Migrate Jira 6.4/SQL2005 to Jira 8.2/SQL2014

[Todd Stidham]

I have an older Windows 2008 server running Jira 6.4 using an even older Server 2003/SQL 2005 database server (*see notes at bottom before commenting on server 2003). For obvious reasons, we need this all moved to newer servers and SQL. I will be moving the application to a 2012 R2 box with the latest 8.2.4 release and planned on restoring the database backup file to a SQL 2014 Database Server. What is going to be the best order for doing this? I figured I would do:

1. Copy Jira_Home and Install folders to new server, delete dbconfig.xml

2. Restore .bak file from 2005 server to 2014 server. Create Jira_user login and assign dbo role to Jira_db

3. Run latest Jira-core-8.2.4-x64 windows installer and point to the copied install folder and jira_home folder.

4. Run Jira setup wizard to connect to database.

However, we do use Active Directory authentication so didn't know if there were any other config xml files to mess with.

Also, wasn't 100% sure if I should copy the existing 6.4 install folder and let the 8.2.4 overwrite/update it OR don't copy the install folder and let the installer create a clean install. 

Any thoughts (and prayers) are appreciated! Thanks.

* Yes, you read that correctly, Server 2003. Yes, I know. Yea, I said the same thing to my higher ups. I know but what could I do? They said "it ain't broke so don't fix it". Thank fully the BlueKeep exploit finally scared them into action...but of course now they want it done last week. Thanks again for the help and understanding. :D

[Dave Theodore [Coyote Creek Consulting]]

No prayers necessary! We're here to help!

First things first, though.  You need to read over the Supported Platforms page for Jira 8.2 and make sure you use a supported database and Java. Next, you need to read the Upgrade Notes pages (link to 7.0) for each version between 6.4 and 8.2.  It might not seem like a big jump, but 6.4 is more than 3 years old, so it is a big jump.  If you are using Jira Agile now, you want to read those notes as well. Just update Jira Agile to the latest version for 6.4 and you should be good, though.  Pro-tip on searching the docs: Use google and enter the following format "jira 7.0 upgrade notes" "jira 7.3 supported platforms" etc.  Just change the version you want to look at. The release notes have a drop down you can select version with. I would also read over the Jira 7 migration hub docs. There were significant changes made to 7.0 and it affects licensing and the way you grant access to things.

The part that gets really messy is generally the database.  You will need to jump to a modern database, but you need to make sure that any interim versions of Jira are running a supported database.  This may mean that you need to do multiple database upgrades as well. There may be 3rd party Add-ons/Apps that are not available for modern versions of Jira, so I suggest doing an audit on them as well.

Hopefully you aren't running Jira Service Desk. :)

Obviously, do this in a development environment first, identify a repeatable method, then use that method to upgrade production. Good luck!

[Todd Stidham]

Dave, thank you for the response. Yes I did already pour over the update notes for the releases and supported platforms. I'm good on the platforms (server 2012 R2 and SQL 2014), and according to the 8.2.4 notes, I can go straight to it from 6.4.

I did notice that the restored database from SQL 2005 gets run in SQL 2008 compatibility mode. Any advice on whether this should or can be changed to 2014 mode? I'll likely just try it either way and restore again if needed.

I will be standing up a new, clean app box, and moving to a new DB server, so in effect I have a test bed for making sure everything transitions before I shutdown the current production box. and point DNS to the new box. They can run in tandem for as long as it takes to complete.

[Todd Stidham]

Oh and we're only running Jira Core, no service desk, agile or other add-ons. We do have a fisheye/crucible service/site that I think interacts with Jira, and that may also get moved or just stay put for now.

[Dave Theodore [Coyote Creek Consulting]]

You cannot go directly from Jira 6.4 to 8.2. You will need to upgrade to 7.0 first at a minimum. Depending on other variables, you may need to make additional jumps, as well.  Apps sometimes have an upgrade procedure and may be tied to a range of Jira versions.  I'm not a SQL Server expert, so maybe someone that is can chime in.  I would expect that you should be able to run in native mode, though.  There may be an instance upgrade procedure that you need to so, as well as the database version upgrade.

The version of Fisheye/Crucible will have compatibility with a range of Jira versions.  It's worth investigating that, as well.  The integration may break if your Fisheye version is sufficiently old, requiring an upgrade as well.

[Todd Stidham]

Odd, this upgrade note (below) seems to suggest versions equal to or higher than 6.4.x can just be upgraded to the current release. We are running 6.4.14 which is not less than 6.4.x. Am I reading this wrong? I must admit I don't know why they would have 6.3.5 in the note as it should be included in the "less than 6.4.x" version numbering. But then this is why I posted my question, to get help and clarification. Thanks again for your responses and time.

Jira Software specific notes

If you plan to upgrade from Jira and Jira Agile less than 6.4.x and 6.3.5 respectively, you must upgrade to Jira Software 7.0 (we always recommend the latest bugfix release, in this case 7.0.11) before upgrading to Jira Software 7.1.

[Dave Theodore [Coyote Creek Consulting]]

It isn't written very clearly, but the intent of the note is that if you are running anything earlier than 7.0.0, you need to upgrade initially to 7.0 and then move on. This is not a single step upgrade.  There are also some undocumented issues that you may encounter if you use Jira Service Desk and are running version 7.0-7.2 that require a step through 7.3 first.  This is the sort of stuff you learn when you do this for a living. :)