FAQs on upgrading and migration
This topic presents some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on upgrading and migrating BMC ProactiveNet 9.6.
FAQs on upgrading the BMC ProactiveNet Server
This section presents some of the FAQs about upgrading the BMC ProactiveNet Server.
What are the supported BMC ProactiveNet Server versions that can be upgraded to 9.6?
The previous two released versions: BMC ProactiveNet 9.0.xx, BMC ProactiveNet 9.5.xx with the latest service packs applied. For more information, see Sequence for upgrading BMC ProactiveNet 9.0.xx or 9.5.00 to 9.6.00.
Is the upgrade supported from 9.0 GA and 9.5 GA?
BMC recommends moving to the latest service packs first; SP3 for BMC ProactiveNet 9.0 and SP1 for BMC ProactiveNet 9.5.
A BMC ProactiveNet Server has Integration Services and BMC PATROL Agents connected. Which component must be upgraded first?
BMC recommends that the BMC ProactiveNet Server be upgraded first.
The BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded but the PATROL Agents are not yet upgraded. Will existing KMs on the PATROL Agent work?
Yes, KMs compatible with existing PATROL Agent versions will continue to work.
A BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded to 9.6 and the Integration Service is also moved to 9.6. Will older versions of PATROL Agents work with the upgraded 9.6 Integration Service?
No. The PATROL Agents have to be upgraded to 9.5. Only PATROL Agents 9.5 work with Integration Service 9.6.
A BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded to 9.6 and the PATROL Agent is also upgraded to 9.5. Do older versions of Integration Services work with the upgraded 9.5 PATROL Agent?
This is technically possible but BMC does not recommend this approach. For information about when and why to do this, see Agent first upgrade.
Will the existing license file work after the BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded to 9.6?
Yes, the existing license file will work. Contact Customer Support for obtaining the latest license file.
Is there an option to keep the data backup before upgrade and if there is a failure in the upgrade, is there an option to revert to the previous version of the BMC ProactiveNet Server?
Yes. BMC recommends that you back up your existing environment before the upgrade so that the environment can be restored in case of a failure.
A BMC ProactiveNet Server running on an Oracle database is upgraded to 9.6. Does this work without making any changes to the database?
Yes, this will work without making any changes to database.
In a multi-server deployment, which component must be upgraded first?
In a multi-server deployment, first upgrade the Central Server followed by the Child Servers.
FAQs on upgrading the Integration Service
This section presents some of the FAQs about upgrading the BMC ProactiveNet Integration Service.
Can I route the upgraded PATROL Agent to a freshly installed 9.6 Integration Service?
Yes. Install a fresh 9.6 Integration Service, start upgrading each PATROL Agent, and move it to new Integration Service.
Can I install a new 9.6 Integration Service on the same computer on which an older Integration Service exists?
Yes, multiple Integration Services are supported. You can install a fresh 9.6 Integration Service on the same computer and move the upgraded PATROL Agents to this Integration Service.
Can I move the upgraded PATROL Agent to a new 9.6 Integration Service installed on a remote computer?
Yes, you can install a new 9.6 Integration Service on a different computer and move the PATROL Agents to that Integration Service.
A BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded to 9.6. There are multiple Integration Services connected. Will the data collection work from all of the Integration Services, if only one of the Integration Services and the related PATROL Agent are upgraded?
Yes, data collection from the remaining Integration Service(s) continues.
What are the supported Integration Service versions prior to 9.6?
BMC ProactiveNet 9.6 works with Integration Services 8.6.x x and 9.0.xx with the latest service pack applied.
What will happen to my p3 profiles after an old Integration Service is connected to 9.6 during an upgrade?
BMC recommends that you upgrade all the PATROL Agents available under the p3 profile. However, if you do not upgrade, a backup of the p3 profiles is taken during the upgrade.
How can I add a 9.0 Integration Service to a 9.6 BMC ProactiveNet Server?
Use the pw remote add <Integration Service host> command to add a remote Integration Service to the 9.6 BMC ProactiveNet Server. You can also use BMC ProactiveNet Central Monitoring Administration 9.6 to add/edit/delete 9.0 Integration Services. However, in a new BMC ProactiveNet 9.6 installation, these features are blocked by default.
How can I reduce the down time for data collection when switching to the new Integration Services?
You can install 9.6 Integration Services side-by-side on the same host or another host, and then upgrade the PATROL Agents and directly connect to them to the 9.6 Integration Services.
Will the Integration Service CLI be available after I upgrade to 9.6?
There is no CLI in the Integration Service 9.6 because the Integration Service 9.6 is stateless.
