The standard, or typical, upgrade process can be used when a maintenance release is made available for Astra Schedule and you wish to upgrade your existing installation to the new release.  The upgrade process is similar to the initial installation.  Because the application is already installed, different Control Panel options will be used.  The Control Panel program will read the current configuration of your existing application instance and use these values when upgrading.  In most cases, none of these values will need to be changed when walking through the upgrade process.

 

This standard upgrade process will perform the following steps:

 

•Extract and deploy the updated Astra Schedule application files

 

•Transfer added or modified files to the upgrade installation

 

•Configure the new application using the information in your existing installation

 

•Convert your existing application database to reflect any database changes in the new version

 

•Launch the updated application

 

NOTE:  It is strongly recommended that you perform a database backup prior to the upgrade.

 

NOTE:  Starting with release 7.5.17, due to changes required for 64-bit support, the upgrade for Oracle environments requires a new environment variable on the server(s) running the web application and task agent.  This must be done prior to running the control panel to install the upgrade.

 

The environment variable is named "TNS_ADMIN" and must be added to your machine’s system variables as shown below to point to the correct "tnsnames.ora" file. This is most likely the install path of the Oracle Instant Client. Most often the file lives under "\product\{version}\client_1\Network\Admin.

 

To perform the typical Astra Schedule application upgrade, execute the following:

1.Stop the Task Agent service on the Astra application server.

 

2.Install and launch the Control Panel as described here.
 

3.On the Control Panel window, select the Application option "Upgrade from existing application instance" and the Database option "Upgrade an existing database in place".  You will be prompted to select which existing application instance in the next step.
 
Click Start to begin.
 

 

4.The Control Panel will detect and display any existing installations of previous versions when possible.  However, installations for versions prior to 7.5.10 cannot be detected.  If your existing instance is not displayed, click the Select Existing Application Folder button and browse to the folder where your existing application files are installed.  This will load the configuration for that instance and allow you to select it.
 
Select the existing installed application instance to be upgraded.  The configuration information for the selected instance is displayed on the right.
 

 
Verify the installation path.  The existing application files will be upgraded in Schedule and Files subfolders under the installation path folder.  If you are upgrading from a version prior to 7.5.10, the installation path for the new version will default to C:\Ad Astra.  For 7.5.10 and later, the installation path will default to the path of the instance being upgraded.  Click the browse (…) button to change the installation path if needed.
 

 
Click Next to continue.

 

5.Click Browse to select the application license file.  The directory location will default to the location of the license file selected for initial installation.
 
NOTE: License files are distributed by Astra Schedule implementation or support staff during initial installation.
 

 

6.Select the license file and click Open.
 

 

7.With the file path displayed, click Process License File to validate the license. You will then see the Components validated in your license file and you will be able to proceed.  Click Next to continue.
 

 

8.If using Oracle, skip to step 9.  For MSSQL Server only, confirm the following information:

 

•The username and password for the Astra Schedule database.  The current values are those from the existing application.  This becomes the Astra Schedule application's login for its database going forward.  It is advisable to leave these values as they were previously and not change them.

 

•The host name or IP address of the database server.  The current values are those from the existing application.

 

•The MS SQL SA username (required for upgrade prior to 7.5.10).

 

•The MS SQL SA password (required for upgrade prior to 7.5.10).

 

•If desired, place a check in the box to encrypt the database connection information.  (Click here for more information.)

 

Note: The requirement that SA credentials be used to perform upgrades in MSSQL environments was removed for later builds of 7.5.10 and 7.5.11.  The Astra database user is now made the Astra database owner during installation.  Because existing installations will still have the SA user as the owner, an administrator will need to manually make the Astra database user the owner of the Astra database before upgrading a database created with a build prior to 7.5.10.337 or 7.5.11.51. You can use the following commands to change database ownership.  (replace database_name and astra_user_name with values from your environment)

 

USE database_name

DROP SCHEMA astra_user_name

DROP USER astra_user_name

ALTER AUTHORIZATION ON DATABASE:: database_name TO astra_user_name

 

Click Next to continue.  The connection will be tested to make sure it is successful.  If there is a problem with the connection an error message will appear.

 

 

NOTE:  The TCP port will default to 1433.  If you wish to use a port other than 1433, you can specify the port number in the Host / IP field after the server name, separated by a comma.  For example, to connect to a server named mydbserver on port 2345, you would use Host / IP = mydbserver,2345.

 

9.For Oracle only, confirm the following information:

         

•The username and password for the Astra Schedule database.  The current values are those from the existing application.  This becomes Astra Schedule's login for its database going forward.  It is advisable to leave these values as they were previously and not change them.

