Server

As new features and patches are released you may decide to upgrade the FastClose Server software and user client installs to take advantage of them.

Everything you need for both server and client upgrades is bundled in the one server upgrade package.

A little bit of planning and checking is a good idea ahead of time to ensure the shortest possible downtime, though this shouldn't take long.

Planning

Check for override catalogs. If they exist, notify support@fastclose.uk who should have a copy and will be able to advise / provide a replacement that is consistent with the new version of the base catalog being deployed within the Server upgrade.
If your setup has been configured for Windows Authentication, open the Windows Services dialog on the box hosting FastClose Server and check the properties of the FastClose Server. Make a note of the "Log On" account the server is being run under and make sure you know the password.
Upgrading from 2.5 or earlier: If you have configured password policy options in appsettings.customer.json (located in the installation directory) such that they are no longer as they originally shipped - your amended settings will need to be moved to a new location post upgrade. Make a note. If this file doesn't exist, you can ignore this.
Coordinate with all desktop users and agree a time window as they will need to stop using FastClose whilst the Server and their Desktop apps are being upgraded.
Gather the installation resources. The current version of the main installer as well as the Template and Solution FCDB files can be found here
New pre-requisite in v3.0.0 - FastClose Server, the Worker Service for scheduler, and the Reader web app have an updated pre-requisite: the ASP.NET Core Runtime 6.0.x Windows Hosting Bundle. You can find the latest patch release for it here: Download .NET 6.0.
.NET 6 is supported from Windows Server 2012 onwards and ships as standard in Windows Server 2022. It can be kept up to date via channels such as Windows Server Update Services, or you can opt in to use Windows Update.
SQL backup the FastClose Repository database.

Upgrade

Log on to the server holding the existing FastClose Server installation using an Administrative account.
There is no need to uninstall the existing server application first. The new server installer should be downloaded to the server machine and launched exactly as with the original install and to the same file path. The installer will remember any custom paths or settings from the original installation if it is installed over the top, so you should be able to click "next->next->next etc..." through the installer wizard
The FastClose Server Installer will automatically stop the server service when it gets to the appropriate point in the installation and will restart the updated service at the end. There are no tricky questions during the install.
NB: Sometimes, even though the user is logged onto the box as an Administrator they may not have sufficient rights to change an existing service
If this happens the installer will roll back the installation and in effect uninstall the previous version for you.
Just run the installer again. Because the service is no longer there – it will usually just work.
However if it doesn’t work - start a command prompt and (importantly) when doing this select “Run as Administrator” then
1. cd to the download directory where the installer is located
2. Launch the installer from the command line – this always succeeds
If using "Single Sign On" you will need to use the Windows Services dialog (as in the planning stage), to restore the "Log On" account setting noted during planning.
Backup any existing catalog override files and replace with those supplied by FastClose as a result of the planning phase.
Upgrading from 2.5 or earlier: If any password policy settings were found in step 3 of planning, these now need to be moved. Using Notepad in Administration mode - open the file appsettings.customer.json cut the relevant section, and paste into accountsecuritypolicysettings.json. Save both files and restart the FastClose Server service.

Check Configuration

In a web browser, navigate to http://[ApplicationServer]:5101 to check if an upgrade is required to the repository schema. If so, a message will be displayed on the Home page. Click on the message to navigate to the setup page and press the "Upgrade Repository" button. If the Server only has Internet Explorer available, it will be necessary to install a more modern browser OR configure the server remotely from a client PC.
Log into the Administration tool in the web browser
Navigate to "Catalogs" under "Connections" and check that all status boxes are green (example shown below)

and rectify any issues.

Install Worker Service for Scheduler if included

If you also have a FastClose Scheduler installed, the installer should be downloaded from this page

to the server. Before running the WorkerService installer, note the "Log On" user and password of the existing service. You can then run the installer run on the server and restore any settings noted on the service.

There are rarely any other changes to make to the configuration of the server so there is usually no more to do. In the rare event that there is, FastClose Customer Services will be working with you in support of the upgrade.

Clients

With the server updated, users can now upgrade their installed client software in line with it. There is no need to uninstall first, users can install the new version straight over the top of the old one.

The client installs are placed on the FastClose Server as part of the Server install. So users can download them from your FastClose Server via the web interface at 'http://[ApplicationServer]:5101/Admin/Downloads'

The easiest way to do this, is to start FastClose Designer, and click on the URL displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the main window as shown below:

Once the resulting web page opens, click on the download icon (circled bottom left below) to display the Client install page as shown on the right hand side.

Then select which of the components to download and install by clicking on them.

Update Standard Templates and Solutions

Towards the end of an upgrade consider if it is required to update the standard templates and solutions deployed with the new version of the server.

If jumping a few point releases, this can usually be skipped although may be necessary if it is is known that the customer is looking for a specific change.

As best practice they should always be updated when moving to a new major version. Even though the old templates and solutions would almost certainly continue to work on the updated system, the revised versions represent our current best offering for the customer and they are entitled to them.

Because updating templates is a little involved, there is a separate article on this here.

Notes for Customer Services

New Features

Password Reset is a new feature and becomes available when you have enabled the feature and configured the Email SMTP settings on the Setup page in the Administration tool on the Web. Users will need an email address on their account to use the password reset functionality.

Final Checks

There are rarely any changes to make to the configuration of the server so usually there is no more to do.

However, it is worth checking that any newer catalogs are being picked up by the ERP connections, this is done through the web UI.

Old catalog overrides may no longer work or need updating, this has to be determined.

Old standard report templates should be removed and replaced with the current ones.

In FastClose Designer:

On the “Advanced” Ribbon tab, select “Export Templates”.
In the dialog that comes up, select the standard templates to be replaced, right click and “Delete” them. Be careful not to remove any custom templates that have been built and deployed by the user base or FastClose consultancy.
Then, On the “Advanced” Ribbon tab, select “Import Templates”, select the revised standard template file and click OK

Upgrading FastClose Server & Clients