Upgrade Buddy Server (pre-9.0.0.230)

This applies to upgrading from ENPS versions earlier than 9.0.0.230. See Upgrade from ENPS version 9.0.0.230 or later to upgrade from later versions.

Preparation

Before you start the upgrade process, make sure you do the following checks on the Buddy Server.

Check for G_FIELD Issues

Do this check now only on the Primary Server.

Use the ChangeGFieldID utility to confirm that there is no conflict between your Site Fields and System Fields.

  1. Browse to the ENPS Extras section on the ENPS Downloads website.

  2. Download the ChangeGFieldID utility to your Central/Primary server.

    You only need to run the utility on the Central Server, or the Primary Server assuming it is also the site’s Central Server.

  3. Right-click the .zip file and extract the contents.

    See the ChangeGFieldID.docx file in the extracted location for more information about the utility.

  4. Open a Command Prompt.

  5. Drag the extracted ChangeGFieldID.exe file directly into the Command Prompt window.

    This adds the path to the file to the command line. For example, if you extracted the utility to the desktop then the command line should look something like this:

    C:\Users\administrator2\Desktop\ChangeGFieldID\ChangeGFieldID.exe

  6. Append the Central/Primary server disk location and the /I/R switches to the command line.

    For example, if your server location is F:\WDCENPS824-4092, then the command line should now look something like this:

    C:\Users\administrator2\Desktop\ChangeGFieldID\ChangeGFieldID.exe F:\WDCENPS824-4092 /I/R

  7. Press Enter to run the command, which will scan and report conflicts.

Contact Us before continuing if any conflicts are shown in the Command Prompt window. For example:

Continue with the remaining checks on the Buddy Server.

Check for Windows Updates

Check for Windows updates on the Buddy Server, installing and then rebooting the server at a convenient time.

Do not reboot both ENPS servers at the same time.

Update .NET Framework

Ensure that .NET Framework version 4.8 is installed:

  • on the server

  • on all machines that will run the ENPS client

Check the current installed version using the Platform Installer or the registry:

Platform installer

You do not need to close any ENPS processes, just run the Platform Installer. When you get to the following screen it will show you if a required element is missing:

You can then add/fix whatever is missing, then exit out of the installer until you’re ready to install ENPS.

In the screenshot above, the Platform Installer displays the caution triangle indicating that .NET Framework 4.8 is required.

A link to download .NET Framework 4.8 is provided when the caution triangle is clicked.

.NET requires a reboot. Please reboot the Buddy server after .NET is installed, then continue with these steps.

Registry

  1. From the Start menu, choose Run, enter regedit, and then select OK.

  2. In the Registry Editor, open the following subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full. If the Full subkey isn't present, then .NET Framework 4.5 or later is not installed.

  3. Check for a REG_DWORD entry named Release. If it exists, then you have .NET Framework 4.5 or later installed. Its value corresponds to a particular version of .NET Framework.

  4. For .NET Framework 4.8 that value must be 528040 or greater

    .NET Framework version

    Minimum value

    .NET Framework 4.7.2 

    461808 

    .NET Framework 4.8 

    528040 

    .NET Framework 4.8.1 

    533320 

    In the example below .NET Framework 4.7.2 is installed, as the release number is 461814 (Higher than 461808 but lower than 528040).

Check for Unexpected Folders

Check the F:\Common folder for unexpected subfolders.

AUDIT, BUDDY, C_SUPPORT, DBSCRIPTS, ELECTION, G_SUPPORT, and G_SUPPORTBACKUP are expected. Any other folders are should be deleted or moved to the C:\ drive.

Create a Backups Folder

Create a backups folder on your desktop and then copy the following files and folders into the folder:

C:\inetpub\wwwroot
E:\Search Server\data\enps\conf (if applicable - legacy from v8.2.X)
E:\Search Server\SOLRJavaService (where applicable)
F:\Common\G_Support
F:\ENPS
F:\NOM\nom.ini
F:\NOM\AC
F:\NWP
F:\SearchServer
F:\ServerName\S_SUPPORT
F:\ServerName\S_PRIV

The backups folder should now look like this:

Check Data is in XML Format

Confirm that all of your data is in XML format, otherwise data will not appear in searches.

One way to confirm this is by checking whether the oldest archives on your servers are in XML format.

See Convert Data to XML Format for instructions on converting any non-XML files in your data. Content created with ENPS 7 and later is already in XML format, though older archives may not be.

Find AP Media API Key

In this version of ENPS you can ingest your AP Media API wires directly onto your server instead of to a separate box.

To set this up you’ll need to find your AP Media API key:

  1. Log into AP Newsroom.

    Instructions for logging in were sent in a Welcome Letter from the AP. Contact Us if you nor anyone at your site cannot find this letter and cannot find existing login credentials.