 

•The TNS Name as configured in the existing application. 

 

•The Oracle SYS username (not required for upgrade).

 

•The Oracle SYS password (not required with upgrade).

 

•If desired, place a check in the box to encrypt the database connection information.  (Click here for more information.)

 

Click Next to continue.  The connection will be tested to make sure it is successful.  If there is a problem with the connection an error message will appear. If the schema already exists, a message will appear indicating that schema objects will be rebuilt. Click “OK” to this message.

 

 

10.The "upgrade in place" method has been modified to upgrade the existing database without making a local data backup.  In order to recover from critical errors, the control panel will make a backup of the database on the database server.  On SQL Server, a backup device needs to be created for use by the control panel.  For Oracle databases, an Oracle directory should be created and the Astra user will need read/write access to the directory.  The Oracle backup is created using the Oracle Data Pump.  The backup file created will be named astra_upgrade.dmp.  Both will need sufficient disk space to backup the data and schema objects in the database.
 
You may also check the box to indicate you want to use your own database backup/recovery strategy which does not require any special configuration.  Make sure you have a backup before starting the upgrade.  If you choose to use your own backup, you will be prompted twice before leaving this screen to ensure this is your intention.
 

 

11.Confirm application settings and click Next to continue.
 

 

12.Review the application instance name, URL base, virtual directory names, and port settings specified during the initial installation.  Make any desired changes and click Next to continue.
 
 
IIS Application Options
 
The Astra Application URL will default based on the existing web site for the previously selected application instance, but may be changed if desired.
 
Virtual Directory Names
 
Specify the virtual directory alias for the application(s) being installed.  This directory name will be the application's access name in your application URL.
 
Application Pool
 
The current existing application pool for the selected application instance will be selected by default. If desired, a new application pool may be specified.
 
IFrame Embedding
 
If you plan to embed a version of the Astra Schedule calendar in another site, Astra Schedule site security will block requests coming from a different domain unless that domain is allowed via this setting.
 
When installing a new application instance by choosing “Install new application instance”, this field will be blank. When upgrading or modifying an instance via “Upgrade from existing application instance” and “Modify existing instance” the field will display the existing URL if it exists, otherwise it will be blank.
 
This system configuration is made specifically to the Astra web config.
 

 

13.Invoicing Module Setup
 
Confirm your invoicing application integration.
 
If you are not using the invoicing module, select "Do not use invoicing".
 
If you are already using the invoicing module, select "Use existing invoicing company" and confirm the Invoicing Settings displayed here.
 
If setting up Invoicing for the first time, choose “Create a new invoicing company" and enter the Invoicing Settings. See the User Help chapter on Invoicing if unsure.
 
Click Next to continue.
 
NOTE:  When you are first creating a new Astra instance, or modifying an existing instance that has not had invoicing previously enabled, you may choose to either not use invoicing or create a new invoicing company.  During subsequent upgrades once invoicing has been enabled for an instance of the application, you can either disable it or connect to the existing invoicing company. (see options below)
 

 

14.The file share settings values will be populated by default. Click Next to continue.
 

 

15.You are ready to install the application and database.  Click Install to perform the installation.

 

 

16.This step may take several minutes and will perform several tasks, including the following:
 

•Unpack files

•Configure application

•Configure IIS

•Upgrade/transform database

 

 

 

NOTE: The control panel may encounter, log and correct errors during the database creation process.
 
If, however, you receive the message that errors were encountered and the application installation does not complete, the log files can be checked to investigate further. These files will be required by Astra Schedule Technical Support to troubleshoot any potential issues.
 
To find the log files, browse to the application home directory and view one of the following files:
 
MS SQL Server:
AstraCP.log for MS SQL Server logging and overall logging
 
Oracle:
AstraCP.log for logging and AstraCP-DB.log for database creation logging

 

Before continuing, review the summary at the end of the installation log.  This will show any warnings or errors along with the context of where the error occurred so you do not need to scroll through the entire log looking for errors/warnings.  Any critical errors that require attention before allowing users to resume using the system will be highlighted pink.  Contact Ad Astra Technical Support if you need assistance in resolving these issues.

 

When the installation is complete and you are ready to continue, click Next.

 

17.Click the VII Astra Schedule logo button to test the application.  The guest portal page should be displayed.

 

 

18.Click Finish on the Control Panel window to complete the application/database upgrade process.
 
Proceed to upgrade the Task Agent (required).