FAQs on upgrading the PATROL Agent and KMs
This section presents some of the FAQs about upgrading the PATROL Agent and KMs.
What are the previous supported releases of PATROL Agents that can be upgraded to 9.5.00.02?
You can upgrade the last two releases (9.0.00 and 9.0.20) to version 9.5.
What is the compatibility of the Integration Service with the PATROL Agent during upgrade and post upgrade?
The PATROL Agent 9.5.00.02 can connect to the Integration Service 9.6.00. Earlier releases of Integration Services are supported with the p3Adapter.
Which is the upgrade mode supported in BMC ProactiveNet?
You can upgrade using the BMC ProactiveNet upgrade installer, do a silent upgrade, or use Central Monitoring Administration to upgrade.
How do I upgrade from an earlier version of a PATROL Agent installed on an unsupported OS to PATROL Agent 9.5?
Upgrade the OS first. After the OS upgrade, upgrade the PATROL Agent.
Will my existing PATROL Agent configuration be affected by post upgrade configurations in Central Monitoring Administration?
Yes, unless you use the DENYCFG setting to restrict the existing pconfig configuration from being overwritten by Central Monitoring Administration.
What do I do if my upgrade fails because of file lock issues?
The BMC ProactiveNet Server upgrade will not fail because of file lock issues. If you experience a lock error, follow the steps listed in the installer screen, click Back, and then click Next without closing the installer. If this does not work, close the installer, restore the backup, and try upgrading again.
What will happen to the PATROL Agents and instances discovered after the PATROL Agent is upgraded to the new Central Monitoring Administration version?
All the discovered instances remain and continue to collect data without being marked for deletion. All the instances must be converted to streamed instances from existing polled instances.
Is there any down time while upgrading to the latest version of agents and KMs?
Yes. The PATROL Agent is stopped during the upgrade and it is started after the installation is complete.
Will the upgrade override my pconfig variables or any other configuration/customizations created earlier?
During the installation, the Do you want to override settings? prompt is displayed. If you select Yes, all the configurations created earlier are removed. If you want to retain your configurations and settings, select No.
Does the latest version to which I am upgrading contain all the service packs and hot fixes developed before the release?
Yes. All service packs and hot fixes available at the time of the release are rolled out in the latest releases.
If the PATROL Agent and PATROL Console are on different computers, do I need to upgrade KMs in the console also or will the KMs be downloaded from the PATROL Agent when added in the console?
You need to upgrade the KMs in the console also.
I have multiple PATROL Agents running on the same computer for two different purposes. One is for the Windows Cluster KM and the other is for the Operating System KM. I want to upgrade only the Windows Cluster KM. Will this upgrade lead to a restart of the PATROL Agent for the Operating System KM as well?
BMC recommends that you stop all the PATROL Agents before upgrading to the latest version of either the KM or the PATROL Agent.
Can I upgrade using silent installation packages or using the Distribution Server or using repository packages?
Yes, you can upgrade using any of these upgrade options.
Is it mandatory to upgrade the PATROL Agents also when upgrading KMs?
It is not mandatory but BMC recommends you upgrade the PATROL Agent as well to get the new features provided by the PATROL Agent and to work seamlessly with the latest KM.
I want to upgrade only the Windows Cluster KM and not the PATROL Agent. Will the data collection of Windows be impacted?
There will be no impact to the data collection.
Which are the KM versions supported in an upgrade?
The last two major versions are supported in upgrades. For example, the Windows OS KM can upgrade from the 4.5.00 and 4.6.00 versions.
In case an upgrade fails how can I revert to my previous installation and corresponding settings?
BMC recommends you take a backup of the existing PATROL Agent directory and configuration before upgrading to the latest version. If the upgrade fails you can restore the backup.
FAQs on feature functionality
This section presents some of the FAQs on the features and functionality of BMC ProactiveNet 9.6.
Does the BMC ProactiveNet Server collect data if an Integration Service and PATROL Agent are not upgraded?
Yes. After the BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded to 9.6, data collection functions even without upgrading the Integration Services and PATROL Agents. BMC ProactiveNet Servers 9.6 work with older Integration Services and PATROL Agents.
Adapters such as BMC Portal and TM ART have been implemented. If the BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded to 9.6 but the Integration Service and PATROL Agent are not upgraded, will these adapters work?
Yes. Adapters continue to collect data when the BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded and the Integration Service and PATROL Agent remain on older versions.
Will the MTB report continue to be generated?
No. This information is available in a report for instances marked for deletion.
If I set different attributes for different monitor types that are of same application class, after an upgrade, will the attributes be consolidated?
