Any advantages of upgrading compared to clean install of Jira?

Jakob Nielsen December 18, 2017

We are currently planning to upgrade our three Jira environments to version 7.4.4.  from 7.2.9. 

Or rather, two of the environments will be replaced with new servers, one will be upgraded. 

My colleagues believe it is an advantage to install our current version (7.2.9) on the new servers, and upgrade it to 7.4.4 alongside the third server. The argument for this is to ensure the environments are 100% identical. 

I prefer to do a clean install myself, to avoid any issues which might be inherited from older versions, and to save time. 

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Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
Community Leader
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December 18, 2017

A clean install won't contain any of your data - I assume you will want to do an export and import at this point.

An upgrade is going to be easier. 

The data is the same as your export/import-on-clean, so that wouldn't get you around any "inherited issues".

In later versions of Jira, the standard upgrade process will help reassure you about "avoiding any inherited issues" - the installer will spot a 7.2 install, and check it for all changed files in the installation, warn you about them, move them to somewhere safe, and then install a clean 7.4.4 and upgrade all the data.  You can then use the saved files to replicate any customisations you want to keep into the new one.  (The customisations are the "issues which might be inherited" to my mind - I find odd tweaks all over the place on every upgrade.  Many are perfectly sane, but need checking before re-implementing)

Jakob Nielsen December 18, 2017

Thank you Nic! - That makes sense. 

So if I understand correctly, this is how it is done for the new servers:

Install 7.2.9 --> import data --> upgrade to 7.4.4

Or would it be preferable to upgrade the current servers and import the data afterwards? 

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
Community Leader
Community Leader
Community Leaders are connectors, ambassadors, and mentors. On the online community, they serve as thought leaders, product experts, and moderators.
December 18, 2017

I'd do it the first way - with copying over to a new server, you'll get to do test runs while leaving "live" running.  Then, if something goes wrong on the day of the real migration, you get to keep your old system as a really easy fall-back.

Jakob Nielsen December 18, 2017

Thank you! We will continue in that direction. 

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