Installing or Patching

Select the appropriate link to view a PDF version of the 9.11 Prerequisites, the Installation Guide, or the Upgrade Guide .

Alemba ships two different software installations for each release:

  • vFire Core Setup 9xx.exe (for example vFire Core Setup 970.exe)
  • vFire Core Patch 9xx.msi (for example vFire Core Patch 970.msi)
  • Maintenance Package

The 'Setup' is used for installing new systems or upgrading from previous versions, such as v8 to v9. The 'Patch' is used for upgrading systems on the same versions to a new dot release, such as v9.1.5 to v9.7.0.

You can order the files you need from the service catalog on the vFire Customer Portal - www.alemba.help.

If you are viewing a release other than a beta or GA release, you will also see a maintenance package. This is used to upgrade from point releases within the same version, such as v9.6.1 to 9.6.2.

There are different circumstances when they can be used as outlined below.

What I want to achieve What I need to do
I want to create a brand new vanilla System Install the latest vFire Core Setup 9xx.exe then use the Server Console system creation wizard.
I have an existing v9.x.x system and I want to upgrade it (on the same server)

Always take a backup of your system and database before performing an upgrade.

Install the latest vFire Core Patch 9xx.msi.

The vFire Patch Tool will upgrade the system files and database.
I have a v8 System I want to upgrade

The minimum version from which you can upgrade from v8 to v9 is v8RP40. If you have a version earlier than this, you must upgrade to v8RP40 before attempting to upgrade to v9.

Always take a backup of your system and database before performing an upgrade.

Follow the instructions in Upgrading from vFire 9.2 or Below.
I have a v9.x.x system, and I want to upgrade it and move to a new server at the same time.

Always take a backup of your system and database before performing an upgrade.

  1. Install the latest vFire Core Patch 9xx.msi on the old server and upgrade the database.
  2. Decommission the old server - turn off the vFire Core Services and IIS Admin Service, and set their Startup Type setting to Manual.
  3. Install the latest vFire Core Setup 9xx.exe on the new server.
  4. On the new server, create a new system using the Server Console system creation wizard.
  5. During system creation, point to the existing database, and when ask if you wish to upgrade the database, select No.

If upgrading a system on v9.2 or below, please follow the instructions in Upgrading from vFire 9.2 or Below.
I want to upgrade from a Beta to a GA release

Due to the typical nature of enhancements between releases, the maintenance package is not suitable for upgrading from the Beta (x.x.0) to GA (x.x.1) version of the software.

You can upgrade from Beta to GA using the standard maintenance pack.
I would like to upgrade between minor point releases.

Always take a backup of your system and database before performing an upgrade.

You can upgrade between minor point releases (e.g. 9.5.2 to 9.5.4) by applying the Patch MSI or the Maintenance Package.

The Maintenance Package contains files to be manually applied, and in doing this you will not need to run through a full patch upgrade process. See The Maintenance Package for full instruction on how to use it.

Note the following before using the Maintenance Package:

  • Users should be notified that the system will be down during upgrade.
  • Only use the maintenance package if you are confident of the version you are currently running, and that you are only attempting to complete a minor point upgrade.
  • The Maintenance Package is only available when upgrading from version 9.4.1 and higher.
  • The maintenance package is not suitable for upgrading from 9.7.1 to 9.7.2, due to the nature of some of the enhancements in the 9.7.2 release. Instead, you should use the standard upgrade process. Any upgrades from 9.7.2 to any version up to 9.7.9 can be done using the maintenance package. It is also unsuitable for upgrading to 9.7.10. If you are upgrading to this version, or from any version lower to any version higher, please use the standard upgrade process.
  • The maintenance package is not available for upgrades from 9.9.1 to 9.9.4, due to Alemba API upgrades which are not represented in the maintenance package. Instead, you should use the standard upgrade process.