jira to jira cloud

[maelgallon]

Hi,

We have a Jira server with the version 6.4 and a confluence server with the version 5.4.3, we would like to migrate those to the cloud version and we would have some questions about it :
- Do we need to upgrade the versions prior to the migration as advised by your guides ?
- If so, do we require new licenses to do so or can we just upgrade it without and migrate it ?
- Do we need to take any other actions prior or after the migrations ?

Thanks a lot

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Yes, you should upgrade to the latest version.

The licencing depends on the dates.  If your licences are current, then you can upgrade to the latest version with them.  If they have expired, then you might not be able to upgrade to a version high enough to be compatible.  However, Atlassian will not punish you for using evaluation licences to get upgraded - your intention to move on to Cloud is clear, and they want to help you with that

The other actions afterwards boil down to "get users to use new system" and "shut down the old one so they don't try to use it any more"

One thing I would think about before migrating is if your users have put any hard links into text fields.  A good example is when people just put in http://ourconfluence/display/space/page instead of using Conflluence's internal link system.  The internal links will work fine with a new base-url, but the hard links are just text and will continue to point at the old system.  (There's an easy search and replace for databases for confluence.  It's harder with JIRA)

[maelgallon]

Hi Nic,

Thanks for your rapid and complete answer   It really helps.

I was just wondering as well, Atlassian have the following message on their website :

'If you're upgrading from a version of JIRA earlier than 7.0, you should consult the Migration hub. The release of JIRA 7.0 contained functionality that affects your user management, application access and log in permissions, and your JIRA installations setup, and it's very important that you understand the requirements and the implications before you upgrade. The Migration hub has all this information in one handy space.' 

Could you advise on the level of impact it could have ?

Thanks again,
Mael 

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

The main visible changes are related to users and their access, you may want to revise your groups.  The other effects are dependent on how you're using it, but the migration hub does mention most of them.

The one I'm not sure it emphasises enough is add-ons.   Some stop working and need to be removed or alternatives found, some work very differently.  However, as you're moving to Cloud in the long run, you'll want to look at your add-ons anyway - there is a limited set available on Cloud compared with Server, and some of them are significantly changed and don't translate.  You may find that there are good "connect" replacements if you have to drop server-only add-ons.

[Dan Breyen]

@maelgallon did you get your questions answered?  If so, could you possibly mark this as solved?