7.xx installation from the console onto a USB storage, performing a clean installation of sme8.1 and restore data from the console when prompted.  As drives are cheap nowadays, keeping the original sme7.xx drive and performing a fresh installation of sme8.1 onto a different drive is a good idea. If things go wrong, you can revert to the old system etc...

[chris burnat]

Update on behalf Ian Wells (wellsi).
This issue has been fixed, updating from bare sme8.0 to sme8.1 with yum is now working, please refer: http://bugs.contribs.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8255 for detail.

[janet]

chris burnat

As a side note, upgrading an sme7.xx to sme8.xx is not recomended. 

Sorry to be picky.
Since when did that become a recommendation ?
AFAIK all versions of SME server from 3.1 onwards have supported upgrades between versions using CD, including 7 to 8

Edit
PS I realise that upgrades from SME 8.x to 9.0 will NOT be supported due to changes & lack of support for that functionality in the underlying CentOS OS.

[chris burnat]

chris burnat

Sorry to be picky.
Since when did that become a recommendation ?
AFAIK all versions of SME server from 3.1 onwards have supported upgrades between versions using CD, including 7 to 8

Edit
PS I realise that upgrades from SME 8.x to 9.0 will NOT be supported due to changes & lack of support for that functionality in the underlying CentOS OS.

It is my personal recommendation. I have seen too much griefs over the years when updating 7.xx to 8.xx.   Especially when contribs are installed which is usually the case.  Upgrading an existing 7.xx system is a one way street, no coming back,  unless one remove one of the RAID drive, update a single drive and sync again...  To find out a week later that something is not quiet right - a recipe for nightmares.

 By the time you perform all of these operations, you could have done a backup in console, installed a new 8.1 system and restored.  And as a bonus end up with a new/clean system.  And you old data still kept on the old 7.xx drive. Belt and braces. Hope it makes sense. Best. chris

[Stefano]

I agree with Chris..

I never updated a server via cd, never.. always used backup/restore or Affa
I had a 6.01 that became 7.0, updated via yum to 7.6, upgraded to 8 via Affa, always changing hw and , in the middle, 2 hw migration done with Affa at 7.X stage.. never had a issue

yes, I miss Affa

[janet]

Stefano & Chris

I agree with Chris..

Whether you agree with Chris or do not agree, is not the issue (I have raised) here.

Chris stated:
"As a side note, upgrading an sme7.xx to sme8.xx is not recomended."

Since when did official advice become that upgrading sme7 to sme8 is not recommended ?
I never heard that ever said or advised.

My understanding of all SME Server releases from 3.1 to 8 is that upgrades are supported & that developers worked very hard to ensure the upgrade path worked correctly between major versions.

Recommended & supported are different things, but surely if something is supported it would be recommended.

I have updated existing SME 7.6 boxes to SME 8.0 using CD & it was necessary to check compatibility of contribs (as existed at that time) & uninstall incompatible versions, remove custom templates & check for validity & compatibility with SME 8.0 before reusing or recreating those templates.
These steps or precautions are advisable to be followed with all major version updates, & AFAIK have always been officially recommended.

In my opinion it is always wise to do a test upgrade of a production server on an existing single drive taken from a RAID1 array system, & test all contribs you use on a clean version of the new OS before updating a production server, but that "testing" would still apply to backup & restore upgrades.

Doing a backup, installing clean OS on new or existing hardware, & restoring, forces a user to effectively follow those steps, but it is not a case of backup & restore being the only officially recommended way, at least not as far as I was aware.

Really I am just commenting that I believe SME 7.x to SME 8.0 CD upgrades are OK & recommended to do, as long as usual recommended precautions are taken, same as has been the case between earlier major OS versions.

Note that with SME 6.x to SME 7.0 upgrades (particularly RAID1 arrays), CD upgrades were OK, but a backup & restore approach was officially recommended, as the drive partition schema changed from 3 partitions to 2 partitions with new supported RAID rebuild features, & in this case it was officially recommended to install a clean OS to create the new 2 partitions & then restore data from SME 6.x backup.
For different underlying reasons, SME8.x to SME9.0 upgrades are also recommended to only be done using the backup & restore method. CD or yum upgrades will simply be not possible & not supported (ie not tested by devs etc), as at todays date unless someone decides to overcome the technical issues which AFAIK is not really possible.

No need to reply further, it was just a point of correction I was making & readers can decide for themselves which "recommended" upgrade method to follow.

[wellsi]

SME7 to SME8 is a supported update.
use of contribs or other modifications can complicate that.

so Chris' comment is good but unofficial advice.

Personally I would also backup and do a clean install. That's my unofficial advice.

SME 8 to SME 9 will be officially unsupported as an in-place upgrade.
it may or may not be blocked in the installer, that is open.

[wellsi]

If anyone wants to work on sme 8 to sme 9 upgrades then now is the time to try it and report findings in bugzilla. Some work was done by Greg but it was not completed.