Upgrading the IBM RPA on premises server

Lean how to upgrade and how to revert the upgrade to the IBM RPA on premises server.

Before you begin

Stop the following services:

  • IBM Robotic Process Automation service
  • IBM RPA WDG License Metric Service
  1. Open the Windows Task Manager.
  2. On the Services tab, search for the previously mentioned services.
  3. Right-click the service and select Stop.

Upgrading from versions before 21.0.x

To upgrade from versions before 21.0.x, you must uninstall the current server version, and install the newer version.

Attention:
  • Back up your databases to avoid potential data loss or corruption. Upgrades can contain database schema changes, which can cause schema errors if you potentially roll back in the future. For more information on the backup process, see Create a Full Database Backup 🡥{: external}.
  • You can't update existing configuration when upgrading the server.
  • IBM RPA 21.0.x and 23.0.x databases are not compatible with IBM RPA 20.12.x databases.

    • For more information on recovering the database back up, see Restore a Database Backup Using SSMS 🡥.

    Procedure

    Important:Use the same ports, connection strings, and settings from the previous installation. The server will not work properly if the settings are different from the previous version.
    1. On the Windows Start menu, search for Add or remove programs.
    2. Remove the IBM Robotic Process Automation software.
    3. On the uninstaller, click Next.
    4. After you uninstall, restart the machine to apply the changes.
    5. Run the server installer for the newer version. Refer to Install the server by using the installer for the installation procedure.

    If you experience issues with upgrading, try searching for solutions in Troubleshooting IBM RPA on premises or, if you can't find your solution, contact IBM Support 🡥.

    Rolling back an upgrade

    If the upgrade process was not successful or if you want to revert the upgrade, you can roll back to a previous version by following these steps:

    1. On the Windows Start menu, search for Add or remove programs.
    2. Remove the IBM Robotic Process Automation software.
    3. On the uninstaller, click Next.
    4. After you uninstall, restart the machine to apply the changes.
    5. Recover your database backup to avoid schema changes. Keep in mind that any changes made after the upgrade will be lost.
    6. Run the server installer for the older version. Refer to Server installation for the installation procedure.
    Important:Versions before 21.0.x are no longer supported and rolling back is not recommended. IBM no longer provides security and feature updates to these versions.

    Upgrading from versions 21.0.x or higher

    To upgrade from version 21.0.x or higher of IBM RPA on premises server, run the server installer in a host that has an older version of the IBM RPA server. The following procedure describes the upgrade process.

    Attention:
    • Back up your databases to avoid potential data loss or corruption. Upgrades can contain database schema changes, which can cause schema errors if you potentially roll back in the future. For more information on the backup process, see Create a Full Database Backup 🡥{: external}.
    • You can't update existing configuration when you upgrade the server.
    • IBM RPA 23.0.x databases are not compatible with IBM RPA 20.12.x databases.

    For more information on recovering the database backup, see Restore a Database Backup Using SSMS 🡥.

    Procedure

    To upgrade the server, run the IBM RPA server installer. If the installer identifies that the host machine has an older version of the IBM RPA on premises server installed, you get prompted to initiate the upgrade process.

    During the upgrade process, you can't update previous configuration, but the installer prompts you to set optional configurations that were not set before and new features. The installer steps are the same as when installing the IBM RPA server. Refer to the Install the server by using the installer procedure to get guidance for any configuration prompt you get.

    If you use Single Sign-On (SSO), you might need to adjust UMS settings after you upgrade. For more information, see UMS stops working after upgrade.

    If you experience issues with upgrading, try searching for solutions in Troubleshooting IBM RPA on premises or, if you can't find your solution, contact IBM Support 🡥.

    Rolling back an upgrade

    If you want to revert to a previous version, restore your database backup and run the installer for the older version to initiate the rollback process. Keep in mind that the installer is unable to revert database schema changes, and changes that were made after the upgrade will be lost.