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  3. Upgrading the Server and Clients

Upgrade Instructions 7.1 SP2

Before you Upgrade


!! v7.1 NO LONGER SUPPORTS the 32bit fw Server and Client apps on Mac and Windows !!

!! v7.1 requires Java / OpenJDK v17 to be installed! See more info here.


STEP 1: 

Have your "Version 7.1" license at hand
If you don't have your new farmerswife (fw) 7.1 license yet, request it from license@farmerswife.com.
To be eligible for a 7.1 license you need to have a current support subscription with us.


STEP 2: 

Check your running farmerswife version
Every farmerswife version contains a specific upgrade code. To ensure data integrity you may need to do several fw-Server-side-only upgrade steps, if you are upgrading from older versions. For the upgrade to 7.1 please make sure to be on at least 7.0 Release version.

          IMPORTANT read about the most important changes in this (and previous) version:

  • Native macOS 10.15 Catalina (and later) support
    Since v6.6 we provide "64bit" installers for macOS fw Server and Client, which can be used on macOS Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma.
  • !! v7.1 NO LONGER SUPPORTS the 32bit fw Server and Client apps on Mac and Windows !!
    If you are running older OS versions than Mojave, you will need to upgrade first to a newer operating system.

    IMPORTANT: First check the current version of the fw Server host Operating System (OS)!
    macOS 10.14 Mojave is the best practice starting point for the fw Server app to be smoothly upgraded on Mac from versions below v6.6!

  • This version requires the fw Client app Full Installer download and to be manually installed; on Windows and Mac the new "64bit" fw Server app supports the "Full fw Client app installer download auto-upgrade" in some scenarios.
    See below the "Client Upgrade" section for more details.

  • New "Built-in PDF Printer" on the 64bit fw Server AND fw Client apps on Windows and Mac.
  • !! v7.1 requires Java / OpenJDK v17 to be installed!

  • Print Designer - Page Breaks and Rectangles changes continue since v6.5 Release. Your templates might be affected.

STEP 3: 

Download the "Public Installers"
Go to our Release installers page and browse into the “7.1 SP2" folder.
Download the farmerswife Server Installer for your Operating System, and the farmerswife Client Installers for the fw Client app OS platforms in your environment if required. Or distribute the below listed "direct download links".

STEP 4: 

Inform your colleagues about this new version before you start the upgrade process.

Upgrading your fw Server running on macOS Mojave or later versions

Follow these step-by-step instructions to safely upgrade your Farmerswife (fw) Server.


1. Perform a Full Backup

  • Open the running farmerswife Server application.
  • Click the "Full Backup Now" button to create a complete backup before starting the upgrade.

2. Download and Prepare the New Server Package

  • Download the new farmerswife Server package.
  • Ensure the compressed .zip file is downloaded and extracted in your Downloads folder on the Mac.
  • Move the extracted farmerswife64 Server app to the Applications folder.
  • If necessary, unzip the file and rename it to include "NEW" in the name (e.g., farmerswife64 Server NEW).

3. Organize Server Files

  • Place the new server package in the Applications folder (same location as the current farmerswife Server).
  • Quit the currently running Farmerswife Server.
  • Rename the existing server package to include "OLD" in its name (e.g., farmerswife64 Server OLD).

4. Transfer Files from the Old to the New Server Package

  • For both the OLD and NEW packages:
    1. Press <Control> + click on the package and select "Show Package Contents" from the pop-up menu.
  • In the OLD package:
    • Locate the "system" and "files" folders.
    • Press <Control> + click, then choose "Copy 2 Items".
  • In the NEW package:
    • Press <Control> + click inside the package, then select "Paste 2 Items".
  • Note: The "files" folder may not exist in the new package if it was moved to network storage. Ensure the storage device is properly mounted before proceeding.

5. Migrate Customized Files

If you have customized files, you'll need to transfer them from the OLD server package to the NEW one. Follow these steps:

  • a) HTML Templates:
    • Browse to "html_templates" within the OLD package.
    • Compare your customized files with the new version’s templates and migrate only the customized files.
  • b) SSL Configuration:
    • If you’ve previously enabled SSL for your Farmerswife Server, refer to your logged instructions for migrating files such as server.pem, skey.pem, keystore, or jetty.xml.
    • Important: Since version 6.8, the jetty.xml file is no longer used for SSLing the built-in Jetty web server. Follow the updated SSL instructions.
  • c) Third-Party Integration Scripts:
    • Navigate to fw Server app package > Show Package Contents > contents > lib > scripts.
    • Copy only the necessary third-party integration scripts from the OLD package to the NEW one.

6. Update License Files

  • Copy the new v7.1 license files into the "system" folder of the NEW Farmerswife Server package.

7. Start the Upgrade Process

  • On the first startup, right-click the NEW Farmerswife Server package and select "Open".
  • Let the system run to begin the upgrade process.
  • Note: The upgrade may require several forced shutdowns depending on your system usage.

8. Complete the Upgrade

  • Once the upgrade finishes, double-click the NEW server package icon to launch it in the future.
  • If the upgrade is successful:
    • Update any Dock or Desktop shortcuts to point to the NEW server.
    • Optionally, remove the OLD server package.

