Documentation forPatch Manager

Upgrade preflight checklist

This preflight checklist details important information to help plan and prep for your upgrade.

Review the release notes Review the release notes and product documentation.
Review the system requirements Make sure your environment includes all required hardware and software for your installation.
Review licenses Review your current product licenses and determine if updates are required. You can download any updated license keys for your upgrade through the Customer Portal. Verify any license upgrades with your SolarWinds account manager or contact SolarWinds.
Gather credentials

Make sure you have all account credentials, SQL database credentials, your SolarWinds account, and local admin server credentials.

Use the Local Administrator account for the installation.

The Local Administrator Account is not the same as a domain account with local admin rights. A domain account is subject to your domain group policies.

You need a SolarWinds Customer Portal account to download SolarWinds products and licenses. See Access the Customer Portal to create a new SolarWinds account.
Do you need to migrate?

You may need to migrate products and databases to dedicated servers or shared servers. Check if you need to migrate by reviewing the product requirements and your current environment.

Migrating adds time to your upgrade, but you have the best opportunity to update to new servers during an upgrade.
Did your company domain name change?  If your company domain changed for any reason, you can move Patch Manager to a new domain prior to the upgrade.
Gather the credentials

Make sure you have the credentials for your:

  • Accounts
  • SQL database
  • SolarWinds account
  • Local admin server
Build your upgrade path

See Determine the Patch Manager upgrade path to upgrade from a previous release to the latest release.

If your deployment is integrated with the SolarWinds Platform, see Product Upgrade Advisor for additional recommendations.

Run all Windows updates

Locate and run all Microsoft Windows updates on your Patch Manager servers and Primary Application Server (PAS). During the upgrade, your system may reboot when a Windows update is completed.

To ensure local publishing continues to work in your environment, apply the updates to all Patch Manager and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) systems. When you are finished, generate a new 2048-bit publishing certificate on your primary application server.

Schedule the upgrade Set up the maintenance window, preferably during non-business hours. Depending on the number of servers and size of your environment, you may need an extended amount of time to complete your upgrade.
Notify your company Send a message to all stakeholders regarding the upgrade schedule and maintenance window. If you need additional help, contact and allocate specific staff to be available.