The following checklist guides you through the entire upgrade process. Use this process to upgrade each server set in your environment. If you have not done it yet, use the Health Check Utility to create a backup of your current AD LDS instance.
You can spread this upgrade process over several phases, upgrading one MMS at a time. This upgrade process also allows you to temporarily include secondary servers running a previous DRA version and secondary servers running the current DRA version in the same MMS. DRA supports synchronization between Administration servers running a previous DRA version and servers running the current DRA version. However, be aware that DRA does not support running a previous DRA version with the current DRA version on the same Administration server or client computer.
In DRA 9.2 or later versions, the Workflow Automation server configuration is stored in AD LDS instead of the registry. When updating from DRA 9.1 or earlier to DRA 9.2 or later, the registry configuration is automatically moved to AD LDS and replicated to all secondary servers.
WARNING:Do not upgrade your secondary Administration servers until you have upgraded the primary Administration server for that MMS.
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Steps |
Details |
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Run Health Check utility |
Install the standalone DRA Health Check utility and run it using a service account. Fix any issues. |
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Perform a test upgrade |
Perform a test upgrade in your lab environment to identify potential issues and minimize production downtime. |
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Determine order of upgrade |
Determine the order in which you want to upgrade your server sets. |
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Prepare each MMS for upgrade |
Prepare each MMS for upgrade. For more information, see Pre-Upgrade Tasks. |
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Upgrade primary server |
Upgrade the primary Administration server in the appropriate MMS. |
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Install new secondary server |
(Optional) To minimize downtime at remote sites, install a local secondary Administration server running the newest version of DRA. |
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Deploy user interfaces |
Deploy the user interfaces to your assistant administrators. |
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Upgrade secondary servers |
Upgrade the secondary Administration servers in the MMS. |
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Upgrade DRA Reporting |
Upgrade DRA Reporting. |
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Upgrade REST Extensions |
Run the DRA REST Extensions installer. |
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Run Health Check utility |
Run the Health Check Utility that was installed as part of the upgrade. Fix any issues. |
After you successfully prepare your MMS, upgrade the primary Administration server. Do not upgrade user interfaces on the AA client computers until you complete upgrading the primary Administration server. For more information, see Deploying the DRA User Interfaces.
NOTE:For more detailed upgrade considerations and instructions, see the Directory and Resource Administrator Release Notes.
Before you upgrade, notify your AAs when you plan to start this process. If you dedicated a secondary Administration server to run a previous DRA version, also identify this server so AAs can continue using the previous DRA version during the upgrade.
NOTE:Once you upgrade the primary Administration server, you cannot synchronize delegation, configuration, or policy settings from this server to secondary Administration servers running a previous DRA version.
Installing a new secondary Administration server to run the current DRA version at a local site can help you minimize costly connections to remote sites while decreasing overall downtime and allowing quicker deployment of the user interfaces. This step is optional and allows AAs to use both the current DRA version and a previous DRA version throughout the upgrade process, until you are satisfied that your deployment is complete.
Consider this option if you have one or more of the following upgrade requirements:
You require little or no downtime.
You must support a large number of AAs, and you are not able to upgrade all client computers immediately.
You want to continue supporting access to a previous DRA version after you upgrade the primary Administration server.
Your environment includes an MMS that spans across multiple sites.
For example, if your MMS consists of a primary Administration server at your London site and a secondary Administration server at your Tokyo site, consider installing a secondary server at the Tokyo site and adding it to the corresponding MMS. This additional server better balances the daily administration load at the Tokyo site, and allows AAs from either site to use a previous DRA version as well as the current DRA version until the upgrade is complete. Additionally, your AAs experience no downtime because you can immediately deploy the current DRA user interfaces. For more information about upgrading user interfaces, see Deploying the DRA User Interfaces.
Typically, you should deploy the current DRA user interfaces after you upgrade the primary Administration server and one secondary Administration server. However, for AAs who must use the primary Administration server, ensure you upgrade their client computers first by installing the Delegation and Configuration console. For more information, see Planning a DRA Upgrade.
If you often perform batch processing through the CLI or the ADSI provider, or frequently generate reports, consider installing these user interfaces on a dedicated secondary Administration server to maintain an appropriate load balance across the MMS.
You can let your AAs install the DRA user interfaces or deploy these interfaces through group policy. You can also easily and quickly deploy the Web Console to multiple AAs.
NOTE:You can not run multiple versions of DRA components side-by-side on the same DRA server. If you plan to gradually upgrade your AA client computers, consider deploying the Web Console to ensure immediate access to an Administration server running the current DRA version.
When upgrading secondary Administration servers, you can upgrade each server as needed, depending on your administration requirements. Also consider how you plan to upgrade and deploy the DRA user interfaces. For more information, see Deploying the DRA User Interfaces.
For example, a typical upgrade path may include the following steps:
Upgrade one secondary Administration server.
Instruct the AAs who use this server to install the appropriate user interfaces, such as the Account and Resource Management console.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 above until you completely upgrade the MMS.
Before you upgrade, notify your AAs when you plan to start this process. If you dedicated a secondary Administration server to run a previous DRA version, also identify this server so AAs can continue using the previous DRA version during the upgrade. When you complete the upgrade process for this MMS, and all AA client computers are running upgraded user interfaces, take any remaining previous DRA version servers offline.