Casper JSS upgrade from 9.81 to 9.93 on Windows server

[Bernard_Huang]

Hi all,

I'm after some documentations or instructions of Casper JSS (server) upgrade. Specifically from JSS 9.81 to 9.93. We are running our Casper on a WIndows 2008 server.

Thanks in advance.

[bradtchapman]

You should start by reading the system requirements for 9.93. If your current system doesn't meet those requirements, such as having a required version of Java or MySQL, upgrade those first before you start the JSS upgrade.

• Windows 2008 R2
• MySQL 5.6
• Java 1.8
• Tomcat 8
• Java Cryptographic Extensions (JCE)

It would be wise to get your server up to these minimums in order to prepare for Casper 10.0. Nothing's been said officially from JAMF, but given the current version number (9.93), and the recent inclusion of patch reporting that's been teased for almost 2 years, you can bet that they're gearing up for a big announcement at JNUC 2016.

[bradtchapman]

Upgrades are usually done in this order:

1) Ensure sufficient free disk space before installing.
2) Stop Tomcat.
3) Do a full database backup.
4) Upgrade the JSS.
5) Start Tomcat.

[donmontalvo]

@Bernard.Huang I'd wait a couple more weeks. ;) When you finally do upgrade, you'll want to back up your Tomcat folder too.

[Bernard_Huang]

Interesting.... (In a good way)

What's the specs required for JSS 10?
The reason why I want to upgrade now is because of MacOS coming out in September. I don't know if my JSS 9.81 will be valid for it.

Thanks for the answers so far :)

[stevevalle · Accepted solution]

Your JSS needs to meet the following requirements before upgrading to v9.93:

• Java 1.7 or Java 1.8
• MySQL 5.5.x or 5.6.x (MySQL 5.6.x is recommended)
• Apache Tomcat 7 or 8 (Tomcat 7 is recommended)

This is my checklist when upgrading my JSS:

1. Take a backup of the JSS database
   • JSS Database Utility (C:Program FilesJSSin)
   • Database Location (C:Program FilesJSSBackupsDatabase)
2. Stop the Tomcat service
   • Net stop Tomcat7
3. Disable Anti-Virus
4. Run the installer
5. DO NOT Start the Tomcat service
   • Log onto JSS using the URL to complete the upgrade
6. Enable Anti-Virus

If you have customised the JSS in any way (Self Service for example), these files will be replaced by the upgrade.

You will also need to back up the ConfigurationProfileDockItemApps.xml file if you use it.

Hope this helps :)

[donmontalvo]

@Bernard.Huang JSS 10 is a looong way off. Definitely backup the Tomcat folder though, else you'll lose your configuration tweaks.

[nigelg]

@Bernard.Huang Surprised that no one has suggested testing the upgrade on a development server. JAMF trainers hammered that home on every course I have attended!

[mike_paul]

I do want to also mention that for 9.93 with our installer we are upgrading tomcat from version 7 to 8 and there is a comment in the release notes under "Functionality Changes and Other Considerations" stating that "Loss of certain customizations when upgrading to Tomcat 8. When upgrading from Tomcat 7 to Tomcat 8 on Windows, any customizations to CATALINA_OPTS or JAVA_OPTS will be lost.
To keep your customizations, when upgrading your JSS, click Custom in the Setup Type pane. Click Next and then click Upgrade. In the Summary pane, click Open Settings to review and set your customizations."

In plain english this means that default install on a windows server for 9.93 will reset memory allocations for Tomcat. To avoid this when running the installer choose "Custom" and it allows you to re-allocate memory for tomcat during the upgrade.