Upgrade instructions 7.3

Modified on Thu, 5 Feb at 2:08 PM

This article will guide you through the farmerswife server upgrade process.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Before you begin
Step-by-step instructions

Before you begin

License

Request your farmerswife 7.3 license from license@farmerswife.com.
To be eligible for a 7.3 license you need to have a current support subscription with us.

Check running 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 7.3 please make sure to be on at least 7.2 SP3 version.Please contact support@farmerswife.com in case you are running a version below 6.8.

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.
No support for 32bit fw Server and Client apps on Mac and Windows
7.2 SP3 requires Java / OpenJDK v17 to be installed
If you are running older OS versions than Mojave, you will need to upgrade first to a newer operating system. 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!
Use of Secure Cookies since 7.2 Release
On Web Client and Mobile Web Client the login can fail if the farmerswife system is hosted on an older Operating System (OS), because since v7.2 farmerswife uses "secure cookies" for the authentication on Web Client and Mobile Web Client.
This can cause the login to fail and prevent users with valid credentials from logging-in!
Use one of these 2 Resolution options:
1. Upgrade the fw server app host OS to latest macOS or Windows.
2. Add local patch: Use the server.cfg's new variable "HTTP_XML_AUTH_MODE key".
  Download here, or from the bottom of this article.
  - Quit the fw Server app.
  - Rename the downloaded file to "server.cfg" and move it into the fw Server app's "system" folder.
  - Launch your fw Server app and login to Web Client and Mobile Web Client

Download installers

Go to our Release installers page and browse into the “7.3" folder.

The page is password protected. Please email support@farmerswife.com to ask for the password if you don't have it yet.
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".

Notify team

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

Step-by-step instructions

Upgrade Steps macOS Server

Run a Full Backup
- In the running farmerswife Server application, click Full Backup Now immediately before starting the upgrade.
Download & Prepare the New Server Package
- Download the compressed .zip installer into your Downloads folder.
- Unzip it, then rename to include “NEW” (e.g., farmerswife Server NEW)
- Now move the farmerswife64 Server app into Applications.
Stop the Current Server
- Quit the running farmerswife Server.
- Rename the existing Server app to include “OLD”.
Copy System Data from OLD to NEW
- On both packages: Control + click → Show Package Contents
- From the OLD package, copy the folders:
  - system
  - files (if present)
- Paste them into the NEW package.
  Note: The “files” folder may be stored on a mounted network volume instead.
  Ensure that volume is properly mounted.
Migrate Customised Files (if applicable)
Copy only relevant custom items from OLD → NEW:
- HTML templates (html_templates)
  - Compare with the new templates and migrate only customised files.
- SSL configuration
  - If you previously enabled SSL, migrate/protect your SSL files as per your internal notes
    (e.g., server.pem, skey.pem, keystore).
  - Important: Since v6.8, jetty.xml is no longer used for local SSL.
- 3rd-party integration scripts
  - Copy only the actual script files into the matching folder in the NEW package
    (Contents > lib > scripts).
Install the New v7.3 License Files
- Copy the new v7.3 license files into the system folder inside the NEW Server package.
Start the Upgrade
- On first launch only: Right-click → Open (to allow macOS permissions).
- Let the Server run through the upgrade process.
- The upgrade may require a few forced shutdowns depending on your system.
Afterward, you can start the Server normally by double-clicking it.
Cleanup
- Update or remove old Dock/Desktop shortcuts.
- Once confirmed working, you may delete the OLD Server package.
After Upgrade
- Start the farmerswife Server as usual.
- Please email a short confirmation to support@farmerswife.com once the upgrade is successful.
If any issues occur, contact support@farmerswife.com.

Upgrade Steps Windows/Linux Server

Log in as Administrator
- Sign in to the host machine using the same admin account used during the original Server installation.
Run a Full Backup
- In the running farmerswife Server application, click Full Backup Now immediately before upgrading.
Copy the New Installer to the Server Machine
- Download and copy the NEW installer to the machine hosting the Server:
- Windows: .exe installer
- Linux: .bin installer
  - Make it executable via terminal:
    chmod +x Linux64_...
Stop the Current Server
- Quit the running farmerswife Server before installing.
Protect Customised Files (Important)
- Ensure any customised files are set to read-only so they are not overwritten during the upgrade
  (e.g., files in html_templates or /lib/scripts).
SSL Configuration (if applicable)
- If you previously enabled SSL, follow your internal notes to migrate or protect files such as:
  server.pem, skey.pem, keystore
- Important: Since v6.8, jetty.xml is no longer used for local SSL with Jetty.
- During installation, choose Ignore if the wizard asks to modify protected read-only files.
Install the New License Files
- Copy license.dat and license.txt into the Server’s system folder.
Run the Installer
- Launch the installer the same way as the original installation:
  - On Windows, use Run as Administrator if you did so previously.
- Follow the Installation Wizard steps carefully:
  - Confirm the installation path matches the existing Server location.
  - Choose a Full Installation, including HTML Templates.
After Upgrade
- Start the farmerswife Server as usual.
Confirmation & Support

If you experience any issues, contact support@farmerswife.com.
Once the upgrade is successful, please send a short confirmation email to support — this helps us provide the best support.

Upgrading farmerswife Client applications
The auto-upgrade functionality is supported if you are upgrading from version 7.2 SP3.

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 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.
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!

Package distribution on Windows - "/SILENT" and "/VERYSILENT" support

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_v703.exe /SILENT" or "fw_client_v703.exe /VERYSILENT" this will install it using this legacy default location. C:\Program Files (x86)\farmerswife Client.

Use this on Windows > CMD

C:\_fw_installer>fw_client_v703.exe /VERYSILENT /DIR="C:\Program Files\farmerswife Client"

... and it will then be using "Inno Setup" to install it as expected.

Please refer to these links and try it out on your end what works best for you:

http://www.jrsoftware.org/ishelp/index.php?topic=setupcmdline
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/71203/is-it-feasible-sensible-to-wrap-an-innosetup-installer-inside-an-msi-for-easier?rq=1

Direct Client Desktop application installer download links

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

fw_client_v703.dmg

macOS Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma "64bit" fw Client non-retina:
fw_client_v703-nonretina.dmg

Windows "64bit" fw Client:
fw_client_v703.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 desktop app installation instructions:
- Mac Client Installation
- Windows Client Installation