How do we upgrade the DB from 7.3.1 to 8.13

[Teresa Luis]

We are building a new server and installing Jira from scratch for our Application Server.  The database server is staying the same.   Can someone advise the best way to get the Database up to that version or will that happen when we install the application on the new app server?

thanks

Teresa

[Teresa Luis]

Which version of Java (8 or 11) gets installed automatically with the Jira Software 8.13 version?

thanks

[Edwin Kyalangalilwa]

Here are the versions: Bundled Tomcat and Java versions 

Please note that the JRE is only bundled when Jira is installed through an installer.

[Edwin Kyalangalilwa]

Hi @Teresa Luis ,

Jira updates the data in the database whenever you upgrade. If your data is at 7.3.1 and you start 8.13 pointing to the same database, then on startup the data will be updated. Please take a look at the supported platforms for 8.13, before upgrading and make updates accordingly. 

Hope that makes sense and answers your question. If not, please elaborate.

[Teresa Luis]

Thanks Edwin, that is very helpful.  One other question is if we wanted to clone the current DB and give it a different name, can we point the new install to that or does the install automatically choose a particular DB name.  The reason for this is that we'd like our users to be able to continue using the current version while we are configuring the new app server but they won't be able to do that if the DB gets upgraded.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

You can indeed work with a copy of the database, but remember that any change your people make in the old system after you take the copy will not happen in the new one.

[Edwin Kyalangalilwa]

As Nic mentioned, any updates will not be in the new system. The database name can be update in the dbconfig.xml file in the home directory. So it would be best to schedule a cutover. I didn't see a mention of it, so please note that you'll have to also migrate the home directory as well to the new server. Before starting Jira in the server, ensure that the database name is not pointing to the current database in dbconfig.xml.

From what you've mentioned, it seems you're migrating using the native backup option .... Restoring data .... which entails:

• Take a backup of the database
• Take a backup of the install directory
• Take a backup of the home directory
• Create a copy of the database and restore install/home directories to the new server, but don't start Jira
• Edit dbconfig.xml to point to the cloned database
• Disable email in setenv.sh as mentioned in the documentation
• Start Jira

The other option is using an XML backup.

[Teresa Luis]

thanks everyone.  In talking with my team and our DBA, I'm thinking that what I'd like to do is not possible.  I wanted to clone the current DB, do my new app server install pointing to that DB.  Then I can configure things like SSL etc to make sure everything works.

During this time, the users will be using the old version on the old app server and DB.  If they make any entries there, is it impossible (or not recommended) to get that new data over to the new cloned DB?

if not I think our plan would be to do the install with the cloned DB and new app server as a test run, then restore it all and do an inplace upgrade with the DB server.  

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

No, because your data has effectively branched, and there is no way to merge it back without a huge project (which will incur significant downtime)

[Teresa Luis]

sorry, I put in an answer when I meant to ask the question:)

Which version of Java (8 or 11) gets installed automatically with the Jira Software 8.13 version?