Upgrading on Windows using the unified product installer
This topic describes how to use the unified product installer to interactively upgrade BMC Server Automation on 64-bit Windows platforms. It includes the following sections:
Note
You can alternatively use the unified product installer to upgrade in an unattended (silent) mode. For more information, see Upgrading silently using the unified product installer.
List of components that are upgraded by the unified product installer
List of components that are not upgraded by the unified product installer
Before you begin
Ensure that your environment meets the requirements discussed in Preparing for a Windows upgrade using the unified product installer.
Note
As of BMC Server Automation 8.6 SP1, the task of running SQL Update scripts, which was necessary in the past for any upgrade to a BMC Server Automation patch or service pack, is no longer required during an upgrade. The database upgrade is now handled internally by the unified product installer, which was introduced in version 8.6.
To upgrade BMC Server Automation using the unified product installer
Tip
Prior to upgrading your production environment, it is best practice to test the upgrade in a duplicated environment.
Warning
Ensure that you use a fresh copy of the installation folder (and its contents), for each environment that the unified product installer is run in. The unified product installer saves environment-related information in the installation folder (Disk1), which will cause errors if the same copy is used for upgrading different environments.
Download and extract the installation package appropriate for the operating system level and hardware platform in a
<temporary location>
. The package follows the naming convention BBSA<version>-<platform>.zip, and contains the unified product installation program files.
Download this package to the host computer of the Application Server that was set up as a configuration server (for more about this type of Application Server setup, see Application Server types).Note
Make sure that the temporary location where you extract the installation package does not contain the string nsh in its path.
Do not extract the unified product installer into a directory that contains a space in it, for example, E:\BMC Upgrade_8.8_Package\. The extra space can cause unexpected errors during the upgrade. Create a directory like E:\BMC_Upgrade_88_Package\ instead.
Extract the RSCDAgent.zip file and copy the rscd folder to the following location before running the unified product installer (The unified product installer uses the RSCD installers while installing or upgrading BMC Server Automation in your environment):
<temporary location>
\files\installer\
Run the installation file for BMC Server Automation (setup.exe).
Follow the instructions in the installation wizard and click Next. Enter your Authentication profile credentials to proceed with the upgrade procedure. The profile that you specify must be associated with the same Application Server where you are performing the upgrade. Note that only secure remote password (SRP), LDAP, or Domain Authentication type profiles can be used with the unified product installer. For more information, on Authentication profile credentials, see Setting up an authentication profile and Implementing authentication.
- The unified product installer program displays the different types of servers that are present in the BMC Server Automation environment and their count.
If the unified product installer was successful in connecting with all servers, you can proceed with the installation. Skip to step 8.
Otherwise, click Next to continue to step 7. - If any of the remote servers do not have an RSCD Agent installed, the wizard displays a list of those servers. You can choose from the following options:
- Manually install an RSCD Agent on each of the listed remote servers, and then resume the installation through the unified product installer.
- Authorize the unified product installer to install an RSCD Agent on each of the listed remote servers by providing the following information:
The name of a local super user (local Administer or Administrator-equivalent local user on Windows) to which the RSCD Agent should map incoming connections during the installation.
The default is Administrator.
Note: The installer does not validate the specified user to ensure that it is present and has administrator privileges on each of the target machines.- Host name or IP address of the PSExec host computer.
- User credentials (user name and password) for establishing an SSH connection to the remote hosts.
If user credentials are the same on all remote servers, select the Use Common Credentials check box, and enter credentials in the fields below the check box. Otherwise, clear the check box and enter credentials for each of the servers directly into the table that lists the servers.
Click Install to proceed with the upgrade of all BMC Server Automation components that are present in your environment.
Notes
If product components are detected during the upgrade on remote Windows machines in the BMC Server Automation environment, installers are automatically copied to the C:\BBSAInstallerDumpDir directory on the remote machines. These installers are used to automatically upgrade product components on those machines.
If problems arise during the upgrade, the on-screen error messages contain instructions and guidance to help you troubleshoot the problems, and further information is available in the log files. For a list of log files written during the upgrade process, see the Troubleshooting section.
After performing the recommended troubleshooting steps, you can return to the installer and safely resume the upgrade from the point where you left off. You might do this in one of the following ways:
- If the installation wizard is still open, click the Previous button. This takes you to a new Summary window, which now lists only those components and servers that have not yet been successfully upgraded. Click Accept to re-attempt the upgrade of those components.
- If you were forced to close the installation wizard (typically the case for longer troubleshooting procedures), you can re-launch the installer. After several initial windows, an updated Summary window lists only those components and servers that have not yet been successfully upgraded. Click Accept to re-attempt the upgrade of those components.
During the upgrade, the original Application Server deployments are backed up. The backup files are stored in <installation directory>/br.
Where to go from here
The unified product installer automatically installs agent installer jobs and depot objects such as agent installers and agent bundles that can be used for installing or upgrading agents on servers in the environment. The agent installers, agent bundles, and agent installer jobs are present in the following locations:
Object Depot Path Can be used for Installers /Depot/BMC Maintenance/Agent Installers/ Agent install and upgrade Bundles /Depot/BMC Maintenance/Agent Bundles/ Agent upgrade Jobs /BMC Maintenance/Agent Installer Jobs/ Agent upgrade Note
The agent installer for the Solaris platform requires additional configuration before first use. See Additional information for Solaris installation packages.
For more information about using these objects, see Installing one or more agents using the BMC Server Automation Console and Upgrading the RSCD Agent using an Agent Installer Job.
Warning
Modifying the name or path of these depot objects may cause errors in the agent installation process.
- Upgrade any remaining product components that were not upgraded by the unified product installer.
- If you adjusted security settings before the upgrade (as described in the troubleshooting instructions for security settings), remember to re-adjust your security settings, based on your unique needs and the IT security policies at your organization.
For Windows patching, you may still be using the PD5.cab, or HF7b.cab configuration files for Windows patching. However, BMC Server Automation 8.6 and later versions do not support the PD5.cab, or HF7b.cab configuration files, and you must use the PD5.xml, or HF7b.xml files instead. The Windows catalog update job fails if you use the .cab configuration files. To update the configuration files used for Windows patching see, Global configuration parameters.
- To fully support TLS version 1.2 as the default communication protocol used by the RSCD Agent in BMC Server Automation 8.9.01 or later, ensure that also the Network Shell component is upgraded to version 8.9.01 or later on any computer that hosts the BMC Server Automation Console. The Network Shell is normally upgraded together with the BMC Server Automation Console.
Comments