Best Practices for Installing Service Packs & Applying Hot Fixes

Article ID: 50616 - Last Review: July 6, 2017

PREPARING TO INSTALL SERVICE PACKS OR HOT FIXES

Before installing service packs or applying hot fixes it is recommended you perform a Microsoft SQL Server database backup, using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. You require a full SQL Server database backup prior to the installation of a service pack or application of a hot fix because you cannot roll back SQL Script changes after they are applied. We also recommend you create an Enterprise Server support package, which creates a backup of your configuration.

PERFORMING A MICROSOFT SQL SERVER DATABASE BACKUP

The following procedure describes how to perform a full Microsoft SQL Server database backup using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 2005/2008. To perform a Microsoft SQL Server database backup

1. On the local SQL Server, start Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
2. Connect to the SQL Server using your log on credentials.
3. In the left pane, expand the Databases list in the tree.
4. Right-click CCM Data, point to Tasks, and then click Back Up.  The Back Up Database dialog box opens.
5. Verify the database name in the drop-down list beside Database. Optionally, select a different database from the list.
6. In the Backup type list box, select Full.
7. Select Database as the Backup component.
8. Accept the default backup set name suggested in the Name text box or type an alternate name for the backup set.
9. Optionally, in the Description text box, type a description of the backup set.
10.  Specify when the backup set will expire and can be overwritten without explicitly skipping verification of the expiration data:

• To have the backup set expire after a specific number of days, click After (the default option) and select the number of days after set creation that the set will expire. This value can be from 0 to 99999 days; a value of 0 days means that the backup set will never expire.
• To have the backup set expire on a specific date, click On and select the date, from the drop-down calendar, on which the set will expire.

Choose the type of backup destination by clicking Disk or Tape. To select the paths of up to 64 disk or tape drives containing a single media set, click Add. The selected paths are displayed in the Backup to list box. The default path is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.10SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup\CCMData.bak

• NOTE: Ensure you have sufficient disk space available.

To remove a backup destination, select the backup destination and click Remove.

To view the contents of a backup destination, select the backup destination and click Contents.

To view or select the advanced options, click Options in the Select a page pane.

Choose an Overwrite Media option by selecting one of the following:

• Back up to the existing media set Select Append to the existing backup set or Overwrite all existing backup sets. To verify the date and time at which the media set and backup set expire, select Check media set name and backup set expiration. Optionally, type a name in the Media set name text box. If no name is specified, a media set with a blank name is created. If you specify a media set name, the media (tape or disk) is checked to see whether the actual name matches the name you enter here.
• Back up to a new media set and erase all existing backup sets Type a name in the New media set name text box and, optionally, describe the media set in the New media set description text box.

In the Reliability section, optionally select:

• Verify backup when finished
• Perform checksum before writing to media and, optionally, Continue on error.

If you are backing up to a tape drive (as specified in the Destination section of the General page) ensure the Unload the tape after backup option is active. Clicking this option activates the Rewind the tape before unloading option.

In the Set backup compression drop-down list, select Compress backup to compress backup files or Do not compress backup to prevent backup file compression. By default, whether a backup is compressed depends on the value of the backupcompression default server configuration option.

• NOTE: Backup compression is supported in SQL Server 2008 Enterprise and later only.

Click OK.

Return to step 4 and complete this procedure for CCM Statistical data (right-click CCM Statistical Data, point to Tasks, and then click Back Up).

• NOTE: If you are using Contact Center Management Version 5.3 or earlier you need to back up the CCM data only. If you are using Contact Center Management Version 5.4 or later you need to back up the CCM data and the CCM Statistical data.

CREATING AN ENTERPRISE SERVER SUPPORT PACKAGE

To create an Enterprise Server support package

1. In Contact Center Client, click Management. The Management Console window opens.
2. Click Support.
3. Click Create a support package.
4. Follow the steps in the Support Package Wizard to package your telephone system records and YourSite configuration data.
5. Click Finish.
6. Go to the prairieFyre hive. Depending on your operating system this could be in one of two places:

• 32-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\prairieFyre Software Inc\CCM\
• 64-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432\prairieFyre Software Inc\CCM\

Go to the \Common\ key and record the following values:

• PreviousVersion
• ProductVersion
• ServerVersion

Go back to the prairieFyre hive and open the \Enterprise\ key.  Record the LastScriptRun value.

ROLLBACK PROCEDURE

If you are experiencing problems after installing a service pack or applying a hot fix, you can roll back to your previous state, restore the SQL Server database that you backed up, and summarize the interim data. During service pack upgrades and hot fix applications overwritten files are saved to the backup files folder. These files are stored there until the next time you upgrade to either a full release or a service pack. It is essential that you have sufficient drive space within which to store these files. With Contact Center Management Version 5.7 you are alerted if backing up the service pack or hot fix would leave you with less than 10% free disk space and are given the options to continue without a backup or abort the procedure. If you choose to continue, the files will copy but file backup will not occur.

