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API Connect Upgrade Central: v5 to v10

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Abstract

This page of API Connect: Upgrade Central describes information to guide you on a successful journey from v5 to v10.  You will learn an overview of how to migrate versions, the choices you will make, with links to detailed resources and tools to learn, plan and complete your migration.

Content

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image of a path from v5 to v10
Announcement: API Connect v5 End of Support (EOS) is April 30, 2022.  Support Extensions are available for purchase through December 31, 2022. Contact your IBM sales account rep to request a support extension quote.
Approach:
Moving from v5 to v10 is performed by completing a version migration.  Version migration is a  2-step process where you install a new version of software and then move/load data from a previous version.   
v5-migration-image
Choices you need to make:
As you learned on the Getting Started page, v10 includes considerable enhancements and deployment flexibility over v5.  In v5 API Connect had one type of deployment, which was on VMware with provided OVAs and one API gateway service.  In v10, you have several choices to make as part of your Planning.  
First, selecting a deployment form factor:
Staying on VMware with provided OVAs, OpenShift or other Kubernetes platforms.  The deployment white paper includes details on each.  Considerations are on the Getting Start page: Deployment form factor considerations.
Second, selecting an API gateway service:

Selecting v5c API Gateway Service provides the ability to run v5 assemblies with no modification required, simplifying migration. Use v5c when ease of migration and compatibility of existing APIs is most important.  You can expect a ~5-15% performance improvement over the gateway in API Connect v5.  

A v10 native API Gateway Service  is also available, which is higher performing and optimized for API workloads. Development is required to change API assemblies of existing APIs and to use new capabilities. An emulation mode is available along with a porting function in the migration utility.  Together these help reduce development cost of migrating to this new gateway service.  Select the native API gateway to future proof and benefit from a significant ~5-10X performance improvement. 

Important fact:  We support a version migration from v5 to any of the v10 deployment form factors and either gateway service available in v10.
Once you've learned about v10 and made your deployment choices its time to learn about the specific tasks required to move from v5 to v10.
Migration Process:
While this process has many tasks, it is broken into the following steps:
v5-v10-process
Step 1:  Install v10
Depending on your choice of deployment form factor, read and complete your installation of your v10 topology using IBM Documentation links provided:
v10 deployment form factor IBM Documentation
VMware OVA Link to install steps
OpenShift 4, other Kubernetes platforms, or IBM Cloud Pak for Integration Link to install steps
Step 2: Download the Migration Tooling
Downloads:  The API Connect Migration Utility (AMU) is available on IBM Fix Central for each respective release of v10.0.x.x
  • It is recommended to always download the most recent version of the migration tool. The tool typically becomes available on IBM Fix Central about one week after a respective v10.0.x.x release.
  • The name of the file will be formatted apic-migrate-utility_v10.0.x.x, not to be mistaken for other upgrade files not related to version migration that have similar naming convention of upgrade_subsystem_v10.0.x.x.  
Step 3: Prepare, migrate and test/verify 
Preparing v5:  You must be at a minimum source version of 5.0.8.7+ before migrating.  This is required to have access to the DBExtract command which is used to extract your API catalog from v5.  See v5 upgrade documentation for more details: Upgrade your v5.0.x.x environment to v5.0.8.7+ documentation
What about planning for downtime?
  • Important Fact:  The version migration process allows for your v5 gateways to remain functional, allowing API traffic to continue until you alter the load balancer/DNS to direct API traffic to new v10 gateway(s).  The details of how this is performed will depend on your specific networking infrastructure.
Learning resources to prepare and migrate: 
What is migrated:
v5-what-is-migrated
Important fact: Tooling provides flexibility to incrementally migrate (by provider org or catalog) which reduces risks and supports multiple project team schedules. 
Test and Verify:
The IBM Documentation includes instructions that should be performed to test and verify the migration.  
Important facts:
  • Notes about v5 database extracts:  They are a point-in-time snapshot of your current v5 deployment. This is a different process from taking a backup.  The extract will be fed into the migration utility, meaning data written to v5 afterwards will need to migrate later, which is supported. 
IBM Support:
If a problem occurs with a version migration, IBM Support is always here.
  • The IBM Documentation includes troubleshooting guidance including learnings and advice from IBM Support
  • Open a Support Case if needed with IBM API Connect Support
  • v5 to v10 version migration MustGather should be collected to help expedite research
  • See resources tab for additional support resources

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Document Information

Modified date:
05 January 2022

UID

ibm16441749

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