Upgrading to the current version

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Complete this task if you are upgrading an existing Verify Identity Access for web, Verify Identity Access for Mobile, or Verify Identity Access installation to the current version.

Before you begin

Important:

See IBM Verify Identity Access Upgrade Paths.

When you upgrade a cluster, upgrade the primary master first, and do not upgrade the remaining cluster nodes until the primary master finishes upgrading and is operational.

In the case where one of the nonprimary nodes is upgraded when the primary master is not available, upon upgrade completion, the node is in a nonoperational state. To rectify this problem, remove the nonoperational node from the cluster and then readd it. This approach ensures that the configuration and database replication returns to a working state.

If you are installing the virtual appliance for the first time, download the .iso image and follow the installation instructions in the IBM Verify Identity Access Virtual Appliance.

Review the following tasks and complete the tasks that are appropriate to your environment:

Clear the browser cache
As part of the upgrade process, clear your browser cache to reduce the likelihood of encountering issues with cached items.
USB drive for an update
If you use a USB drive for an update, it must be formatted with a FAT file system.
Risk engine reports
Any risk engine reports that you generated before you begin the upgrade task are not preserved. Export copies of the risk reports and save them locally by completing the following steps:
  1. Log in to the local management interface.
  2. Click Monitor > Application Log Files.
  3. Expand access_control and select the risk reports to export.
  4. Click Export and save the files.

Procedure

Choose one of the following upgrade methods and complete the steps:
Use the local management interface for a single appliance not in a cluster.
  1. Download the .pkg file.
  2. Log in to the local management interface.
  3. Select System > Updates and Licensing > Firmware Updates.
  4. Click Upload. The New Update window opens.
  5. Click Select Update.
  6. Browse to the .pkg file.
  7. Click Open.
  8. Click Save Configuration. The upload process might take several minutes.
  9. Select the new firmware and click Install. The installation of the new firmware takes a few minutes. After the update is successfully applied, the appliance restarts automatically.
Use the local management interface for a cluster of appliances.
  1. Download the .pkg file.
  2. Log in to the local management interface of the primary master.
  3. Upload and install the firmware .pkg file on the primary master. This step includes the automatic restart of the appliance.
    Note: If you use internal databases, do not subsequently restart the primary master until the secondary master has been upgraded.
  4. If you use any external databases, download the dbupdate9.zip file from File Downloads area of the primary master and upgrade the external databases.
  5. Upload and install the firmware .pkg file on each node in the cluster starting with the secondary master if present.
  6. Wait for the cluster to synchronize. The firmware for each node in the cluster is now upgraded and the cluster is operational.
Note: Although the secondary master remains present and the embedded runtime database fails over to the secondary master when the primary master is down during the migration, you cannot avoid down time by leveraging this failover mechanism. This is due to the fact that the database changes made to the secondary master while the primary master is being migrated will likely be discarded and replaced by the upgraded databases from the primary master after it begins operating again after the migration.
Use a USB drive. (Only for upgrading a hardware appliance.)
  1. Download the .pkg file.
  2. Copy the firmware update from the .pkg file to a USB flash drive.
  3. Insert the USB flash drive into the hardware appliance.
  4. Log in to the appliance console as admin or use Secure Shell.
  5. Type updates and press Enter.
  6. Type install and press Enter.
  7. Select the following options:
    1. Type 1 for a firmware update.
    2. Type 1 to install the update from a USB drive.
    3. Type YES to confirm that the USB drive is plugged into the appliance.
    4. Type the index number to select the appliance firmware from the list.
    5. Type YES to confirm the update and start the update process.
    Note: The firmware update takes a few minutes to complete and the appliance automatically restarts.

What to do next

  • If you are using an external database to store the runtime or configuration data, you also need to update the database schema. This can be achieved by downloading the database update utility from the appliance and running this utility against the external database. For more information, see Upgrading external databases with the dbupdate tool (for appliance at version 9.0.0.0 and later).
  • If you are upgrading an existing appliance, your Verify Identity Access Platform is ready to use.
  • If you are upgrading an existing Verify Identity Access for Mobile appliance or Advanced Access Control module to the current version, continue with the Upgrading configuration instructions.
  • If you are upgrading an existing Federation module to the current version, continue with the Upgrading configuration instructions.