Webfarms - Software Upgrade

This procedure describes how to upgrade a MOVEit DMZ Webfarm from one version of the software to another. (All nodes in the system must be upgraded at once; different nodes cannot run different versions of MOVEit DMZ.)

  1. Using the MOVEit DMZ Configuration Utility, stop the services on each of the MOVEit DMZ webfarm nodes. All the services must be down to prevent interlock problems when updating software. (Shut down services on Node 1 LAST to prevent an accidental failover!) Also, after stopping all services, be sure to close the "DMZ Config" program on all nodes before installing any software; if this program is not closed, your installations may require you to reboot the server.
  2. Run the standard MOVEit DMZ software update program on the lowest node number (presumably, node 1). Answer Yes to "Do you want to perform the database upgrade?" Do NOT run the InstallChecker after updating the software; wait until all the nodes are updated. If you do run the InstallChecker, it may work normally for node 1, but will definitely fail on other nodes.
  3. Using the MOVEit DMZ Configuration Utility, start the services on webfarm node 1.
  4. Run the standard MOVEit DMZ software update program on the remainder of the nodes. Answer No to "Do you want to perform the database upgrade?" Do NOT run the InstallChecker after updating the software; wait until all the nodes are updated. If you do run the InstallChecker, expect to see a "Database down" error and know that none of file transfer tests will work.
  5. After you have finished updating all Webfarm nodes with the latest version of both MOVEit DMZ, go back to webfarm node 1 and use the MOVEit DMZ Configuration Utility to start the services. Then go to the remaining webfarm nodes, and use the MOVEit DMZ Configuration Utility to start the services.
  6. After these services are running, it is now safe to run the MOVEit InstallChecker on any node; normal results are to be expected on any node which runs the InstallChecker.

Upgrade operations are written to the "C:\MOVEitDMZWebfarm_Install.log" file.

Windows Updates

There are two ways to apply non-MOVEit software upgrades, such as Windows patches, to a MOVEit DMZ Webfarm. Choosing which procedure to follow depends on how much downtime you are willing to accept, as well as how many patches and updates need to be applied.

Procedure 1

This procedure should be used if there are is only a small number of updates to apply, and all can be applied with only a single reboot. It minimizes the amount of downtime the webfarm will encounter, but also limits the number and complexity of the updates that can be applied.

  1. Run DMZCheck on a node to get a baseline status of the Webfarm setup.
  2. Leave all nodes running. Apply updates to the node(s) and reboot. Reboot each node, if required.
  3. Once all nodes have been updated, use the DMZ Config program to check that the Webfarm setup is back up.
  4. Run DMZCheck on the same node and compare the result to the baseline status.

Procedure 2

This procedure should be used if there are a large number of updates to apply, or if most updates require a reboot before applying other updates (for example, one of the updates is a service pack). This procedure requires more downtime, as the webfarm will need to be completely unavailable between the time the procedure is started, and it is complete. However, it allows much more flexibility in the numbers and types of updates that can be applied.

  1. Run DMZCheck on a node to get a baseline status of the Webfarm setup.
  2. Stop the HA services on all nodes by running the MOVEit DMZ Config program, switching to the High Availability tab, clicking the Advanced button, and then clicking the Stop button for the HA Service entry in the Services section. Answer Yes when asked to stop the other services as well.
  3. Using the Windows Services manager, set the Startup Type for the HA services to Disabled on all nodes. This will prevent the services from attempting to start after reboots.
  4. Apply all updates to all servers. The HA services will stay down during multiple reboots.
  5. Once all nodes have been updated and have booted, set the Startup Type for the HA services on the master node to Automatic, and start both services.
  6. Once all nodes have been updated, use the DMZ Config program to check that the Webfarm setup is back up.
  7. Run DMZCheck on the same node and compare the result to the baseline status.