Introduction to Upgrading to Liferay DXP 7.2

This document has been updated and ported to Liferay Learn and is no longer maintained here.

Upgrading to Liferay DXP 7.2 involves migrating your installation and code (your theme and custom apps) to the new version. Here you’ll learn how to upgrade your installation.

Here are the installation upgrade paths:

Upgrade Path	Description
Liferay Portal 5.x and 6.0.x → Liferay Portal 6.2 → Liferay DXP 7.2	Support life ended for Liferay Portal 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, and 6.0
Liferay Portal 6.1.x → Liferay DXP 7.1 → Liferay DXP 7.2	Support life ended for Liferay Portal 6.1
Liferay Portal 6.2+ → Liferay DXP 7.2
Liferay DXP 7.0+ → Liferay DXP 7.2

Note: Themes and custom apps from Liferay Portal 6.0 through Liferay DXP 7.1 can be upgraded directly to Liferay DXP 7.2. See the code upgrade instructions for details.

Here are the upgrade steps:

Note: You can prepare a new Liferay server for data upgrade in parallel with the steps up to and including the step to upgrading the Liferay DXP data.

1. If You’re Upgrading to Liferay Portal 6.2, Follow the Liferay Portal 6.2 Upgrade Instructions First

2. If You’re Upgrading a Sharded Environment, Follow the Instructions for Upgrading It

   Upgrading a sharded installation to Liferay DXP 7.2 requires migrating it to as many non-sharded Liferay DXP installations (servers) as you have shards.

3. If You’re a Upgrading a Cluster, Read Those Instructions First

   If you’re updating a cluster, read those instructions first and apply them to your upgrade.

4. Plan for Handling the Deprecated Applications

   Every application deprecation has different ramifications. Learn how the deprecations might affect your site and decide how to replace the functionality you use from those applications.

5. Test Upgrading a Liferay DXP Backup Copy

   Here you’ll prune a backup copy of your database and upgrade the data. You’ll learn how to use the upgrade tool and resolve upgrade issues. The notes and scripts you assemble as you prune and upgrade the database copy are invaluable for correctly and efficiently upgrading the Liferay DXP database you’ll use with Liferay DXP 7.2.

   1. Copy the Production Installation to a Test Server

      You’ll use the installation copy to test data changes.

   2. Copy the Production Database Backup

      Copy the production backup to the test database and save the copy logs for analysis.

   3. Remove Duplicate Web Content and Structure Field Names

   4. Find and Remove Unused Objects

      You may have intermediate versions of objects (e.g., JournalArticle objects) that you don’t need. Remove them and objects that only reference them.

   5. Test Liferay DXP with its Pruned Database Copy

      Make sure Liferay DXP continues to work successfully. If it’s broken, start over with a fresh database backup and prune it more carefully.

   6. Install the New Liferay DXP Version on a Test Server

      Install the Liferay DXP version you’re upgrading to, to use its upgrade tool.

   7. Tune Your Database for the Upgrade

   8. Upgrade the Liferay Data, then Return Here

   9. If the Upgrade Took too Long, Prune a Fresh Database Backup More and Upgrade Its Data

   10. Test the Upgraded Instance

       Make sure Liferay DXP continues to work successfully. If it’s broken, start over with a fresh database backup and prune it more carefully.

   11. Checkpoint: You’ve pruned and upgraded your production database copy. You’re ready to prepare for upgrading the production database.

6. Prepare to Upgrade the Liferay DXP Database

   Preparing for the production database upgrade involves pruning and testing it, upgrading your Marketplace apps, publishing staged changes, and synchronizing a complete data and configuration backup.

   1. Remove All Noted Unused Objects

      Remove all unused objects you noted from pruning your test database.

   2. Test Liferay DXP

   3. Upgrade Your Marketplace Apps

   4. Publish All Staged Changes

   5. Synchronize a Complete Liferay DXP Backup

      Synchronize a complete backup of your production Liferay DXP server installation and pruned production database.

   6. Checkpoint: You’re ready to prepare a Liferay DXP 7.2 server for upgrading a production database.

7. Prepare a New Liferay DXP Server for Data Upgrade

   Set up a production server with Liferay DXP 7.2, configured to use your document repository and Liferay DXP database. You’ll migrate your portal and system properties too. (Note, this step can be done in parallel with any of the previous steps.)

   1. Request an Upgrade Patch From Liferay Support (Liferay DXP Only)

   2. Install the Liferay DXP Version You’re Upgrading To

   3. Install the Latest Upgrade Patch or Fix Pack (Liferay DXP Only)

   4. Migrate Your OSGi Configurations (Liferay DXP 7.0+)

   5. Migrate Your Portal Properties

      Migrate your portal properties to your new Liferay DXP 7.2 server.

      1. Update Your Portal Properties

         Some of the portal properties have new values or have been removed or replaced. Update your properties for Liferay DXP 7.2.

      2. Convert Applicable Properties to OSGi Configurations

         Many applications are configured using OSGi Configuration (Config Admin) instead of portal properties. Convert your existing properties to their OSGi Configuration replacements.

   6. Configure Your Documents and Media File Store

      The upgrade tool upgrades your Documents and Media file store too. Update your Documents and Media file store configuration and specify it for the upgrade tool.

   7. Disable Indexing

      Improve the data upgrade performance by disabling indexing.

   8. Checkpoint: You’ve prepared a new Liferay DXP server for executing the data upgrade

8. Upgrade the Liferay DXP data

   This section explains the data upgrade options, upgrade configuration, and the upgrade process.

   1. Tune Your Database for the Upgrade

   2. Configure the Data Upgrade

      Configure the data upgrade, including the data store and whether to automatically upgrade the modules.

   3. Upgrade the Core

      1. Run the Data Upgrade Tool

         Run the data upgrade tool. Resolve any core upgrade issues.

      2. Issues Upgrading to 7.0 or Lower? Restore the Database Backup

         If the issues were with upgrades to Liferay 7.0 or lower, get a clean start by restoring the pruned production database backup.

      3. Upgrade Your Resolved Issues

         If there were issues upgrading to 7.2, resolve them and restart the data upgrade tool; continue if there were no issues.

   4. Upgrade the Liferay Modules

      Learn how to use Gogo Shell to upgrade the Liferay modules, if you didn’t upgrade them automatically with the core.

      1. Upgrade Modules that are Ready for Upgrade

         Discover which modules are ready for upgrade and upgrade them.

      2. Check Module Upgrade Status and Resolve Any Module Upgrade Issues

      3. Checkpoint: You’ve completed upgrading the Liferay data. It’s time to get your server ready for production.

9. Execute the Post-Upgrade Tasks

   Now that your database is upgraded, clean up remnants of upgrading by restoring your database optimizations, enabling and regenerating your search indexes, and more.

   1. Remove the Database Tuning

   2. Re-enable and Re-Index the Search Indexes

   3. Update Web Content Permissions (7.0 and lower)

   4. Address Any Deprecated Apps That Still Need Handling

10. Checkpoint: You’ve completed the upgrade and post-upgrade tasks

Follow the steps above to upgrade your Liferay DXP installation to Liferay DXP 7.2. They link upgrade topic details to help complete a safe, successful upgrade.