In this article we are going to deal with a topic that many companies seem to forget and that is of vital importance for the health of our ERP, the software update.
How to update Sage X3
As we all know, from time to time SAGE informs us of new versions of X3 that incorporate improvements, both technical and functional.
When applying the novelties presented by SAGE X3, we can find ourselves in two situations:
- That we have a version older than the current version of SAGE X3 (V12).
- That we are already in version V12, but not in the last patch of this version.
Currently, the latest version we have of SAGE X3 is V12 P27.
We are not going to talk about what a migration from a previous version to the current version entails, that would give us a complete article, nor about updating the functional patch, but about updating the platform components, which for convenience or ignorance , are not being performed correctly in many installations.
With each update SAGE provides two types of items:
- platform components
- functional patch
The platform components are all those elements that SAGE needs to run the application, and some of them belong to manufacturers outside of SAGE.
In the platform components we find the following elements:
- SAGE Components
- SyracuseServer
- AdxAdmin
- PrintServer
- run-time
- webserver
- java-server
- Components from other manufacturers
- ElasticSearch
- MongoDB
On this occasion we are going to focus on the ElasticSearch and MongoDB components, but first we will comment on the particularities of two prerequisites of the installation that are the Apache server and the JAVA Virtual Machine, and that in some installations we have found that they are not being updated correctly.
Apache
Apache HTTP Server is free and open source web server software maintained and developed by the Apache Software Foundation.
It allows website owners to serve content on the web, hence the name "web host".
Since X3 version 9, SAGE recommends the installation of Apache 2.4.
Some version 12 installations still have version 2.2 installed.
It is highly recommended to update to a new version for security reasons. (3)
JAVA JDK/JRE
In January 2019, Oracle announced that it had decided to change the maintenance terms for all commercial products that integrate Java 8 JRE / JDK, which is the case for some SAGE X3 components. (4)
Oracle's announcement states that customers will have to pay maintenance fees to get new versions after this date.
The open source alternative to Java is OpenJDK, with the Zulu distribution (initially the result of joint work between Microsoft and Azul Corp). Many large companies (particularly IBM, Apple, SAP) are contributing to that project, which gives us a strong assessment of the durability and evolution of that version.
ElasticSearch
Until X3 V12.0.18 (2019R3), SAGE provided an ElasticSearch installer that installed and configured the product and was linked with X3. As of this version of X3, SAGE recommends the installation of the ElasticSearch 6.4 version, but it does not provide us with the installer, we have to download it directly from the manufacturer's website (1). This version of ElasticSearch will allow you to fix potential security risks.
During the installation we must configure the parameters of "Network Host" and "Node Name" as indicated in the following image of the installer:
We have come across installations of X3 V12 and patch 21 that still carry the ElasticSearch 2.4 component.
MongoDB
In the case of this component, SAGE continues to provide its clients with the MongoDB installable, but we have to pay special attention if we are going to update to the MongoDB v4.2 version (the version that SAGE recommends as of X3 V12.0.9), since that there has been a change in the database engine used by this product. (23)
As of this version MongoDB decided to stop using the MMAPv1 database engine and use a new engine, Wiredtiger. This decision forces a data migration to be carried out before updating the component, using the “mongodump” and mongorestore” console commands. Special care must be taken if access to the MongoDB database is done through a digital certificate.
For each version of SAGE X3, the minimum Syracuse server versions are as follows:
X3 version | Minimum version Sage X3 Syracuse Server |
V8 and earlier | Does not apply |
UP9 | SYR 9.19.0 |
V11 | SYR 11.19.0 |
V12 | SYR 12.5.0 |
With all components properly updated, we can install functional X3 patches with the confidence that we won't have any incompatibilities with outdated versions of platform components.
Bibliography:
- IMPORTANT NOTE Elastic Search 6.4 version https://www.sagecity.com/es/sage-x3-espana/f/anuncios-sobre-enterprise-management-sage-x3-espana-noticias-y-alertas/146025/nota-importante-elastic-search-6-4-version
- Conquering the Obstacle of MongoDB 4.2 Upgrade: A Guide for Upgrading MongoDB to 4.2 for Sage X3 https://www.sagecity.com/support_communities/sage_erp_x3/b/sageerp_x3_product_support_blog/posts/conquering-the-obstacle-of-mongodb-4-2-upgrade-a-guide-for-upgrading-mongodb-to-4-2-for-sage-x3
- Prerequisites overview https://online-help.sageerpx3.com/erp/12/public/prerequisites_overview.html
- Java support policy changes and Enterprise Management https://www.sagecity.com/support_communities/sage_erp_x3/b/sageerp_x3_product_support_blog/posts/java-support-policy-changes-and-enterprise-management