Update Vertec On-Premise

This article explains how to install the latest version of your Vertec. You can find the download link at Vertec Version 6.8

Whether it needs a converter or not depends on whether it is a change of the database version or the program version:

Database version: One of the first 3 digits of the Vertec version number changes. Program version: Only the last digit of the Vertec version number changes.

• In case of version changes, which affect the database version, a program update must be done with convert.
• In case of version changes affecting the program version, a program update is made without a converter.

Can i update older versions directly?

For larger customers with many custom reports and list settings, we recommend that you set up a test installation and run through the release change before performing the update on the active system. It is very important to turn off the Notif server on the test system so that test data is not mixed with the productive database. For more information, see Test installations.

In addition, updating Vertec 6.6 and later will no longer be supported across major versions. For example, to update to 6.7, Vertec 6.6 must be installed. See the section further down.

For both updating and converting the database, it is necessary to ensure that Vertec is not used, either on the server or on a client.

1. Run Setup on the server. This will not overwrite the existing database.
2. If you have a Firebird version < 3.0.4 installed, the setup suggests an update to the new Firebird version. This update is done automatically and without additional effort. We recommend the update to the latest Firebird version, because it brings significant improvements especially in performance.
3. Perform the convert for version changes affecting the database (see Convert section).
4. Starting Vertec Desktop App for the first time (see First program launch after conversion below).
5. Restart the Vertec Cloud Server if prompted.

If the Vertec Desktop App is also used on client computers, the Desktop App Setup must be performed there. If the version number of the client does not match the version number of the server, a corresponding warning message will appear when Vertec is started.

You can perform the Desktop App Setup by accessing the Vertec installation directory on the server from the client via the share and starting the Setup.exe from the Desktop App Setup subfolder.

If the database version has changed (see above), perform a database conversion as described below:

While the database is being converted during an update, clients trying to connect to it receive the following error message:

Die Vertec Datenbank ist wegen Datenkonvertierung für den Zugriff gesperrt. 
Bitte warten Sie einen Moment, bevor Sie Vertec wieder starten.

Only the computer/user, which started the converter, may start Vertec for the first time afterwards.

After the convert/first boot process is complete, access is approved to others again (see Parameters for approving upgrade lock below).

If your Vertec installation uses Firebird as the database server (default), follow these steps:

1. Start Vertec Desktop on the server. A dialog box will alert you to the necessary database conversion and ask if the conversion should be performed immediately. Confirm the dialog with Ja. If the dialog does not offer a conversion option, Vertec has not been started on the server or a database server other than Firebird is used. During the conversion, Vertec creates two copies of the database file: a backup copy of the existing database (database file name + 2-digit counter, e.g. vertec01.fdb) and a temporary working copy for the conversion (name: vertectemp.fdb). If an error occurs during the conversion, the database file will be replaced by the backup copy.
2. Vertec will automatically convert. A small window will show the progress of the conversion. Depend on the size of the database, this may take a few minutes. Vertec will notify you when the conversion is exited. After that, restart Vertec Desktop and check if your data has been applied correctly.

Start conversion manually

The conversion can also be started manually. However, this is only recommended for very experienced users:

1. Stop the Cloud Server if it is running.
2. Start the Vertec Desktop App with the parameter /DC. This is easiest to do via a shortcut to Vertec.Desktop.exe where you can specify the additional parameter under Eigenschaften.
3. The Vertec Database Converter should now appear. The details of the target database are already entered, the option Schema erstellen und Daten kopieren should be checked. As the working mode, select Automatisch.
4. To start the conversion, press the Start button. The database converter will create a backup copy of the previous database (named vertec01.fdb, or vertec02.fdb etc.) and create the database. A query will appear if you really want to delete all the data, confirm with Yes.
5. The log window that appears shows the progress of the database creation and then the copy of the data in the window behind it. Depend on the size of the database, copying may take a few minutes. Close the database converter and restart the Vertec Desktop App.
6. Start the Cloud Server.
7. Check if your data has been applied correctly.

If your Vertec installation uses Microsoft SQL Server as the database server, a couple extra steps are necessary. The exact procedure is described in the article Database Convert.

