v18 to v20 upgrade on a self hosted VM in AWS

[pulseit]

HI Guys,

We have 3x v18 installs (under free licenses) on AWS lightspeed.

We recently received an email from 3CX saying to upgrade to v20 to keep our 4 channel version intact otherwise on the 2/7/24, they will revert back to 1 channel versions.

I can't upgrade them using the console upgrade, as it says the maintenance is expired and won't let me upgrade.

Short of rebuilding a new VM under v20 and restoring the config, is there any other simple way to upgrade say via SSH/telnet?



Thanks,
Matthew.

 

[SteveITS]

Was it an older version of v18?

 

[pulseit]

Mostly v18 Update 7.

 

[SteveITS]

Yeah it needed to be 8b and now 9a to activate. https://www.3cx.com/blog/change-log/phone-system-change-log-v18/. 3CX’s recommended path is to install and restore from backup. Some have posted here about upgrading via command line, but 3CX will tell you that might upgrade other packages also, whereas they only update what they test.

 

[pulseit]

OK I may look at taking a backup, and trying to do it via command line in that case to make it easier.

If it fails, I'll go for the new VM, restore route.

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

Before upgrading to V20 please also ensure following this guideline.

 

[pulseit]

I have a question re spinning up a new VM with v20 and then restoring my config.

How do we update the 3cx.com.au (in our case) pointers to go to possibly a new IP address?

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

This will be automatically detected and updated upon installation.

 

[pulseit]

OK maybe we will just go that route - we only have a handful to do anyway

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

I just want to point here that you need to be on the latest V18 Update 9a before upgrading to V20.
Note that as per blog post provided you will also need to ensure the unique emails and the assigned System Owners otherwise you will not be able to login.

 

[pulseit]

Are you saying we cannot just spin up a new v20 install and restore the config across unless we were on v18 update 9a?

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

The suggestion is to be on the latest build. Keep in mind that as previous reply if System Owner with a unique email is not configured in V18 you will not be able to login to V20 as the admin credentials are no longer available.
Refer to the provided checklist before moving to V20 as there are other facts (e.g. hardware specs) that you need to consider first.

 

[pulseit]

Thats the main issue - I cannot upgrade any of the 3x installs as it says Maintenance Expired so won't let us.

We did originally get these under the free license as there are only a handful of phones/users and typically only one trunk.

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

I would suggest to first create a full backup and re-install using the latest V18 ISO. Then you will be able to upgrade directly from the PBX to V20.

 

[pulseit]

OK that sounds like a good idea - can we reinstall over the top of the existing installation or should we look at building a new VM.

I am just being extra cautious as these customers are located quite a distance from our office.

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

Just create a new VM and start a new installation.

 

[pulseit]

Got you - I'll get that done in the coming weeks. Thanks for your help!

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

You are welcome. Let us know the outcome.

 

[pulseit]

With regards to the new installation, do we use the same license code at the time of install?

I notice that when I log into my 3CX portal I can click Install, I only get the option to Self Host 2 month trial. Not sure why this is the case as these should be 4SC free version?

 

[TheodorosG_3CX]

This is not an SMB installation but a self-hosted.
You can contact with our customer care at the email [email protected] to clarify further regarding your license capabilities.