JIRA Software and JIRA Datacenter

[Joanne]

I am using JIRA 6.3 and planing to migrate to JIRA software 7.0.10 and JIRA datacenter.  Is JIRA datacenter the same as JIRA software for all my test environments so I would just install JIRA Software 7.0.10 and then for production just install datacenter?  Then how does licensing work - will my TEST JIRA Software 7.0.10 just use a developers license of the datacenter license? It's getting confusing I know but can't seem to get a clear picture from the documentation.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

I think you've got it right actually. Upgrade to JIRA Software 7.0.10, then get production on to data-centre, and build test systems as required.

Your test environments don't need to be data-centre unless you're specifically testing the data-centre capabilities - JIRA Software is functionally the same on the surface whether it's data-centre or standalone.  A data-centre licence simply allows the extra functionality to work, so installing a dev licence for it on a standalone test system could be thought of as enabling a "cluster of one node"

[Joanne]

I have a new instance to setup also so can I just install with an evaluation JIRA Software license into TEST and then just change license to JIRA DC developers license once purchased?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Yes, you can, the licences are easy to swap around

[Joanne]

Great - final question and I am actually looking at the Installing JIRA Data Center documentation and it reads like there is no specific DC install - you install JIRA Software version 7 or above and then you do the steps to setup your nodes etc?  I think this is where all my confusion lay as it's not really a separate application but an add on to JIRA Software?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

My understanding is that it's not even an add-on.

All the core code for data-centre is buried and dormant within a standard JIRA installation.  It doesn't do anything until you apply a data-centre licence, and then it wakes up and starts accepting config for your nodes!

It's been a few months since I looked at a DC install, so I'm not 100% sure that is still the case, although it would surprise me if it has changed and I've not noticed!