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Server updating

See also: Client updating.

Tip

We recommend always updating Canvus server to the latest version to get the latest features and bug fixes.

Update a standalone deployment

Applies to the .deb (Linux) and MSI (Windows) installers.

Do not upgrade in place

Upgrade by uninstalling the current version, rebooting, and installing the new one. Upgrading in place risks corrupting the database.

  1. Back up. See backup-and-restore. Do not skip this, even though the procedure below preserves your data. If the release notes say the bundled PostgreSQL major version has changed, read When the bundled PostgreSQL major version changes before you start.

  2. Stop the services.

    # Linux
sudo systemctl stop mt-canvus-server.service
sudo systemctl stop canvus-postgres.service

    On Windows, stop mt-canvus-server, then mt-canvus-postgres.

  3. Uninstall the current version.

    # Linux
sudo apt remove canvus-server

    On Windows, uninstall via Programs & Features, or silently with msiexec /x.

    Remove, never purge

    On Linux, use apt remove. apt purge canvus-server deletes the PostgreSQL cluster, the generated secrets, the server state directory and the canvus service account --- every canvas on the server, unrecoverable without a restored backup. The same applies to deleting %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\ by hand on Windows.

  4. Reboot the host.

  5. Install the new version. Follow Linux or Windows.

Your database, media assets, backups and configuration are preserved throughout. The new version finds the existing data and starts against it.

When the bundled PostgreSQL major version changes

Some releases change the bundled PostgreSQL major version. PostgreSQL's on-disk format is specific to its major version, so the new binaries cannot open a cluster created by the old ones.

The installer detects this and stops rather than risking your data. It will not touch a mismatched cluster unless a valid pre-upgrade dump exists. Nothing is deleted: the existing cluster is archived alongside its original location with a .pg<major>-<timestamp>.bak suffix.

If a release note tells you the PostgreSQL major version has changed, take a dump before upgrading, while the old cluster is still running:

sudo -u canvus /opt/canvus/postgres/bin/pg_dump -h 127.0.0.1 -p 5433 \
     -U canvus_admin -Fc -f /var/lib/canvus/upgrade/predump.dump canvus

Then upgrade as above. The installer finds the dump and restores it into the new cluster.

If you have already upgraded and the install stopped with a major-version message, your data is intact. Reinstall the previous version, take the dump as shown, then upgrade again.

Update a container deployment

Updating pulls new images and restarts the containers. Your data in /canvus-data/ is preserved.

sudo podman-compose pull
sudo podman-compose down
sudo podman-compose up -d

The new version starts and performs any necessary database migrations automatically.

Note

Always create a backup before updating. See backup-and-restore.

Verify the update

Standalone deployment:

Linux:

systemctl status canvus-postgres.service mt-canvus-server.service

Windows (PowerShell):

Get-Service mt-canvus-postgres, mt-canvus-server

Container deployment:

sudo podman-compose ps

Both canvus-postgres and canvus-combined should show as running. Then open https://your-server and confirm the new version is shown in Admin area > Settings > About.

Legacy installations (Canvus 3.x and earlier)

Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mt-canvus-server3

Windows:

Download and install the latest server package from the Canvus downloads page.

Normally updates require no extra steps. For major version upgrades (e.g. 2.x → 3.x), see the sections below.

Updating to 3.0 from 2.x

Warning

This update migrates data to a format incompatible with Canvus 2.x. It cannot be reversed without restoring a backup. A backup is automatically created during the update.

Canvus 3.0 changes how the server is configured. Some configuration variables were removed or renamed. The server attempts backward compatibility with 2.x configuration files, but some combinations are no longer allowed.

Note

Canvus 2.x clients cannot connect to Canvus Connect server 3.0 or newer.

Connections to the server

In 2.x, the server used multiple ports (5801 TCP, 5804 SSL, 8080 HTTP, 3001 HTTPS, 8090 REST API). In 3.0, all connections use a single port (default 443) via an internal reverse proxy.

Removed configuration options (2.x → 3.0)

All settings under these sections were removed: - [dashboard] - [rest-api] - [tcp] - [ssl]

Administrator account after 2.x → 3.0 update

The update does not automatically create user accounts. You must manually create an administrator account via the web UI or CLI after updating.

Troubleshooting

If you experience problems after an update, re-install the previous version and restore your backup. See backup-and-restore.