Confluence Plugins replication in Dev Instance

[Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad]

Hi Team,

We are in process to Confluence upgrade activity and for that we are doing latest Prod sync up with Dev instance.

When I start my pre-checks related to Plugin compatibility I found few plugins are available in Dev instance compared to Prod. 

So do I need to install all the Addons as per the prod? If so do I need to go for valid license or free trail is enough?

Thanks in Advance!

BR,

Kanaka

[Karim ABO HASHISH]

Hi @Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad 

If the plugins' status for the pre-check on Dev looks good, then no need to worry about plugins' differences. Generally, I would recommend installing plugins on prod only if they are needed and will be used.

I would recommend doing the pre-checks on prod as well before upgrading the dev, so you complete your overall upgrade plan.

Your best companion is Atlassian reference for confluence upgrade which covers also the planning phase (Select the target version for the upgrade)



It's also worth to mention to check the ensure that you have the same platform for both instances. you can refer to this link (Select the target version for the upgrade)




Good luck and let us know if you still have any questions.

[Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad]

Hi @Karim ABO HASHISH ,

I think you did not get my question properly.

I am not talking about installing plugins on Prod instance, I mean there are 5 plugins on Dev instance where as in Prod I noticed that there are 20 plugins more compared to Dev.

So here my question is we are replicating the data from prod to Dev instance, are we going to get plugin data as well from prod to Dev instance or not?

If plugin won't replicated means do I need to install remaining 15 plugins on Dev instance? Why because we don't want to face any issues while we are doing actual upgrade on Prod instance. If the plugin data same between prod and dev instance we can identify the issues while doing upgrade on Dev instance.

I hope this time I am more clear on my requirement.

Thank you!

[Karim ABO HASHISH]

Hi @Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad 

Thanks a lot for the elaboration, it's now clyster clear for me.

Ok, in this case the best practice is to make the Dev instance on the same level as the prod instance. i.e., same plugins same versions.

As the extra plugins exist in prod, it means that you already have a commercial license. In this case, you can obtain a Free Dev license on top the commercial one which never expires and can be used for as many Dev instances as you need. 

1. To obtain your Dev license for each plugin, please log in to Licenses - My Atlassian with your customer account, expand each plugin and get your developer license.
   
   
   
   
2. Installing new plugins on Dev, will apply the latest version. As a best practice, you can try to update all plugins on prod to the latest version then install the difference in Dev and update the 5 existing plugins (assuming you have the same confluence version on both).
   
   
3. Now you can re-do the pre-upgrade check on both platforms.

Hope this time my answer would be helpful in your context.

Cheers,

Karim

[Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad]

Hi @Karim ABO HASHISH ,

Thank you for response.

Here my understandings are I need to install all the 15 plugins on Dev Instance and apply the same license as Prod, ok so I will proceed to install the plugins on Dev then.

Thank you!

[Karim ABO HASHISH]

Hi @Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad 

Yes, you need to install the 15 plugins on Dev. 

After installation, you need to apply the Dev license which is not the same one as prod (check below to see the difference).





Don't hesitate to let me know if further explanation is needed.

Cheers,

Karim

[Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad]

Hi @Karim ABO HASHISH ,

One last concern:

Do I need to install  all 15 Plugins on Dev Instance before replication of  Prod data into Dev or post replication of Prod data into Dev ?

Thank you!

[Karim ABO HASHISH]

Hi @Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad 

Yes, you should start with making the two platforms on the same level.

Steps

1. Install 15 plugins on Dev - use the Dev License not the commercial one
2. Update the 5 plugins on Dev.
3. Update all plugins on Prod.
4. Run Pre-Upgrade Check on Dev
5. Run Pre-Upgrade Check on Prod

After completing the above steps successfully, you can comfortably plan your next activities (replication, upgrade ..etc).

Good Luck and let me know how it went for you.

Cheers,

Karim

[Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad]

Hi @Karim ABO HASHISH ,

Thank you for the detailed steps:

1. Install 15 plugins on Dev - use the Dev License not the commercial one>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> that means do I need to apply Trail License then? because in the Dev these are new plugins and we don't use Dev instance frequently.

