Upgrade License Server to 5.x

Applies to ReadyAPI 3.56, last modified on October 29, 2024
Important Notice for ReadyAPI Customers

ReadyAPI has moved to SmartBear License Management and from October 2023, file-based licensing will be retired. As of September 2023, all licenses issued for your subscription term will be ID-based licenses by default. If you are not currently on ID-based licensing, it's time to migrate immediately. File-based licensing will no longer be supported as of October 2023. This means that technical support requests related to file-based licensing will not be accommodated. If you encounter technical issues that you're unable to resolve, it could lead to service interruption. For customers still in the process of migration, we recommend reaching out to your Account Manager to discuss your migration plan. Alternatively, you can log a support request with our Customer Care Team for assistance.

For more details regarding licensing support, please refer to this link.

Starting from version 3.3.1, ReadyAPI uses Protection! Licensing Server version 5. This version uses a more secure protocol for communication with ReadyAPI. Earlier ReadyAPI versions use Protection! Licensing Server version 4 that does not support this protocol. It means that ReadyAPI 3.3.1 cannot work with Protection! Licensing Server version 4, and, vice versa, ReadyAPI prior to 3.3.1 cannot work with Protection! Licensing Server version 5.

If you use a floating license, when you update ReadyAPI to 3.3.1, you will also need to update the license server. Also, you will need a new license file as your current license is not compatible with Licensing Server version 5. You have to contact our support team to get a new license file compatible with Protection! Licensing Server 5.

You have the following options:

  • Immediate upgrade

    You update your license server and install a new floating license. Then, you update all ReadyAPI instances in your network. To learn more about this approach, see the Immediate upgrade section below.

    ReadyAPI 3.3 and earlier cannot work with Protection! Licensing Server 5, so they cannot consume the license and will not work.

    In case you face any issue blocking the upgrade process, you will be able to downgrade the software until you solve the issue with our support team.

  • Step-by-step migration

    You install a new version of the license server with the new license to a separate machine so the new license server will coexist with the old one in the same network. You will have one month since you get a new license file to update all the ReadyAPI instances in your network. During that time, the non-updated ReadyAPI instances will use Protection! Licensing Server 4. To learn more about this approach, see the Step-by-step migration section below.

  • Postpone the upgrade for the time being (Not recommended)

    Of course, you can stay at the current versions of ReadyAPI and Protection! Licensing Server. But, we do not recommend this approach, since Protection! Licensing Server 4 is less secure. Besides that, the new ReadyAPI version provides you with new features and bug fixes.

    You will be able to update ReadyAPI and Protection! Licensing Server any time later by using any of the previous options.

Immediate upgrade

1. Get new license file

You need to get the new license file. Contact SmartBear Support for assistance.

2. Upgrade Protection! Licensing Server and ReadyAPI

To migrate to the new version of the license server, do the following:

  1. (Optional) Back up the license users and user groups you added to your license server. To do this, copy the following files from the <ProtectionLS 4 installation directory>/conf directory:

    • licenseUsers.xml

    • users.xml

  2. Uninstall Protection! License Server 4.

  3. Install and configure Protection! Licensing Server 5. At this step, you also install the new license file to the server, so ReadyAPI will be able to consume it. To learn more, see Configure License Server 5.x.

    To restore the users and user groups you backed up earlier, put the copied files to the <ProtectionLS 5 installation directory>/conf directory.

  4. Update all the ReadyAPI instances in your network.

    How to automate ReadyAPI update on user machines

    How users can update ReadyAPI manually

Step-by-step migration

In this approach, you install a new license server to another machine, so old and new license servers will coexist in your network. In this case, you will be able to update ReadyAPI during some period of time.

1. Get new license file

You need to get the new license for the new license server machine’s IP and port. Contact SmartBear Support for assistance.

2. Upgrade Protection! Licensing Server and ReadyAPI

  1. Install and configure Protection! Licensing Server 5 on a machine different from the machine where you install your current license server. At this step, you also install the new license file to the server, so ReadyAPI will be able to consume it. See Configure License Server 5.x

    To keep the license users and user groups you added to Protection! Licensing Server 4, copy the following files from the <ProtectionLS 4 installation directory>/conf folder to the <ProtectionLS 5 installation directory>/conf folder:

    • licenseUsers.xml

    • users.xml

  2. Update all the ReadyAPI instances in your network. You do not have to update all the instances at once since you have the old license manager and non-updated ReadyAPI will work.

    How to automate ReadyAPI update on user machines

    How users can update ReadyAPI manually

  3. When you update all the ReadyAPI instances, uninstall Protection! Licensing Server 4.

See Also

License Activation

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