Prepare your WHD environment to upgrade

When you are ready to upgrade, complete these steps. They include the common actions you need to complete before upgrading products.

If you have a test or staging environment, we highly recommend testing the upgrade first. You cannot roll back an installation once completed.

	1. Back up the database	Back up your WHD SolarWinds SQL database. If you need help, please check your vendor's site for documentation and instructions. You cannot roll back an upgrade. Always create a database backup.
	2. Exclude files on anti-virus software	To ensure the best performance on your server host and provide full file access, exclude specific file paths and directories from anti-virus software scans. See this article for details. You can also place your systems behind a firewall to completely disable your anti-virus software during an upgrade.