Introduction
This document describes considerations and requirements to aid in planning an upgrade from the source release of BroadWorks 24.0.
Overview
BroadWorks Release 24.0 supports upgrades to releases, 25.0 and 26.0. Release 24.0 End of Maintenance (EoM) has been announced for the end of July 2026. All servers upgrade to the latest Release Independent version available (consult the Software Compatibility Matrix section titled 'Supported Upgrade Maps') up to 2028.07.
Release Independent Versions
At 25.0 all servers are Release Independent. All new features, bugs, and security fixes are delivered in a new version. Patches are not available, instead, servers must be upgraded from one version to another in order to obtain a fix. A new version of each server is released each month (instead of monthly patch bundles) or more frequently if an urgent fix is required.
Operating System Requirements
Verify that the source Operating System (OS) is supported by the Target release.
Supported OS are Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Oracle Linux, and CentOS 7. CentOS 8, CentOS Stream, Rocky Linux, and Alma Linux are not supported.
Linux 6 support ended on April 30th, 2023 with 2023.05.
Linux 7 support ended on June 20th, 2024 with 2024.07.
Linux 9 support is available from 2023.09+.
Major Release Supported Linux Versions
R24: 6.5+, 7, 8
R25: 6.5+, 7, 8
Release Independent Supported Linux Versions
2020.07+: 6.5+, 7, 8
2023.05+: 7, 8
2023.10+: 7, 8, 9 (Linux 9 is not supported on the Application Servers (AS) until 2024.04)
2024.04+: 7, 8, 9
2024.07+: 8, 9
Database Server (DBS) Supported Linux Versions
2020.11 to 2022.06: 7.5+ only
2022.07+: 7.5+, 8.5+
2024.07+: 8.5+
2024.09: Final Release/End of Life
OS Upgrades
BroadWorks has not historically supported in-place upgrades between major Linux versions. Historically, the recommendation was to perform a hardware swap, build a new server on the target Linux version, and migrate the existing server to the new server. Starting with release 2023.12, in-place Linux upgrades are supported from Linux 7 to 8 and 8 to 9. In order to perform an in-place Linux upgrade, servers must first be upgraded to 2023.12 or later.
For documentation on in-place Linux upgrades, refer to section 9 of the Software Management Guide. For documentation on the hardware swap process, refer to section 5.2.6 of the Software Management Guide and section 12.2 of the Maintenance Guide.
It is not recommended to use a hardware swap to upgrade BroadWorks at the same time or to perform a hardware swap or in-place Linux upgrade and a BroadWorks upgrade in the same maintenance window. Servers with a database must go through the upgrade process; a database from one version of BroadWorks cannot be imported into another version of BroadWorks.
Upgrade Limitations and Server-Specific Notes
Profile Server and Xtended Service Platform Upgrade to Application Delivery Platform
Starting at release 24.0, the Profile Server (PS) and Xtended Service Platform (XSP) become the same server type, known as the Application Delivery Platform (ADP). The PS and XSP servers upgrade in place and become the ADP server type after the upgrade.
An ADP license and an updated version of the deployed apps are required. XSP upgrades must take place after the AS are upgraded. There are RI versions of the PS and XSP on the download portal but these are only for systems that deploy the Execution Server (XS) server in place of the AS. All systems with an AS must upgrade PS and XSPs to ADP.
Cisco BroadWorks applications and web applications must be manually upgraded on XSP, PS, and ADP.
When upgrading ADP servers to 2025.07 or later there is a change in the Java JRE version that complicates the upgrade if Release Independent and Release Anchored apps are commingled on the ADP server. Refer to this help document for more information.
DBS
The DBS is End of Life. 2024.09 is the final release of the DBS and ECCR apps. ECCR must be replaced by CCER. For more information on options for the DBS refer to this document. Once ECCR is no longer in use the DBS must be decommissoned.
Enhanced Call Logs (ECL)
ECL is the end of life on the DBS after DBS 2020.08. The ECL database must be migrated to a Network Database Server (NDS) for continued use, the migration is not automatic. Refer to the Enhanced Call Logs Solution Guide and the NDS Enhanced Call Logs Feature Description for more information. Refer to the Network Database Server Configuration Guide for setting up an NDS and the ECL Migration From DBS to NDS Feature Description for the migration procedure. The migration must be performed before the upgrade.
Review Documentation
Release notes for the target release and any releases between the target and source release must be reviewed.
25.0 Release Notes
26.0 Release Notes
Upgrade Method of Procedure (MoP)
Refer to the Software Compatibility Matrix for the official supported upgrade paths.
License Requirements
A new license is required for the target release. In order to request a licence open a ticket. Request that the PS and XSP licenses be converted to ADP licenses; the ADP does not accept a PS or XSP license.
Best Practices
Notify BroadWorks Support Before an Upgrade
It is recommended to notify BroadWorks Support a few days in advance with a severity 4 (s4) ticket. If an issue arises during the maintenance, raise the severity of the ticket to s1, open a new s1 ticket, or call the support line to speak to an engineer.
Test Plans
A test plan is essential to ensure a smooth upgrade. A test plan must be developed and tested in a lab before a production upgrade. Run the test plan on the system before the upgrade and record the results. This ensures that the system is healthy, verifies that all test users and accounts are correctly configured and functioning, provides an opportunity to catch potential gaps in the test plan, and provides a time estimate on how long testing is expected to take.
Each server must be tested after it has been upgraded in order to ensure that it is functioning as expected before moving on to upgrade to the next server in the sequence.
Patching
Patch the source release to six months or less of the latest patch level before upgrading.
Pre-Install Check Script
The pre-install check script must be run on every server, lab, and production, and any warnings or failures must be addressed before the upgrade.
Lab Upgrade
It is always recommended to test the upgrade, the test plan, and the target release with any third-party tools, applications, or clients in a lab environment that replicates the production environment. The lab can be scaled down but ought to have the same server types, software version, OS version, access devices, Session Border Control (SBC), and so on. Treat the lab upgrade as a dry run for the production environment upgrade. Use the latest target release patch level when upgrading the lab. Keep the time between the lab and production upgrade to three months or less.
Scheduling and Upgrade Sequence
Upgrades are expected to take place over multiple maintenance windows spread across several nights and are performed in the Installation and Upgrade Order as documented in section 4.2 of the Software Management Guide. Always perform upgrades during a predetermined maintenance window (during a non-busy hour). Always upgrade one node at a time, and ensure that one or more than one node of a cluster is down at any given time. The length of the maintenance window (MW), the number of servers to upgrade, the server type, and how long testing is expected to take determine how many maintenance windows are required. All servers in a cluster must be upgraded in the same MW. Leave time available in the scheduled MW for troubleshooting and/or rollback if required.
Upgrade Failures
If an issue is discovered during the post-upgrade testing or an upgrade fails, gather logs before reverting to the source release or restoring the server. Backup the entire logs directory in order to ensure all potentially helpful logs are kept. Immediately open a ticket and call Support for assistance while still in the MW.
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