All commands listed are valid for any STEP environment, counting single application server setups and clusters.
Back Up the STEP Database and Application
Before patching STEP, a fallback procedure should be developed to mitigate any risk. Ideally, full back ups of the STEP database should be maintained, and the option to restore the database to a specific point in time should be available.
Note: The requirement for each individual patch may vary. Refer to the relevant release note for more information.
Back ups of the STEP application should also be maintained, including all files provided in STEP_HOME/config.properties and a snapshot of the STEP system itself.
To take a snapshot of the STEP system:
cd /opt/stibo/step
./spot --snapshot=/workarea/<snapshot-env-date>.spr
Prepare the Patch
The patch should be downloaded in advance to avoid unnecessary downtime for deployment.
A STEP core patch may look like the following command:
./spot --prepare=to:step/platform/step-<release>.spr
Sometimes, customers have their own components in addition to the STEP core, and the command could look something like this:
./spot --prepare=to:step/platform/step-<release>.spr,to:customer/<customer>/<customer>-addon/7.0/<customer>-addon-7.0.x.spr
Install the Patch
The patch should be installed by the following command:
./spot --apply=to:step/platform/step-<release>.spr
With customer components included, the command looks like this:
./spot --apply=to:step/platform/step-<release>.spr,to:customer/<customer>/<customer>-addon/7.0/<customer>-addon-7.0.x.spr
STEP will automatically stop and start during the patch session.
In case of any deprecated parameters in the configuration, follow the instructions on the screen that explain how to correct and restart STEP.
./spot --start
Fallback
In the event of errors during patching, it may be necessary to restore STEP to a previous state.
Depending on the contents of the patch the following steps should be completed when reverting the patch:
- Stop STEP
./spot --stop
- Restore database
- Restore configuration files
- Redeploy STEP using a snapshot
./spot --apply=/workarea/<snapshot-env-date>.spr --sync --syncmode=delete
Using the snapshot and the above --sync --syncmode=delete command will entirely recover STEP and delete any files related to a failed patch-session.
Note: Refer to the relevant release note to check if restoring the database is required for the patch in question.