How to upgrade Stash from 2.10.2 to 3.4.0 and move from Windows to Linux.

Question

We have a Stash server commercial license on Windows 2008 R2 at version 2.10.2 and we wish to migrate to a trial version 3.4.0 on CentOS 7 that is currently running. It was installed using the compressed archive.

We will transfer the commercial license over to the CentOS 7 Stash upon success, no longer using and shutting down the Stash Windows server.

What is the best way to do this? There are instructions for upgrading on the same server and migrating between different servers at the same version of Stash. Can we just copy the STASH_HOME directory from the Windows to the Linux server and the upgrade will proceed after restarting the Linux Stash server?

Will restoring a backup from the older version to the newer version work for this?

Any help appreciated.
Thank you,
Aris Green

ThiagoBomfim · Answer

+1 to Bryan.
When I wrote that bit of the documentation, that's exactly how I thought.
Please let us know how you go, Aris!

Bryan Turner · Answer

Aris,

The documentation is written the way it is also in part to try and control scope. Trying to move platforms _and_ servers _and_ versions all in a single go seems like asking for trouble. Another approach would be to restore your backup on the new server and then bring up Stash 2.10.2 there and verify that the platform and server change has worked. Then, once you've given the server a clean bill of health, shutdown 2.10.2 and start 3.4.0. That way you separate out the processing so that, should something go wrong, it's easier to try and track down what it was. If you try and do everything in one shot it makes it harder to diagnose any problems.

I'll add that we do internally move our instances back and forth between Windows and Linux, so we have tested that angle. However, when we do that, we always move across on the same version and then upgrade later.

Best regards,
Bryan Turner
Atlassian Stash

ThiagoBomfim · Answer

Hi Aris,

The document is not misworded but it could definitely be improved by adding the following comment: if you use an older binary compared to your backup, Stash won't start as it means a downgrade and this is not possible. If you use the same version as to your backup, nothing changes for you. If you use a newer version than your backup, an upgrade will be performed over the restore.

Does that make sense now?

Thiago