Before starting an upgrade

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Requirements

Take a moment to review the following information before beginning the process.

Pre-upgrade checklist

Preparation

  • Upgrade and test your test environment first before upgrading any production system.

  • Back up the complete Lobster installation directory.

  • Back up the repository database.

  • Regularly check whether updates exist for the OS, Java JDK, and database (including the JDBC driver).

  • Update any external drivers in ./extlib (these are not modified during the update).

  • Optional: Back up SAP libraries from your current installation if applicable (see SAP Libraries).

Actual update

  • Network requirement: The Update center connects to https://api.lobster-world.com/ to download patches. Ensure this address is reachable from your system.

    A firewall rule may need to be added. In clustered environments (DMZ or HA), every node must be able to reach this address independently.

  • Go to Administration > Update center and download the latest version. Each system authenticates with its installation ID. Once downloaded, the update file is automatically saved to ./etc/update/patches.

    Before proceeding, verify that the update file is present in ./etc/update/patches on all nodes (inner system, DMZ, and HA nodes where applicable).

    If a node cannot reach the Lobster API server (https://api.lobster-world.com/), copy the patch file manually from ./etc/update/patches or ./backup on a node that did successfully download it, and place it in the corresponding directory on the affected node.

  • Do not rename the downloaded update ZIP file.

  • Patch storage & offline installation

    Downloaded patches are saved to ./etc/update/patches. Once installed, a copy is also retained in ./backup for future reference.

    If one or more nodes in a cluster cannot reach the Lobster API server, copy the patch file from either of these directories and install it manually on the affected node.

  • Restart the system (including worker nodes & DMZ) – see details for the different setups: Windows / Linux / DMZ /HA.

  • Validate that the test platform behaves as expected before upgrading your production system.

Note

The ./lib and ./patch directories are cleared during updates. If you need to retain the ./patch directory contents, restore the directory from your backup after the update completes.

SAP libraries

SAP libraries are no longer distributed with new releases due to licensing restrictions. If your system uses SAP connectivity, manually back up the following files before each upgrade and restore them afterward.

For newer systems or when reorganizing an existing installation, place SAP JCo in extlib instead of lib:

Platform

Files

Recommended location

Linux

sapjco3.jar, sapidoc3.jar (if used), libsapjco3.so

is/extlib/sap/

Windows

sapjco3.jar, sapidoc3.jar (if used), sapjco3.dll

is/extlib/sap/

New setups should use the is/extlib/sap layout. Existing installations may be migrated to this layout, but must ensure that extlib is on the classpath and the OS can find the native library (e.g. via PATH / LD_LIBRARY_PATH).

Downtime estimation

  • Installation: ~1–10 minutes

  • If in doubt, use your system's historical start/stop durations as a baseline for estimating total downtime.

  • Confirm that the patch or update file is already present in ./etc/update/patches before initiating the update.

  • Tip: Create an empty ./force_stop file in the installation root directory to limit shutdown wait time for running jobs. With ./force_stop present, the system waits only a limited time for running jobs to finish before shutting down. Any jobs that are not completed in time are treated as crashed jobs. Depending on your configuration, these will either be restarted automatically or added to the error list.

Note

An active virus scanner can significantly increase both the installation time and the subsequent system startup.

Continue reading: Select installation instructions for your environment.

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