This page last changed on Jun 09, 2008 by jlargman.

This page is part of the Confluence Upgrade Guide.

Upgrading a Cluster or Changing your Database?

Before you Start

  1. Note that you need current software maintenance to perform the upgrade.
  2. Confirm that your license support period is still valid before you try to upgrade.
  3. If your current license has expired but you have a new license with you, please update your license in Confluence before performing the upgrade.
    If you forget to do this and your license has expired, you will receive errors during the upgrade process. Refer to the instructions on upgrading beyond current license period.
  4. Check the release notes for the new version of Confluence you are installing, plus the release notes for any major versions you are skipping, to see if there are any upgrade instructions specific to the new version(s).
  5. Make sure that your environment (e.g. the database system, the operating system, the application server and so on) still complies with the Confluence System Requirements. A newer version of Confluence may have different requirements than the previous version.
  6. If you are using Confluence EAR-WAR edition, check the Application Server Configuration Guide for your specific application server, to see if there is anything extra you will need to do to get Confluence running. For example:
  7. If you are using an external database, make sure the Confluence database connector principal (the database user login) has sufficient permissions to modify the database schema.
  8. Note which plugins are installed/enabled on your current Confluence instance. Please verify whether a compatible version of the plugin is available in the version of Confluence you are upgrading to. This information is available on the respective home pages for these plugins on the Confluence Extension space. Once you have confirmed the availability of compatible versions, you should upgrade your plugins after successfully upgrading Confluence. This can be done via the 'Plugin Repository' in your Administration Console. Please test these first by applying them to the latest Confluence version in a test environment.
  9. If you have made any customisations to Confluence, please verify their compatibility in the latest version. For example, if you have modified any layouts or are using your own custom theme, please test these first by applying them to the latest Confluence version in a test environment.

Backing Up

Before you begin the Confluence upgrade, you must back up the following:

  1. Your Confluence Home directory. The Confluence Home directory is the folder where Confluence stores its configuration information, search indexes and page attachments. If you're using the embedded HSQLDB database supplied for evaluation purposes, the database files are also stored in this directory.

    The location of the Home directory is stored in a configuration file called confluence-init.properties, which is located inside the confluence/WEB-INF/classes directory in your Confluence Installation directory.

  2. Your Confluence Installation directory (if you are using Confluence Standalone) or your Confluence webapp (if you are using Confluence EAR-WAR edition). The 'Confluence Installation directory' is the directory into which the Confluence application files and libraries have been unpacked (unzipped) when Confluence was installed. Confluence does not modify or store any data in this directory. This directory is also sometimes called the 'Confluence Install directory'.
  3. If you are not using the embedded database, perform a manual backup of your external database before proceeding with the upgrade.
    The 'embedded database' is the HSQLDB database supplied with Confluence for evaluation purposes.

Testing the Upgrade in a Test Environment

Be sure to test the upgrade in a test environment before proceeding on your production server.
  1. Create a snapshot of your current production Confluence environment on a test server, as described in the page on Moving Confluence Between Servers.
  2. Perform the upgrade on your cloned environment.
  3. Test all your unsupported plugins and any customisations with the new version before proceeding on your production server. You can read more about supported and unsupported plugins.
RELATED TOPICS

Upgrading Confluence

Document generated by Confluence on Aug 07, 2008 19:10