So If you are recommending that I need not to apply prod plugins license, so is there any specific reason for not using the Prod plugin license to Dev installed plugins?

What should be used Trail or Prod plugins License to Dev Plugins?

      2.  Update the 5 plugins on Dev>>>>>>> No need to update as these plugins are already compatible with the new version i,e, 7.19.1. 

Thank you!

[Karim ABO HASHISH]

Hi @Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad 

Kindly find my answers below

---

1. Install 15 plugins on Dev - use the Dev License not the commercial one>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> that means do I need to apply Trail License then? because in the Dev these are new plugins and we don't use Dev instance frequently.
   
   

My Answer:

1. The short answer is, Trial License will expire.
2. Trial licenses have to be renewed and have limited renewal times.
3. Dev License is not a trial License.
4. Dev Licenses never expire.
5. No Need to renew Dev License, apply once and use forever.
6. Dev license is provided to customers who already have a commercial license for the product.

Trial License could be sufficient in your case if you are planning to complete your project within the trial period.

---

So If you are recommending that I need not to apply prod plugins license, so is there any specific reason for not using the Prod plugin license to Dev installed plugins?

What should be used Trail or Prod plugins License to Dev Plugins?

My Answer: because the prod license can be used for one instance only, otherwise, it will not comply with Atlassian Terms and conditions for License Usage and may cause issues if you apply a prod license to two instances at the same time.

---

      2.  Update the 5 plugins on Dev>>>>>>> No need to update as these plugins are already compatible with the new version i,e, 7.19.1. 

My Answer: it's recommended to update them eventually Check Step 10. But the question is: do these 5 plugins have the same version as the prod? if not, it's recommended to update them on both Dev and Prod to the same version before proceeding with any cross-instance activities.

---

Pro-Tip: Updating plugins is something useful and healthy in fact. there are always new features, bug fixing and Security Fixes when updating plugins. in your case, it could be a very good opportunity to take the advantage of updating your plugins, so don't hesitate to do so (with proper planning).

Cheers,

Karim

[Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad]

Hi @Karim ABO HASHISH ,

Thank you for the valid answers.

We have replicated the Prod data to Dev Instance and plugin also replicated and no manual installation of the 15 plugins is not necessary anymore.

There are few plugins which are compatible with the new version so updating those Apps in order to make compatible with new version.

I see that the Dev plugins licenses are same as Prod licenses does this Prod license will make any issues during the Upgrade?

Correct me If I am wrong or missed out something.

Thank you!

[Karim ABO HASHISH]

Hi @Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad 

I see that the Dev plugins licenses are same as Prod licenses does this Prod license will make any issues during the Upgrade?

My Answer: while it's technically possible to apply the same commercial license on both Dev and prod, it's not compliant with Atlassian terms and conditions. I cannot assure that no errors will arise when you restart confluence services.

Applying Dev license is really easy, free and safer to avoid any unexpected issues due to non-compliant setup. 

Let me know if you need further assistance with Applying Dev License.

If my answer helped you, please mark it as "Accepted Answer", so it would help other people searching for a solution to the same scenario.

Cheers,

Karim

[Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad]

Hi @Karim ABO HASHISH ,

Applying Dev license is really easy, free and safer to avoid any unexpected issues due to non-compliant setup. 
Let me know if you need further assistance with Applying Dev License.

---

Yes, please that would be great If you explain or provide any link for this Dev license.

Thank you!

[Karim ABO HASHISH]

hi @Kanaka Ponnuru Prasad 

Please find below the steps in a more elaborated way.

You need to be the technical contact for your commercial license to perform the below steps

1. Log in to your Atlassian account.
2. Under the "Licenses" heading, all of your licenses will be displayed. Click the '>' sign next to a specific plugin to view its details.
3. Click the 'View Developer License' link in the bottom right corner of the license detail panel, below your commercial license key.
4. Copy the Dev Key and apply it on your Dev Instance.
5. repeat the steps for each plugin
   
   

Regards,

Karim