Upgrade - SuperSERVER
This section explains how to upgrade an existing installation of SuperSERVER to Release 8.
Notes
- SuperSERVER 8 requires a 64-bit operating system.
- These instructions apply to upgrades of the SuperADMIN (SA) versions of SuperSTAR (release 6.5 onwards) only. If you are upgrading from a non-SA version, or from an SA version prior to release 6.5, please contact Space-Time Research Support (support@spacetimresearch.com).
- These instructions are for Windows upgrades only. If you are upgrading a Linux version of SuperSERVER, please contact Space-Time Research Support (support@spacetimresearch.com).
- These instructions describe the upgrade of the core SuperSERVER components only (not the client applications SuperCROSS, SuperWEB1, SuperWEB2, or SuperVIEW).
To upgrade your SuperSERVER installation, you need to complete a number of tasks:
Step 1 - Read These Instructions In Full
Read these instructions in full before starting. In addition, we recommend you also review the following instructions before you start the upgrade process:
Step 2 - Schedule Service Outage and Advise Users
The upgrade will involve a service outage. You should plan carefully when to complete the upgrade and advise your users of the outage period when SuperSERVER will not be available.
Step 3 - Backup the Current System
It is a good idea to take a complete backup of the host before proceeding. If it is not possible to take a complete backup, backup the SuperSTAR components described in Backup Strategy - SuperSTAR.
Step 4 - Record SuperSERVER Startup Parameters
Make a note of any custom port or codepage settings you are using with your SuperSERVER deployment. By default:
- SuperADMIN uses ports 9230, 9231 and 9234.
- SuperSERVER listens on TCP/IP port 9232.
- Metadata Server listens on port 8005.
To find the ports and codepage settings in use on your system, do the following:
SuperADMIN Ports
Login to SuperADMIN and type the command domain:
> domain
[Host : localhost]
RMI Port = 9231
RMI Registry = 9234
Corba Port = 9230
SuperSERVER Port
Review the SuperSERVER log file, C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperSERVER SA\logs\scsa.logs.txt.
Locate a line similar to the following, which indicates the port number (9232 in this example):
09:49:06 2013/08/02, INFO, AUDIT_DataServer, "Accepting CORBA Client Requests on Address inet:MACHINENAME:9232" Metadata Server Port
Check the Metadata Server port by reviewing its configuration file, C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperSERVER SA\metadata.config.xml.
The port number is indicated by the following line:
<NUMBER name="MDServer_PORT" value="8005"/> <!-- Port number for mdcorbaserver -->Codepage
Review the SuperSERVER log file, C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperSERVER SA\logs\scsa.logs.txt.
Locate a line similar to the following, which indicates the codepage (1252 in this example):
09:49:05 2013/08/02, INFO, AUDIT_DataServer, "Code page set to: 1252" Step 5 - Stop SuperSERVER and its Components
If SuperSERVER is running as a service, go to the Windows Services console and stop the service:
If SuperSERVER or any of the components are not running as a service, close the individual programs. You need to close the following applications:
- SuperSERVER
- SuperADMIN Server
- SuperADMIN Console
- Metadata Server (if used)
- Tomcat (if used for SuperWEB1 or SuperWEB2)
Step 6 - Copy SuperSERVER Files to a Temporary Location
Copy all the contents of the following directories (or the equivalent directories if you are not using the standard installation location) to a separate location:
- C:\Program Files\STR\SuperADMIN\
- C:\Program Files\STR\SuperSERVER SA\
- C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperADMIN\
- C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperSERVER SA\
If you are using SuperVIEW or SuperWEB1/SuperWEB2, copy the Tomcat instance that hosts them and any configuration files that reside outside the Tomcat structure. If you have front-ended these products with Apache or IIS or similar, ensure that this configuration is also backed up.
Step 7 - Uninstall SuperSERVER
Go to the Windows Control Panel and uninstall SuperSERVER (and SuperSERVICE Manager if it is installed).
