Properly deploy software updates to a MOSS 2007 farm: Part 2

UPGRADE PHASE

1. Backup the farm again. Refer to Step 4 of my previous “PRE-UPGRADE” post.

2. On each server in the farm, rename the Upgrade.log file located in Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\LOGS. The Upgrade.log file holds a cumulative history of update activity for that given server. Renaming the existing Upgrade.log file allows a new, clean version of the file to be created during the upgrade process. This makes troubleshooting easier if the upgrade process fails.

3. Disable antivirus software.

4. Stop the WWW service on all front-end web servers in the farm.

5. If your content databases are larger than 25 GB, you should prepare to move them, and then detach them. This will minimize the downtime required to upgrade. See below for instructions.

To prepare to move the content databases, run the following command line:

stsadm -o preparetomove -contentdb YourSQLServerName:YourDatabaseName -site http://YourSiteURL

To detach the content databases, run the following command line:

stsadm -o deletecontentdb -url http://YourSiteURL -databaseserver YourSQLServerName -databasename YourDatabaseName

6. Determine the server upgrade sequence. Microsoft recommends that you first upgrade the server that is hosting the Central Administration Web Site (application server or front-end web), then the application servers, and finally the front-end web servers.

7. Logged in as the Setup account, run the appropriate installation packages on each server according to the upgrade sequence above in Step 6 and the update installation sequence in Step 2 of my previous “PRE-UPGRADE” post. Be sure to cancel the SharePoint Configuration Wizard each time it appears after running an update package on each server. You have now installed the necessary binaries on each server.

8. On the first server in which you ran the updates, complete the upgrade process by running psconfig –cmd upgrade –inplace b2b at a command prompt. After the operation completes, verify the upgrade was successful by viewing the Upgrade.log file.

9. Complete the upgrade process on all other servers in the farm by running psconfig –cmd upgrade –inplace b2b on all other servers in the farm. Be sure to follow the same sequential order as described in Step 6. Verify each server was successfully upgraded by viewing their respective Upgrade.log file.

10. If you detached any content databases as described in Step 5, re-attach each database one-by-one. Each database will be automatically upgraded when it is attached. To attach a content database, run the following command line:

stsadm -o addcontentdb -url http://YourSiteURL -databasename YourDatabaseName -databaseserver YourDatabaseServerName

11. If needed, install language pack updates for both WSS and MOSS.

12. Enable antivirus software.

13. Start the WWW service on all front-end web servers.

14. On the Central Administration Web Site, check the version number for each server (Operations tab, Servers in Farm). They should all be the same updated version.

15. Perform a backup of the farm. As mentioned in Step 4 of my “PRE-UPGRADE” post, the previous backups are no longer valid. You need a backup of the upgraded environment.

16. Perform a full crawl of all MOSS content.

Remember to view the Upgrade.log files if you experience issues during the upgrade process.