Upgrade and migrate
Introduction
Upgrading changes your deployment to the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 Current Release (CR) without having to set up new machines or sites. This is known as an in-place upgrade.
Upgrading gives you access to the latest features and technologies that you’re eligible for. Upgrades can also contain fixes, clarifications, and enhancements from earlier versions.
Upgrade overview
- Review the Upgrade a deployment article before beginning the upgrade. This is the primary information source for learning how to prepare for and implement an upgrade.
- Complete the preparation guidance.
- Run installers to upgrade core components.
- Upgrade the system databases and the site.
- Upgrade VDAs on master images (or directly on machines).
- Upgrade other components.
Each preparation and upgrade step is detailed in Upgrade a deployment.
Versions you can upgrade
The Citrix Upgrade Guide lists the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (and XenApp and XenDesktops) versions you can upgrade from.
Frequently asked questions
This section answers some commonly asked questions about upgrading Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.
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What is the correct order to upgrade my Virtual Apps and Desktops environment?
The VDA can be upgraded at any time, in any order. Upgrade half of the Controllers before upgrading your site. Then upgrade the remaining Controllers after the site upgrade. For more information, see Upgrade sequence and Upgrade procedure.
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My site has several Delivery Controllers (in different zones). What happens if I upgrade only some of them? Am I required to upgrade every Controller in the site during the same maintenance window?
The best practice is to upgrade all Delivery Controllers during the same maintenance window, as various services on each Controller communicate with each other. Keeping different versions might cause issues. During a maintenance window, we recommend you upgrade half of the Controllers, upgrade the site, and then upgrade the remaining Controllers. (For details, see the Upgrade procedure.)
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Can I go directly to the latest version, or do I have to do incremental upgrades?
You can almost always upgrade to the latest version and skip intermediate releases, unless explicitly stated in the What’s new article for the version you’re upgrading to. See the Upgrade Guide.
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Can a customer upgrade from a Long Term Service Release (LTSR) environment to a Current Release?
Yes. Customers are not required to remain on a Long Term Service Release for an extended period. Customers can move an LTSR environment to a Current Release, based on business requirements and features.
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Are mixed versions of components allowed?
Within each site, Citrix recommends upgrading all components to the same version. Although you can use earlier versions of some components, all features in the latest version might not be available. For more information, see Mixed environment considerations.
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How often must a Current Release be upgraded?
Current Releases reach End of Maintenance (EOM) 6 months after the release date. Citrix recommends customers adopt the latest Current Release. Current Releases reach End of Life (EOL) 18 months after the release date. For more information, see Current Release Lifecycle.
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What is recommended: upgrade to LTSR or CR?
Current Releases (CRs) deliver the latest and most innovative app, desktop, and server virtualization features and functionality. This allows you to stay on leading-edge technology and ahead of your competition.
Long Term Service Releases (LTSRs) are ideal for large enterprise production environments that prefer to retain the same base version for an extended period.
For details, see Servicing Options.
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Do I need to upgrade my licenses?
Ensure that the current license date has not expired, and is valid for the release you are upgrading to. See CTX111618. For information about renewal, see Customer Success Services renewal licenses.
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How long does an upgrade take?
The time required to upgrade a deployment varies, depending on the infrastructure and network. So, we can’t provide an exact time.
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What are the best practices?
Ensure that you understand and follow the preparation guidance.
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Which operating systems are supported?
The System requirements article for the version you’re upgrading to lists the supported OSs.
If your current deployment uses operating systems that are no longer supported, see Earlier operating systems.
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Which versions of VMware vSphere (vCenter + ESXi) are supported?
CTX131239 lists the supported hosts and versions, plus links to known issues.
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When does my version go EOL?
Check the Product Matrix.
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What are the known issues with the latest release?
More information
Long Term Service Release (LTSR) deployment updates use Cumulative Updates (CUs). A CU updates baseline components of the LTSR, and each CU includes its own metainstaller.
Each CU has dedicated documentation. For example, for the 7.15 LTSR, check the link on that LTSR’s What’s new page for the latest CU. Each CU page includes supported version information, instructions, and a link to the CU download package.
Migrate
Migrate to the cloud
You can use the Automated Configuration tool for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops to migrate your on-premises deployment onto the cloud. For more information, see Migrate to Cloud.
Legacy migration
Migrating moves data from an earlier deployment to a newer version. The process includes installing newer components and creating a new site, exporting data from the older farm, and then importing the data to the new site.
There are no supported tools or scripts for migrating XenApp and XenDesktop versions, or migrating earlier Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops versions. Upgrading is supported for the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops versions listed in the Citrix Upgrade Guide, and described in this product documentation.
For earlier XenApp 6.x migration content, see the following. Neither the scripts nor the articles are supported or maintained.
- Open source migration scripts for XenApp 6.x versions are available at https://github.com/citrix/xa65migrationtool. Citrix does not support or maintain these migration scripts
- Changes in 7.x
- Upgrade a XenApp 6.5 worker to a new VDA
- Migrate XenApp 6.x