Upgrade the Task Agent

The Astra Schedule Task Agent is a Windows service installed on the machine that is responsible for coordinating transactional processes with other systems (i.e. SIS integration) as well as performing scheduled tasks like report subscriptions, batch jobs, sandbox scheduling runs, and workflow notifications.

 

NOTE:  The Task Agent is a required component for proper functioning of the application.  Features such as the room assignment optimizer, event workflow notifications, and section imports will not work without the Task Agent.

 

19.At the top of the Control Panel, click Task Agent.
 

 

20.Select the option to "Upgrade an existing task agent" and click Start.
 

 

21.The task agent upgrade process can upgrade a task agent based on a record in the database OR based the files installed on the local server, depending on how it was installed.  This can be helpful when dealing with restored data, migrating data between test and production, or if you need to move a task agent to a different server.
 
When upgrading a task agent, the control panel finds existing instances of the task agent on the local server and displays them in the list.  If the task agent to be upgraded is not on the local server, click the "Show Task Agents From Database..." button and enter the database connection information to view information about other task agents that are stored in the database.  If the task agent is for a previous version, you may select it for upgrade.
 
Select the appropriate existing Task Agent to be upgraded from the list and click Next to continue.
 


 

 

NOTE:  Once a task agent has been selected for upgrade, you are not allowed to change the database connection information (as in Step 24).  Changing the database connection information would essentially be changing the task agent that was just selected to upgrade.  This information is still presented for informational purposes.  Only the password is editable in case the password has changed.

 

22.Select the applicable Astra Schedule application database platform and provide login credentials for the application instance installed and click Next to continue.  See steps 11 and 12 for details for the same database credentials needed for the application upgrade. These are also needed for the Task Agent upgrade.
 

 

23.On the Task Agent Settings screen, review and update the following information:
 

 
Task Agent Name

Specify the new task agent name to be used (typically the application instance name).

 

Polling Interval

The recommended value is 30 seconds unless there are specific reasons identified that require adjusting this value.  Earlier versions may have set this to 5 seconds.

 

Number of Threads

The recommended setting is 4 unless there are specific reasons that require adjusting this value.  Earlier versions may have set this to 2.
 
The Number of Threads setting (NumThreads column on the TaskAgents table) should be set to equal-to or less-than the number of processors allocated to the machine running the Astra Schedule application.  This setting determines the number of jobs that can run simultaneously, including ATE imports and sandbox runs.  Keep in mind that database performance issues can occur if the application server has more processors than the database server and is configured to run many jobs at once (i.e. running an 8-core core app server and 8 jobs against a 4-core database server).

 

Port

IMPORTANT: Make sure the port is not already in use by another application.  The netstat utility may be helpful in determining if a port is in use.  Port conflicts will prevent the task agent from processing jobs correctly.

 

Regenerate Task Agent Id

This checkbox is used to force the Astra Control Panel to assign a new task agent ID.  This is normally only used when updating a test environment with data copied from a production environment.  Using this prevents task agent ID conflicts between the different environments.

 

Import Files From Existing Agents

This shows a list of existing task agents in the database.  Each task agent will have log files and possibly other files it created as a result of processing jobs.  Select any task agents from the list that have files you would like to copy into the new task agent.  Typically you should select the row for the task agent you are upgrading.  In the future, when upgrading from a version later than 7.5.10, this will only be used if you move the task agent to a different folder or server.

 

NOTE:  The current Task Agent may reference customized files such as SIS Import/Export Spoke files.  To ensure these get copied to the upgraded application instance, verify the “Import File From Existing Agents” has your previous Task Agent name highlighted in Blue.
 

Click Next to continue.

 

24.Confirm your SIS interface type and connection information brought forward from the existing Task Agent.  The SIS Type selection will dictate which connection parameters are required.
 
Click Next to continue.  The connection information will be verified and either proceed to the next step or display an error message.
 
See the applicable User Help SIS Addendum for details on connecting to your SIS.
 

 

25.The file share settings values will be populated by default from your Task Agent Name selected in Step 23.  Click Next to continue.
 

 

26.Click Install.
 

 

27.Wait while the task agent is installed.
 
Before continuing, review the summary at the end of the installation log.  This will show any warnings or errors along with the context of where the error occurred so you do not need to scroll through the entire log looking for errors/warnings.  Any critical errors that require attention before allowing users to resume using the system will be highlighted pink.  Contact Ad Astra Technical Support if you need assistance in resolving these issues.
 
When the installation is complete and you are ready to continue, click Next.
 

 

28.Click Finish when completed.
 

 

Congratulations – you’re finished!

 

Users can now log in to the application and continue work as usual.