Backing Up Before Upgrading; Upgrading And Option Keys; Installing And Rebooting; Upgrade Procedure - Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Server Administrator's Manual

Backing up before upgrading

You should backup your system configuration before upgrading. Click System backup to go to the
Backup and restore page.
Note: if you later need to downgrade to an X4 (or earlier) release you will have to restore a backup
made against that previous release.

Upgrading and option keys

All existing option keys are retained through the upgrade from one version of the VCS platform to the
next, including upgrades to the next major release. However, you are recommended to take note of
your existing option keys before performing the upgrade.
New features may also become available with each major release of the VCS platform component,
and you may need to install new option keys to take advantage of these new features. Contact your
Cisco representative for more information on all the options available for the latest release of VCS
software.

Installing and rebooting

Upgrading the VCS platform component is a two-stage process. First, the new software image is
uploaded onto the VCS. At the same time, the current configuration of the system is recorded, so that
this can be restored after the upgrade. During this initial stage the system will continue running on its
existing software version, and all normal system processes will continue.
The second part of the upgrade involves rebooting the system. It is only during the reboot that the VCS
installs the new software version and restores the previous configuration. Rebooting causes all current
calls to terminate, and all current registrations to be ended.
This means that you can upload the new software to your system at any time, and then wait until a
convenient moment (for example, when no calls are taking place) to install the new version by
rebooting the system.
Note: any configuration changes made between the software upload and the reboot will be lost when
the system restarts using the new software version.
The upgrade of components other than the VCS platform does not involve a system reboot, however
the services provided by that component will be temporarily stopped while the upgrade process
completes.

Upgrade procedure

The Upgrade page (Maintenance >
software components.
To upgrade a component using the web interface:
1. Review the relevant release notes to see if any special steps are required either before or after
installing the software image file.
2. Go to the Upgrade page
3. Click Browse and select the software image file for the component you want to upgrade.
4. Enter the Release key if required.
5. Click Upgrade.
The VCS automatically detects which component you are upgrading based upon the selected
software image file.
Cisco VCS Administrator Guide (X6.1)
Upgrade) is used to install newer (or older) versions of VCS
(Maintenance > Upgrade).
Maintenance
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