The first start of Vertec Desktop after the conversion is important and also part of the conversion, since various adjustments in tables etc. are made only then. Therefore, this start takes longer than subsequent program starts. For installations with large amounts of data, this can take significantly longer.

It is important that this first boot runs smoothly. Under no circumstances should the first boot process be aborted after a convert.

When updating to a new major version (changing the first two digits of the version number), a new license must be entered. The first time the Vertec Desktop App is started after the update, a corresponding message will appear. Click On the button Lizenz... go to the Vertec license manager. The license code can be retrieved in the Customer Portal.

If a database is converted, it is blocked from access during this time. If an error occurs during the conversion, it is possible that this block, the so-called upgrade lock, remains in place. The following message will always appear:

To reset this block, you can start Vertec Desktop with the /releaseupgradelock parameter, which resets the upgrade lock on the database and exits Vertec immediately.

Some operating systems block access to files downloaded from the Internet, so you should unblock them after unzipping the files. The easiest way to do this is to right-click on the file and select Zulassen or unblock.

Update from older Vertec versions

As of Vertec version 6.6, the update of Vertec is no longer supported across several Vertec versions. This means that it is no longer possible to update directly from Vertec 6.3 to Vertec 6.6, but that it is necessary to proceed step by step.

Thus, a step over an intermediate version may be necessary. This involves the following things:

1. Different versions of Firebird: Basically, older versions also run with the latest version of Firebird, but not the other way round. If updates are performed manually, you must first make a backup of the Vertec database with the old version, which can be restored after installing the latest version.
2. Database converter: This is about converting the Vertec database to the newer version. This is actually independent of the Firebird version. Care must be taken not to accidentally install an older Firebird version over a newer one. Below is a list of which converters are required for which versions.
3. It is important that the Vertec Desktop App is started once after the conversion, even during intermediate steps, since certain adjustments are made with the first start after the conversion.

As of Vertec 6.2, Vertec automatically detects this. If you try to convert from a version that is too early, which requires an intermediate step, you will receive an error message like this:

Eine Konvertierung der Datenbankversion 5.7.0 auf die Programmversion 6.2.0.1 ist nicht direkt möglich. 
Verwenden Sie eine Vertec Version vor 6.2.0 zur Durchführung des ersten Konvertier-Schrittes.

Versions 5.1 – 5.7

Can be updated directly to Vertec 5.8 without any intermediate step. Please note that with version 5.4 the target time system changes. However, this is changed correctly by Vertec Update in all versions.

Versions 4.4 – 5.0

Must be updated to version 5.1 first and then to version 5.8. The intermediate step over version 5.1 is necessary because of the conversion of notes and documents to activities. To convert your existing documents to activities, please contact your Vertec advisor.

Versions 3.0 – Version 4.3

Must be updated to 4.4 first, then 5.1 and then 5.8. The intermediate step to 4.4 is necessary, otherwise out-of-memory errors may appear.

To obtain the appropriate Vertec versions and for assistance with the migration, please contact your Vertec advisor.

When updating to the different versions, please note the following:

Update to Vertec version 6.1 and higher

When updating from an older version to Vertec 6.1 or higher, the following point must be kept in mind:

• In Vertec version 6.1, the Windows Login feature has been removed (see release notes 6.1). As an alternative, the option to Remember Me in (see article Login) is available.
• This means that after the update, users will only be able to log in using the password stored in Vertec. This requires that users know their passwords. Make sure that users know their passwords before the update so that they can log in to Vertec again after the update.

Update to versions before 5.5

For local clients, each user uses a local Vertec. It is important to ensure that during the conversion a user does not open “his” Vertec and write to the database.

For updates to older versions, unauthorized access can be prevented as follows (applies to MS-SQL Server and Firebird):

1. First, make a backup of the productive database and restore it to a new database.
2. Run the conversion on the new database. To do this, start the Vertec Desktop App with the parameter /DC. In the database converter, specify the new database created under point 1 for the source and destination database.
3. After conversion, make a backup of the new database and restore it to the productive, “real” Vertec database.