Choosing the correct upgrade method

3 minute read

This section describes the various upgrade methods and options for specific platform configurations. A list of supported platforms can be found here.

User interface upgrade

This method provides a wizard for upgrading CloudBees Flow on a supported server platform. This upgrade method is generally preferred by Windows users, but is supported on Linux platforms with the X Window System installed. See User Interface Upgrade Method for more details.

Upgrade options:

  • Upgrade Existing Installation

    This option uninstalls the current release, installs the latest CloudBees Flow release, collects the CloudBees Flow service account credentials, configures the system with all property values, and restores custom files and data.

  • Clean Install

    This option allows you to specify a different installation directory for the new version. The files from your previous CloudBees Flow version will not be removed or modified and will remain in their original directories.

    On Linux, when CloudBees Flow is already installed and you want to use the clean install upgrade method, you must do an advanced installation.
On Windows, a clean installation replaces the registry entries of the current installation. On Linux, a clean installation replaces the files in the /etc/init.d directory. The result is that only one instance of CloudBees Flow (the new version) is running.

Interactive command-line upgrade

This method provides an interactive command-line for upgrading CloudBees Flow on a supported server platform. This upgrade method is only available for Linux platforms. See Interactive Command-Line Upgrade Method for more details.

Upgrade options:

  • Upgrade Existing Installation

    This option uninstalls the current release, installs the latest CloudBees Flow release, collects the CloudBees Flow service account credentials, configures the system with all property values, and restores custom files and data.

  • Clean Install

    This option allows you to specify a different installation directory for the new version. The files from your previous CloudBees Flow version will not be removed or modified and will remain in their original directories.

    On Linux, when CloudBees Flow is already installed and you want to use the clean install upgrade method, you must do an advanced installation.
On Windows, a clean installation replaces the registry entries of the current installation. On Linux, a clean installation replaces the files in the /etc/init.d directory. The result is that only one instance of CloudBees Flow (the new version) is running.

Silent unattended upgrade

This method provides a non-interactive command-line upgrade for supported server platforms. You may find this installation method preferable for upgrading multiple remote agents and servers. See Silent (Unattended) Upgrade Method for more details.

Upgrade options:

  • Upgrade Existing Installation

    This option uninstalls the current release, installs the latest CloudBees Flow release, collects the CloudBees Flow service account credentials, configures the system with all property values, and restores custom files and data.

You cannot add a new repository server with this upgrade method.

Repository server with a CloudBees Flow upgrade

The only way to install a repository server on the same machine as other services is to uninstall and reinstall CloudBees Flow. You can install the repository server on a different machine to avoid uninstalling and reinstalling CloudBees Flow.

Non-server platform agent upgrade

You cannot directly upgrade a non-server platform agent (that is, an agent on a machine that is not a supported CloudBees Flow server platform). You must uninstall and then reinstall these machines using the CloudBees Flow installer. For more information, see Uninstalling CloudBees Flow and Non-Server Platform Agent Installation Method .

Stand-alone repository server or web server upgrade

You cannot directly upgrade a standalone repository server or standalone web server. You must uninstall and then reinstall these servers using the CloudBees Flow installer. The uninstall and reinstall process is required to install an agent on the server machine. An agent is required on the machine with the standalone repository server or web server. For more information, see Uninstalling CloudBees Flow , Installing CloudBees Flow , and Copying Repository Contents .