9. Troubleshooting and Support

10. Post-Upgrade Notification

  • After successfully upgrading, please send a short email to support@farmerswife.com to inform us of the completed upgrade. Your feedback helps us provide better support.


Upgrading your Windows or Linux hosted farmerswife Server

Follow these steps to upgrade your Farmerswife (fw) Server application on Windows or Linux.

1. Log In

  • Log in to the host machine using the same admin account that was used for the initial installation of the Farmerswife Server.

2. Perform a Full Backup

  • Open the running Farmerswife Server application.
  • Click the "Full Backup Now" button to perform a complete backup before starting the upgrade.

3. Copy the New Server Installer

  • Download and copy the NEW Farmerswife Server installer to the machine hosting the WIFE Server.
    • Windows: Use the .exe installer file.
    • Linux: Use the .bin installer file. Make the file executable by running the following command in a terminal: chmod +x Linux64_.

4. Stop the Current Server

  • Quit the currently running Farmerswife Server.

5. Ensure Custom Files are Protected

  • Make sure any customized files are set to read-onlyto prevent them from being overwritten during the upgrade. This includes files such as:
    • html_templates
    • Any scripts within /lib/scripts

6. SSL Configuration

  • If you’ve previously enabled SSL on your Farmerswife system, use your logged instructions to identify which SSL-related files (e.g., server.pem, skey.pem, keystore, jetty.xml) need to be migrated or protected.
  • Important: Since version 6.8, the jetty.xml file is no longer used for SSLing the built-in Jetty web server. Follow the updated SSL instructions.
  • During the installation, select "Ignore" in the Installation Wizard to ensure that the read-only files are not modified.

7. Update License Files

  • Copy the new v7.1 license files (license.dat and license.txt) into the "system" folder of your Farmerswife Server application.

8. Run the Installer

  • Double-click the installer file to run it, just as you did in the original installation.
    • If you used "Run as Administrator" on Windows for the original installation, ensure you do so again.
  • Follow the instructions in the installation wizard.
    • Important: Ensure that the installation path matches the previous installation.
    • Choose Full Installation, making sure to include and install the HTML Templates.

9. Troubleshooting

10. Start the Server

  • After the installation, start the Farmerswife Server as usual.

11. Notify Support

  • Once the upgrade is successful, send a short email to support@farmerswife.com to inform them. This helps ensure you receive the best possible support.


Upgrading your farmerswife Clients


IMPORTANT: This latest version of farmerswife contains changes to the upgrade process which require a Full upgrade and manual installation on your user's Desktop client machines.
The auto-upgrade functionality is only supported on "64bit" fw client and fw server versions!


!! v7.1 NO LONGER SUPPORTS the 32bit fw Server and Client apps on Mac and Windows !!


For "package distribution" on Windows see below info about "/SILENT" support.

Below are the details of how the upgrade is supported on various servers and clients:
For full installs OS admin user permissions Read, Write AND Execute are necessary.

  • If your farmerswife Server is macOS 64bit (Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey) or Windows (64bit):

    • Windows fw Clients will perform an auto upgrade when they first connect to the upgraded Server.

    • macOS (Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey) fw clients will perform a full install by downloading the installer .dmg when they first connect to the upgraded Server.

  • If your farmerswife Server or fw Clients are or running a macOS version earlier than Mojave, or a Windows 32 bit, or Linux your clients will NOT upgrade automatically! 

Use the following direct download links for the farmerswife Client desktop application installers:


macOS Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma"64bit" fw Client Retina optimized: 

fw_client_v701-SP2.dmg


macOS Mojave, Catalina, Big Surr, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma "64bit" fw Client non-retina: 

fw_client_v701-SP2-nonretina.dmg


Windows "64bit" fw Client: 
fw_client_v701-SP2.exe


Linux "32bit" fw Client: 

Please contact support@farmerswife.com if you need use the fw Client app on Linux.


For your reference below are the fw client installation instructions:
- Mac Client Installation
- Windows Client Installation

IMPORTANT when upgrading the WIFE Client on Mac: If you have a mix of Admin and Standard users on a Mac, make sure to be logged-in as a Standard user. Then after mounting the .dmg file, drag-and-drop it to the Applications folder. You then need to authenticate with the Admin users credentials! The farmerswife Client will not work for the Standard user, if installed while being logged-in as the Admin user. 


IMPORTANT when upgrading the WIFE Client on Windows for "package distribution" purposes:

farmerswife does not support .msi files. For Windows we only provide .exe files.
You can use these "silent commands" when installing/upgrading the farmerswife Client application on Windows: If you use in "cmd" on Windows: "fw_client_701-SP2.exe /SILENT" .
It will NOT install in the default location. But it will use the previously last used installation path, most likely is: C:\Program Files (x86)\farmerswife Client <= legacy path, should be:

C:\Program Files \farmerswife Client
"/VERYSILENT" will also work.

Please refer to these links and try it out on your end what works best for you:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/71203/is-it-feasible-sensible-to-wrap-an-innosetup-installer-inside-an-msi-for-easier?rq=1
http://www.jrsoftware.org/ishelp/index.php?topic=setupcmdline


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