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Maximo Upgrade Tips: Decreasing the downtime when upgrading Maximo 7.5.0.8 to Maximo 7.6.0.1

Technical Blog Post


Abstract

Maximo Upgrade Tips: Decreasing the downtime when upgrading Maximo 7.5.0.8 to Maximo 7.6.0.1

Body

With the release of Maximo Fix Pack 7.6.0.1, among other things, it offers the new feature that you will be able to reduce downtime when running updatedb.

The link below contains the steps in how to take advantage of this new feature:

/support/pages/node/263763

 

But if you go through the steps of the scenario described there, the first problem that you could face is that the Step 2 won't work when you are coming from a 7.5.0.8 version. This is because when you perform the upgrade from Maximo 7.5.0.8 to Maximo 7.6.0.1, the first thing that you must to do is to install Maximo 7.6, followed by Maximo 7.6.0.1 and any other IS/PMP that your previous environment had, all that in a new folder, not installing over your previous 7.5.0.8 folder.

(For more details about the supported upgrade process from Maximo 7.5 to 7.6 versions, check the guide available at this page:

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=3224&context=SSLL2E&dc=DB520&dc=DB560&uid=swg21266217&loc=en_US&cs=UTF-8&lang=en&rss=ct3224tivoli)

Which means that your new 7.6.0.1 folder has not yet a maximo.properties file pointing to your database to be upgraded, when those installations are completed. In the standard upgrade process it will be created when you use the config tool, after such installations, setting through it the database parameters and finally performing the updatedb, the rebuild and redeploy the EAR files, all that through the config tool.

 

When running the upgrade approach from a English-only Maximo 7.5.0.8 version to 7.6.0.1 in the mode to decrease the downtime, you should follow these steps instead:

 

1-) Perform the installation of Maximo 7.6, Maximo 7.6.0.1 (and any IS/PMP) - follow the instructions available in the upgrade guide to perform these steps.

2-) Copy the maximo.properties file of your previous Maximo 7.5 folder to your new Maximo 7.6.0.1 folder. The file should be put in the same location in the 7.6.0.1 folder: <maximo_folder>\applications\maximo\properties.

3-) Now, with your folder having the maximo.properties file with the information pointing to your database to be upgraded, open a command prompt and run the updatedblitepreprocessor command, located in the <Maximo_Home>\tools\maximo\ directory of your Maximo 7.6.0.1 folder.

<Maximo_Home>\tools\maximo\updatedblitepreprocessor.[bat|sh]

4) Build the application EAR files.

WebLogic:
<Maximo_Home>\deployment\buildmaximoear.[cmd|sh]
<Maximo_Home>\deployment\buildmxiehsear.[cmd|sh]

WebSphere 8.x:
<Maximo_Home>\deployment\buildmaximoearwas8.[cmd|sh]
<Maximo_Home>\deployment\buildmxiehsear.[cmd|sh]


5) Stop the Maximo Asset Management application server.

6) Run the updatedblite command, located in the <Maximo_Home>\tools\maximo\ directory.

<Maximo_Home>\tools\maximo\updatedblite.[bat|sh]

7) Deploy the maximo.ear and maximoiehs.ear application EAR files through the WebLogic Server Administration Console or the WebSphere Application Server Administrative Console

8) Restart the Maximo Asset Management application server.

 

The second problem that you could face is for a non-english Maximo 7.5.0.8 database (and/or multi-language) , in case of following the instructions of the scenario described at this link: /support/pages/node/263763 

In this case, besides the step of copying the old maximo.properties file to your new folder,  you won't be able to perform the step  "7) Run the TDToolkit command.", because in that point, in the upgrade scenario of 7.5.0.8 to 7.6.0.1, the files which for tdtoolkit uses to perform his actions successfully are not there yet in your new 7.6.0.1 folder. They are only added through the config tool.

 

So, at this case, you should follow these steps:

 

1-) Perform the installation of Maximo 7.6, Maximo 7.6.0.1 (and any IS/PMP) - follow the instructions available in the upgrade guide to perform these steps.

2-) Copy the maximo.properties file of your previous Maximo 7.5 folder to your new Maximo 7.6.0.1 folder. The file should be put in the same location in the 7.6.0.1 folder: <maximo_folder>\applications\maximo\properties.

3-) Now, with your folder having the maximo.properties file with the information pointing to your database to be upgraded, open a command prompt and run the updatedblitepreprocessor command, located in the <Maximo_Home>\tools\maximo\ directory of your Maximo 7.6.0.1 folder.

<Maximo_Home>\tools\maximo\updatedblitepreprocessor.[bat|sh]

4) Build the application EAR files.

WebLogic:
<Maximo_Home>\deployment\buildmaximoear.[cmd|sh]
<Maximo_Home>\deployment\buildmxiehsear.[cmd|sh]

WebSphere 8.x:
<Maximo_Home>\deployment\buildmaximoearwas8.[cmd|sh]
<Maximo_Home>\deployment\buildmxiehsear.[cmd|sh]


5) Stop the Maximo Asset Management application server.

6) Run the updatedblite command, located in the <Maximo_Home>\tools\maximo\ directory.

<Maximo_Home>\tools\maximo\updatedblite.[bat|sh]

7) Delete the maximo.properties file of your 7.6.0.1 folder (This is necessary because you will need to run the Config Tool and in case of having the 7.5.0.8 version of the maximo.properties in the folder, the tool won't run. Don't worry, the config tool will create the file again).

8) Run the Maximo 7.6 launchpad, click in the Configure Product, "Reload the Installation Locations" and finally in the Launch the Tivoli's Process Automation Suite configuration program option.

9) Click in Configure a New Deployment.

10) Perform these steps following the same approach described in the Upgrade Guide (http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=3224&context=SSLL2E&dc=DB520&dc=DB560&uid=swg21266217&loc=en_US&cs=UTF-8&lang=en&rss=ct3224tivoli) as if you were running the standard upgrade process. The only difference is that in the last screen, "Apply Deployment Operations", you will have to uncheck the "Build the selected EAR files" checkbox (then, the other checkboxes related, "Build the application EAR file" and "Build the help EAR file" will be unchecked automatically).

11) Click in the Finish button. The maximo.properties file will be created again and all the steps related to translating Maximo will be done. The traditional updatedb will be skipped automatically because it will detect that the database was already updated previously, in our scenario, through updatedblite.

12) When completed, a message asking if you want to continue the configuration is displayed. Answer No.

13) Deploy the maximo.ear and maximoiehs.ear application EAR files through the WebLogic Server Administration Console or the WebSphere Application Server Administrative Console

14) Restart the Maximo Asset Management application server.

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ibm11132311