To roll back Contact Center Management to a previous state

1. Stop all prairieFyre services and Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). This helps prevent file-in-use errors.
2. Go to Start >Search and type regedit . Press Enter to open the registry editor.
3. Go to the prairieFyre hive. Depending on your operating system this could be in one of two places:

• 32-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\prairieFyre Software Inc\CCM\
• 64-bit Windows: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432\prairieFyre Software Inc\CCM\

Go to the \Common\ key and modify the values for the following with the ones you recorded when taking your support package:

1. PreviousVersion
2. ProductVersion
3. ServerVersion

Go back to the prairieFyre hive and open the \Enterprise\ key.  Modify the LastScriptRun value with the one you recorded when taking your support package.

Locate the zipped backup files. The backup files for service packs and hot fixes are located in a subdirectory of the pre-existing backup files folder and are identified with the service pack or hot fix number, for example, the backup file location for hot fix 13456 would be [InstallDir]\CCM\BackupFiles\13456.

Unzip the backup files.

Copy the backup files and paste them over the files you added during the hot fix application or service pack upgrade.

• NOTE: Follow the directory structure C:\Program Files\prairieFyre Software Inc\CCM … for this copy and paste operation.

Restore the Microsoft SQL Server database backup. See “Restoring a Microsoft SQL Server database backup” below.

Start all prairieFyre services and Microsoft IIS.

Summarize the data between the current date and the date to which you rolled back. See “Summarizing data” below.

RESTORING A MICROSOFT SQL SERVER DATABASE BACKUP

To restore a Microsoft SQL Server database backup:

1. On the local SQL Server, start Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
2. Connect to the SQL Server using your log on credentials.
3. In the left pane, expand the Databases list in the tree.
4. Right-click CCM Data, point to Tasks, and then click Restore >Database. The Restore Database dialog box opens.
5. On the General page, the name of the restoring database displays in the To database list box. To create a new database, type its name in the list box.
6. In the To a point in time text box, either retain the default (Most recent possible) or select a specific date and time by clicking the browse button. If you click the browse button the Point in Time Restore dialog box opens.
7. To specify the source and location of the backup sets to restore, click one of the following options:

• From database Type a database name in the list box.
• From device Click the browse button, which opens the Specify Backup dialog box. In the Backup media list box, select one of the listed device types. To select one or more devices for the Backup location list box, click Add. When you are finished adding devices to the Backup location list box, click OK to return to the General page.

In the Select the backup sets to restore grid, select the backups to restore. This grid displays the backups available for the specified location. By default, a recovery plan is suggested. To override the suggested recovery plan, you can change the selections in the grid. Backups that depend on a deselected backup are deselected automatically.

To view or select the advanced options, click Options in the Select a page pane.

In the Restore options panel, select the option(s) most appropriate for your situation:

• Overwrite the existing database
• Preserve the replication settings
• Prompt before restoring each backup
• Restrict access to the restored database

Optionally, you can restore the database to a new location by browsing and specifying a new restore destination for each file in the Restore the database files as grid.

The settings in the Recovery state section determine the state of the database after the restore operation. The default behavior is:

• Leave the database ready to use by rolling back the uncommitted transactions. Additional transaction logs cannot be restored. (RESTORE WITH RECOVERY)
• NOTE: Choose this option only if you are restoring all of the necessary backups now. Alternatively, you can choose either of the following options:
• Leave the database non-operational and do not roll back uncommitted transactions. Additional transaction logs can be restored. (RESTORE WITH NO RECOVERY)
• Leave the database in read-only mode. Undo uncommitted transactions, but save the undo actions in a standby file so that recovery effects can be reverted. (RESTORE WITH STANDBY). If you select this option, browse to the location in which to store the standby file.

Click OK.

Return to step 4 and complete this procedure for CCM Statistical data (right-click CCM Statistical Data, point to Tasks, and then click Restore>Database).

• NOTE: If you are using Contact Center Management Version 5.3 or earlier you need to back up the CCM data only. If you are using Contact Center Management Version 5.4 or later you need to back up the CCM data and the CCM Statistical data.

SUMMARIZING DATA

The Summarize Data Wizard uploads historical telephone system data to the SQL database for a specific date range. To summarize data:

1. In Contact Center Client, open Management Console.
2. Click Maintenance.
3. Click Summarize data and follow the steps in the Summarize Data Wizard.

 

CONFIRMING COMPLETION

Ensure that the update process is complete before launching another patch, or restarting services or server.  Starting in MiContact Center version 8.0 all installers end with a Repackager process in the system tray which rebuilds the files for the Updater service to serve.  Ending this process prematurely can cause file corruption in those files being served to clients and remote nodes.