Thingworx 9.1 Upgrade to 9.7

[pshashipreetham]

Hi,

I have a Thingworx 9.1 instance and am looking to upgrade to 9.7. However, the instance is on the Postgres DB, and real-time data is stored in the Postgres.

What would be the easiest way to do this?

1. Should I Upgrade the Postgres Version?

2. Should I Upgrade the Scehma too?

Thanks,

[slangley]

Hi @pshashipreetham 

For planning an upgrade, you will need to start by reviewing the System Requirements for 9.7.  Here's a link to the requirements for that version.  For comparison, here's the link for 9.1.  Jumping that many releases, PostgreSQL will also require upgrade.  In addition, Java, Tomcat and the O/S will require update.  

Here is a link to the installation instructions in the 9.7 Help Center.  If you originally did a manual installation, you'll have to upgrade manually. If you initially used the Foundation installer, you have a choice of manual or installer upgrade, but using the installer is easier and faster and it will also upgrade Tomcat, eliminating the need for you to upgrade that component manually.  If upgrading ThingWorx manually, you will have to run the schema/db upgrade scripts, but the steps to do so are available in the Help Center.  Some extensions may require update as well.  If you are running other PTC provided apps, such Navigate, those will also require update.

When planning an upgrade, it is recommended that you build a new instance with a copy of your production data in order to document the steps for upgrade and assess the timings that will be needed for your Prod upgrade.   Before creating the Prod backup to be used, you will need to shut down schedulers and timers in ThingWorx so that when you spin up the new environment, your production data is not compromised.  Once the upgrade is complete, you should perform a full regression test of all your apps.  Review your mashups--many of the widgets have changed, though the legacy ones are still available.  Also you will need to validate that custom and third party extensions still work.  

If it is necessary to build a new instance, just remember to start with the exact same versions you are currently running, to avoid the possibility you may introduce a variable that will affect the upgrade process.  It may also be possible to clone Prod, as long as you plan carefully to avoid any disruption or data loss in the existing Prod environment. 

Before beginning an upgrade of an existing environment, create a snapshot if running on a VM and generate a db backup.  If running on a standalone server, at a minimum you will need to backup all folders in ThingWorxFoundation, if the installer was used.  If ThingWorx was manually installed, backup all folders in ThingworxStorage, ThingworxPlatform, and <Tomcat_home>.  If you have keystores saved outside of these folders, be sure to back those up.  It can also be helpful to generate a ThingWorx export of the entities (via Composer).

This is pretty high level and there can be some variations depending on your configuration, etc., but this should provide a good overview of what is needed and what to watch out for.  If you have further questions, please let us know.

Regards.

--Sharon

[pshashipreetham · Accepted solution]

Hi @slangley ,

Thanks for all the insights you have provided. That helped. 

At my on the commands side, below is what I did:

1. Downloaded the WAR version of Thingworx 9.3.0
2. In the update folder, I ran two scripts:

   • 9.1 to 9.2 run thingworxPostgresSchemaUpdate9.1-to-9.2.bat

   • Step 5: 9.2 to 9.3 run thingworxPostgresSchemaUpdate9.2-to-9.3.bat

3. Then I downloaded the 9.7.0 WAR version and just ran another script
   

   .\update_postgres.ps1 -h localhost -p 5432 -d thingworxv2 -s public -u postgres --update_all -y

The Command from Step 3 identified the Thingworx Version of the scheme and updated the whole DB, including the schema (Datatable, streams, value streams, etc ). THAT WAS AWESOME.

Reference Links:

1. https://support.ptc.com/help/thingworx/platform/r9.7/en/index.html#page/ThingWorx/Help/Installation/Installation/manual_inplace_upgrade_windows_9_3.html#wwID0ETD1S
2. https://support.ptc.com/help/thingworx/platform/r9.7/en/index.html#page/ThingWorx/Help/Installation/Installation/manual_inplace_upgrade_windows.html#
   

Thanks,