Understanding Custom Edition versions and components

For new installations you can select any current Custom Edition version and compatible backend version, however, you are recommended to start with the latest versions unless you have specific requirements for older versions, such as to ensure compatibility with your existing infrastructure.

To install Custom Edition, complete the following steps. This workflow ensures you select compatible versions and configure your deployment correctly.

1. Identify the Custom Edition version that meets your deployment needs:
   • Do you need specific features? Understand what features are available within your selected backend version to ensure that it meets your needs. Review the Custom Edition releases to identify which version includes the features that you need, as well as any known issues or important changes.
   • Do you have platform-specific requirements? Review the Requirements for installation for Kubernetes version support and platform-specific considerations.
2. Understand the Custom Edition version dependencies and select your backend version:
   • Version compatibility is critical for successful deployment. Use the compatibility matrix to find the backend versions that work with your chosen Custom Edition version. This step is critical as incompatible versions do not work together. Always verify compatibility before proceeding.
   • Use the Compatibility matrix to find the backend versions that work with your chosen Custom Edition version. This matrix shows:
     • Which backend versions are supported by each Custom Edition version
     • Minimum and maximum backend version ranges
     • Recommended backend versions
   • Verify the system requirements to ensure that your environment meets all prerequisites including Kubernetes version, storage, networking, and data store requirements. For complete prerequisites, see Requirements for installation.
3. Review the features and capabilities in the backend version:
   • Review What's new in Instana to understand what features are available in your selected backend version. If the backend version is not listed, see Documentation for older Instana versions for features in earlier versions.
4. Choose your installation method:
   • Online installation: Use this method for a manual or scripted installation with internet access.
     • Manual installation: Use this method for full control over each installation step, such as for production deployments where you want to understand and verify each component. For more information, see Installing Custom Edition manually .
     • Scripted installation: This is an automated installation process. use this method for a faster deployment with less manual intervention. For more information, see Installing Custom Edition with script.
   • Offline (Air-gapped) installation: Use this method for isolated environments without internet access. This process requires downloading all artifacts on a connected machine and transferring them to the air-gapped environment. For more information, see Installing Custom Edition in an air-gapped environment.
5. Enable any required optional features:
   • Enable additional capabilities as needed for your deployment. Some features require specific feature flags to be enabled. For the complete list of optional features that you can enable, and the corresponding configuration instructions, see Enabling optional features for Custom Edition.

To upgrade Custom Edition, complete the following steps. The upgrade process follows a specific order: data stores first, then operator, then backend.

1. Identify the Custom Edition version that meets your deployment needs:
   • Do you need specific features? Understand what features are available within your selected backend version to ensure that it meets your needs. Review the Custom Edition releases to identify which version includes the features that you need, as well as any known issues or important changes.
   • Do you have platform-specific requirements?
2. Understand the Custom Edition version dependencies and select your backend version:
   • Version compatibility is critical for successful deployment. Use the compatibility matrix to find the backend versions that work with your chosen Custom Edition version. This step is critical as incompatible versions do not work together. Always verify compatibility before proceeding.
   • Use the Compatibility matrix to find the backend versions that work with your chosen Custom Edition version. This matrix shows:
     • Which backend versions are supported by each Custom Edition version
     • Minimum and maximum backend version ranges
     • Recommended backend versions
3. Review the features and capabilities in the backend version:
   • Review What's new in Instana to understand what features are available in your selected backend version. If the backend version is not listed, see Documentation for older Instana versions for features in earlier versions.
4. Choose your upgrade method:
   • Online upgrade: Use this method for upgrading a deployment that has internet access. For detailed instructions, see Upgrading Custom Edition online.
   • Offline (Air-gapped) upgrade: Use this method for isolated environments without internet access. This process requires downloading all artifacts on a connected machine and transferring them to the air-gapped environment. For more information, see Upgrading Custom Edition in an air-gapped environment.
5. Enable any required optional features:
   • After upgrading, check whether any new features are available that you want to enable. Enable additional capabilities as needed for your deployment. Some features require specific feature flags to be enabled. For the complete list of optional features that you can enable, and the corresponding configuration instructions, see Enabling optional features for Custom Edition.