Recommended Upgrade Process
| Steps | Actions | Description |
|
Research the Upgrade
|
Learn What's New & Changed | As a best practice, review the release notes for the version of Klera you are installing or upgrading to. This is most important for upgrades, as it can help you understand the impact of the change of version. |
| Confirm Minimum H/W requirement | Make sure your machines meet the minimum H/W requirements for the upgrade and identify if there is any additional H/W requirement. | |
|
Validate the Upgrade
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Prepare a Test Environment (Optional) | This step is optional, but we recommend setting up a test environment to validate upgrades before they are put into production. If you intend to create a parallel environment, create a test environment that mirrors your production environment as closely as possible. The closer your test environment is to the actual environment, the more accurate a representation you will have of how the upgrade will impact you. This includes identical or similar hardware and operating systems, as well as the same authentication options and network access. In case you do not wish to create a TEST ENVIRONMENT and directly apply releases to Production refer Step "Plan the Upgrade". |
| Backup the Test Environment | All releases MUST be applied first on the test environment as a best practice. As a mandate, you should always make a full backup before upgrading any version of Klera on the test environment. | |
| Upgrade the Test Environment | Once the backup is complete, install the new version of Klera following the instructions provided with the installer. | |
| Confirm that Existing Functionality Works | After you have the new version of Klera installed and configured in your test environment, you are ready to test. You should test basic functionality, along with any special aspects that your organization relies on. | |
| Performance and User Acceptance Testing | This includes validating some key reports/templates that are critical for your users. If your use cases/dashboards involve heavy computes, we recommend validating the response times as well. | |
| Test New Features | Take a look at the new features that come with the version you are upgrading to, and at any features that were added between the version you currently have and the new version. | |
| In case of Installation/ Validation FAILURE | ||
| Rollback the Test Environment | As the upgrade is rejected, rollback the test environment to the version before upgrade. This can be done restoring the backup taken at the beginning of the upgrade process. | |
| Contact Klera Support | In case your test environment validation fails and you discover some breakdowns with the upgrade, connect with Klera support immediately with the issue details and logs. | |
|
Plan the Upgrade
|
Plan and Communicate about the upgrade | Plan your production upgrade and communicate it ahead to all stake owners. The best way to upgrade smoothly is by letting your organization know ahead of time about the upgrade and how it might impact them. Request users to take care of any scheduled runs/reports or critical tasks at that time. Plan a downtime that includes Backup, Installation and Quick Validation time. |
| Train Users on New Features | If you have a test environment, we recommend doing a quick training for your users on the new features coming with the upgrade, before the production upgrade. You can also provide user access to the test environment (if any) if there are key people who should see the upgraded version before the actual upgrade. If you do not have a test environment, you can plan this step post Production Upgrade. | |
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Perform the Upgrade
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Backup the Production Environment | We mandate taking a FULL Backup of Production environment before upgrading any version of Klera. |
| Check Backup | To ensure a smooth rollback in case of a crisis, we recommend restoring the backup on a different machine to check the sanity of the backup. | |
| Install Upgrade | Once the backup validation is complete, install the new version of Klera following the instructions provided with the installer. | |
| Confirm that Existing Functionality Works | After you have the new version of Klera installed and configured in your production environment, you are ready to go. You should test basic functionality, along with any special aspects that your organization relies on. | |
| Performance and User Acceptance Tests | This includes validating some key reports/templates that are critical for your users. If your use cases/dashboards involve heavy computes, we recommend validating the response times as well. | |
| Try New Features | As the upgrade is rejected, rollback the production environment to the version before upgrade. This can be done restoring the backup taken at the beginning of the upgrade process. | |
| In case of Installation/ Validation FAILURE | ||
| Rollback the Production Environment | As the upgrade is rejected, we mandate rolling back the Production Environment to the version before upgrade. This can be done restoring the Backup taken at the beginning of the Upgrade Process. | |
| Contact Klera Support | In case your production environment installation/validation fails and you discover some breakdowns with the upgrade, connect with Klera support immediately with the issue details and logs. |