Wait for the uninstall process to finish, then delete the following directories if they are still present on your system:
- C:\Program Files\STR\SuperADMIN\
- C:\Program Files\STR\SuperSERVER SA\
- C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperADMIN\
- C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperSERVER SA\
If you installed to a non standard location, you need to find and delete the equivalent directories on your system.
The uninstall process does not remove the directories by default if they contain any modified files. This is to avoid losing your configuration settings. You can safely delete them now because you have already backed up your configuration settings by making a copy of these directories in the previous step.
Step 8 - Install SuperSERVER
Follow the installation instructions to install the new version of SuperSERVER.
Step 9 - Stop the SuperSTAR Service
The installation process will have automatically created and started the SuperSTAR service. Go to the Windows Services console and stop the service:
Step 10 - Import Your Settings
The next step is to import your settings from the old deployment to your new SuperSERVER system.
Copy across your saved configuration settings as follows:
| Settings | What You Need To Do |
|---|---|
| Database Catalogue |
If any of your custom SXV4 databases are stored within the C:\ProgramData\STR directory structure then you will need to copy these back into the new installation also. |
| Macros | Compare the newly installed macros directory (C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperADMIN\console\macros) with your backed up copy of the old macros directory. Copy any user-defined macros that appear in the backup but not in the new installation. Do not replace any of the STR-supplied macros that have been installed with the new version. Their function may have been amended in the new version. |
| Log Files | If required, copy your log files from the previous installation for reference and analysis. The log files are located in the following directories:
|
| CORBA Settings | If the server is multi-homed, verify that the CORBA files and settings are present and correct. See Multi-Homed Hosts for more information. |
| API Plugins | If you were using any STR-supplied API plugins, copy these from the new version rather than reinstalling the previous version. The plugins must be copied to the same location as the SuperSERVER executable (scsa.exe). The default location is C:\Program Files\STR\SuperSERVER SA If you have written any custom API plugins you will also need to copy these back into the new installation. |
| SuperSERVER Configuration | Compare the SuperSERVER configuration files saved from the previous installation with the configuration files installed by the new version. Modify the new files to reflect any configurations that you changed in the previous version. This includes configuration files for logging, metadata configuration, search index construction, metadata database creation. The default files and locations are:
You should also check files to which these utilities refer (for instance, BuildMetadataTemplate.bat refers to databases.txt and metacolumns.txt in the same directory).
Do not simply copy the files from the previous installation, as they may have been updated in the new version. Compare the old and new files to identify your own changes, and apply these to the new files.
|
If you have moved to a new host:
- Check all your configuration files for any references to the old host name, and replace with the new host name.
- Check for and change any file paths that are no longer correct.
- Restore any external databases from the old server to the new server. For example:
- Backup and restore the SuperWEB2 User Data Repository onto the new server.
- Copy the annotations repository across to the new host (you can simply copy the .sqlite.db files across, as long as the filename and location is preserved)
Step 11 - Verify the Installation
Start each component individually, so that you can check the startup messages and verify that everything is working correctly.
Start SuperADMIN Server first, and wait for it to start completely before starting SuperSERVER and any client applications.
You must run SuperADMIN Server and SuperSERVER as an administrator user. Right-click the applications and choose the Run as administrator option from the menu.
Also start the Metadata Server if your installation requires it.
When all components have started, verify the basic functionality. For example, load one of the clients and confirm that you can log in and perform basic cross tabulations.
When you are satisfied that the applications are working:
- Stop the components.
- Restart the Windows service.
- Load one of the clients and confirm that you can log in and perform basic cross tabulations.
The first time the Windows service is started following the upgrade it will take slightly longer to start up than during regular operation. You may need to wait a short period of time after starting the service before you will be able to log in using one of the clients. If you see the error message Unable to load database in the client, wait for the service to complete its initial configuration and then try again. You may need to restart the client to refresh the connection to the server.
Step 12 - Advise Users that Upgrade is Complete
Advise your users that the upgrade is complete.