4.0.0 HP PolyServe Software for Microsoft SQL Server Administration Guide (T5392-96056, March 2010)

4. Notify users of upgrade start
For a planned upgrade, users should anticipate application down time and prepare for it. However,
notifying users that the upgrade is starting shows that the process is under control and that the plan
is being executed properly.
5. Apply the upgrade
Upgrade the production server as described later in this chapter. Upgrade procedures are provided
for SQL instance upgrades and general machine upgrades such as operating system service packs.
6. Confirm the upgrade
If the upgrade was successful, check the SQL error logs and event logs for any errors. Also check
basic database access by connecting with the Query Analyzer and querying one of the databases.If
the upgrade failed, return the machine to the exact machine state before the upgrade. To do this,
perform a restore using your backup files.
7. Notify users of upgrade completion
When the upgrade is complete, notify users that they can resume their regular database activities.
8. Back up the machine state
Back up the new machine state and create a base line.
Upgrade SQL instances
Be sure to apply the procedure to your test system before upgrading a production machine.
Upgrade considerations
When performing an upgrade, you should be aware of the following:
• Because the upgrade is done per instance, it should be repeated for each instance. Microsoft
supports a machine running SQL instances with different versions.
• Rolling upgrades are not supported. You cannot access the database while the upgrade is running.
• Upgrades need to be performed during change management windows. Therefore, you should
restrict access to the database to avoid corruption caused by the upgrade.
• If multiple SQL Service Monitors (vSQL Instances) share backup nodes, the instances will be disabled
during maintenance mode. These instances will need to be enabled during the upgrade process
as noted below.
• On a machine with multiple SQL Server 2005 instances, running the first upgrade may upgrade
the version of the shared file DLLs. See “Instance-Aware components” on page 50, for more inform-
ation.
• If you need to reboot the machine, all of the instances will be affected.
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