Yes, KPI attributes will be consolidated. For more information, see Attributes-and-Indicators-tab.
Some BMC PATROL monitor type hierarchies have moved to a flat hierarchy. What about other adapter monitor types?
Hierarchy related to other adapters continues to be the same. Only the BMC PATROL monitor types are displayed as flat instead of hierarchical.
Are thresholds consolidated for different monitor types of the same application class?
Thresholds are consolidated if they are set for attributes and will be different for different monitor types.
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No. These operations are not possible from the Administration Console in 9.6. Use Central Monitoring Administration or the pw commands.
If a manual adapter is created before an upgrade, will it continue to work after the upgrade?
Yes. Manual adapters created before an upgrade will continue to work.
Will I be able to create manual adapters after the server is upgraded?
Yes. You can create manual adapters for 9.0 or 8.6 Integration Services that are at the appropriate service pack levels.
Will I be able to edit adapters?
Yes. You can edit adapters using the Administration Console.
Will I be able to delete adapters?
Yes. You can delete adapters using the Administration Console.
How can I create manual adapters in an upgraded setup?
Set the pronet.apps.agent.patrol.proxy.enabled=false property. If the Integration Service for creating the adapter is not added to the BMC ProactiveNet Server before the upgrade, add it using Central Monitoring Administration. In the Administration Console, click Tools > Import Monitor Types > Add Adapter, and create the BMC PATROL adapter.
Will annotations, self monitoring, and other 9.6 features work in an upgraded setup when the Integration Services and PATROL Agents are version 9.0?
No. These features do not work if only the BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded. The Integration Services and PATROL Agents must also be upgraded for these features to work.
FAQs on upgrading Central Monitoring Administration
This section presents some of the FAQs about upgrading Central Monitoring Administration.
How do I upgrade Central Monitoring Administration if it was not configured before the upgrade?
While upgrading the BMC ProactiveNet Server to version 9.6, the installation requires you to provide details for the repository. Central Monitoring Administration is installed during the upgrade.
If the BMC ProactiveNet Server has Central Monitoring Administration configured and there are policies already created, will they work after only the server is upgraded?
Yes. Policies created before the upgrade will work on 9.0 PATROL Agents.
Can I update Central Monitoring Administration with the 9.6 repository at a later point of time after the upgrade?
Yes, you can update the repository later using the pw-repository-update CLI command.
If Central Monitoring Administration is not configured before the upgrade, can I upgrade to 9.6 skipping the Central Monitoring Administration configuration?
No. Central Monitoring Administration is mandatory when upgrading to BMC ProactiveNet 9.6.
If only the BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded, can I create new policies and apply them using a 9.0 Integration Service?
Yes. You can create policies with the existing 9.0 repository and they can be applied using the 9.0 Integration Services to 9.0 PATROL Agents. However, new features of the policies introduced in 9.6 will not function.
How do I move Central Monitoring Administration from one server to another?
Policies in Central Monitoring Administration can be moved from one server to another using the export/import utility. If a completely different instance of CMA is to be used with an existing BMC ProactiveNet Server, each server must be unregistered from the old CMA instance and registered with the new CMA instance. Additionally, you need to do the same for the Integration Service nodes.
If a 8.6 BMC ProactiveNet Server is upgraded to 9.6, can I create policies in the upgraded server?
Policies are not applicable for 8.6 Integration Services and PATROL Agents. But the policies can be applied to fresh or upgraded PATROL Agents using 9.6 Integration Services.
Can I edit the policies created in a 9.0 server that was upgraded to 9.6?
Yes, but new 9.6 features of the policy will not be functional with 9.0 PATROL Agents.
FAQs on Oracle single instance
This section presents some of the FAQs about Oracle single instance.
Is an existing version of Oracle supported with an upgrade or are patches to the Oracle database required?
The existing Oracle database version is supported and patches are not required.
Can I use the existing Oracle database user and schema for an upgrade?
If you are using the schema and user for the same BMC ProactiveNet Server that you plan to be upgrade, you can use the existing Oracle database user and schema. In general, the upgrade does not ask for user and schema details. The upgrade process uses the existing user and schema.
What is the supported Oracle version?
Oracle 11.2.0.3.0 and 11.2.0.2.0
Do I need the Oracle client on the BMC ProactiveNet Server?
No. The Oracle client is not required to be on the BMC ProactiveNet Server host computer.
Can the BMC ProactiveNet Server and Oracle database be on the same system or must they be on different systems?
The Oracle database must be on a different system. BMC recommends that the BMC ProactiveNet Server and the computer in which the Oracle database is installed be in the same subnet.