  2. Select the option for the AP Media API key in the navigation menu to see the key.

You'll use this key later in the Set Up AP Media API section to set up your AP wires, after you’ve upgraded the server.

Set WebService Version

  1. Open System Maintenance > Services.

  2. Remove any number before .svc at the end of the Address URL for the Buddy server webservice.

    For example, change:

    ../nomwebservices3/nomwebservice82.svc

    to

    ../nomwebservices3/nomwebservice.svc.

  3. Set the ServiceVersion for the Buddy server webservice to 9.

    The table should now look something like:

  4. Save changes.

Prepare Search

Purge the index in preparation for a recrawl:

  1. Open a Command Prompt.

  2. Enter the following:

    This command is case-sensitive, and there is a space after .exe before the /

    F:\SearchServer\SearchCrawler.exe /deleteindex:enps

Additionally, change the status of the ENPSDataService, SOLRJavaServer and Windows Search services:

  1. Open Windows Services (services.msc).

  2. Right-click the ENPSDataService service from the list.

  3. Select Stop from the popup menu.

  4. Right-click the SOLRJavaServer service from the list.

  5. Select Stop from the popup menu.

  6. Right-click the Windows Search service in the list.

  7. Select Properties to open a dialog box.

  8. Click Stop.

  9. Set General tab > Startup type to Disabled.

Remove Watch.exe

Remove the Watch.exe shortcut from the startup folders:

  1. Click Start, type Run and enter the following in the Run dialog to open the first startup folder:

    shell:startup

  2. Remove the Watch.exe shortcut from the folder if it exists.

  3. Click Start, type Run and enter the following in the Run dialog to open the second startup folder:

    shell:common startup

  4. Remove the Watch.exe shortcut from the folder if it exists.

Uninstall Java SDK and RTE

Uninstall any versions of Java SDK and RTE in preparation for installing/updating Amazon Corretto:

  1. Open Start Menu > Apps & Features.

  2. Search the apps list for Java SDK.

    Delete any installations found.

  3. Search the apps list for Java RTE.

    Delete any installations found.

Corretto for Solr

ENPS requires Amazon Corretto OpenJDK Coretto version 17, which will be automatically installed by the Platform Installer.

All versions of Corretto other than version 17 must be removed now. Do not install any higher or lower versions of Corretto.

To uninstall versions of Corretto other than version 17:

  1. Open Start Menu > Apps & Features.

  2. Search the apps list for Corretto.

  3. Click on each Corretto entry to check the version.

  4. Uninstall all Corretto installations that are not version 17.

    If you can't uninstall Corretto because it is still in use:

    1. Open Task Manager.

    2. Open the Services tab.

    3. Right-click SolrJavaService in the list and select Stop from the popup menu.

    4. Try uninstalling Corretto again.

    If prompted to restart your system:

    1. Remove the Watch.exe shortcut from the startup folders:

      1. Click Start, type Run and enter the following in the Run dialog to open the first startup folder:

        shell:startup

      2. Remove the Watch.exe shortcut from the folder if it exists.

      3. Click Start, type Run and enter the following in the Run dialog to open the second startup folder:

        shell:common startup

      4. Remove the Watch.exe shortcut from the folder if it exists.

    2. Click Yes to restart.

For details about using Solr in ENPS, see Solr Search.

Installation

Once all Preparation is complete, continue with installation:

  1. Right-click on the ENPS Platform Installer .zip file downloaded in Download Installer and select Properties.

  2. Ensure that the General tab > Unblock box is ticked if it exists, then click OK.

  3. Extract the contents of the Platform Installer zip file to the root of the ENPS Work Drive, which is usually the F: drive:

    Do not extract to a different location, such as the Downloads folder. If extracted to another location such as the Downloads folder, the Platform Installer may crash or get stuck when run.

    This creates the following files/folders at the root of the F drive:

  4. Run the PlatformInstaller.exe file from that location to start the Platform Installer.

    If the Platform Installer crashes or gets stuck, do not restart it. Contact Us immediately.

    If the following popup appears then click Yes.

    If you are running Windows Server 2019 or older you may see an error that the operating system does not support .NET 4.8.1. If so, click OK and manually download and install .NET 4.8 (not 4.8.1) from here: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet-framework/net48

    Then return to this step to re-run the Platform Installer.

  5. Select ENPS on the Server Type screen.

  6. On the Product Selection screen select the following for a typical ENPS installation:

    • ENPS Server Components - Upgrade

    • ENPS NOM Web Services - Upgrade

    • ENPS Elections API Ingest Service - Upgrade or Install

    Your screen should look like this:

    The installer will flag if the server does not meet certain prerequisites, such as the required version of Corretto installed.

    As of ENPS 9.6.1, this now ensures that all server Roles and Features prerequisites are met.

    If you see this message, click Install Requirements. If you are instructed to reboot before continuing then exit the Platform Installer, take Watch out of startup, reboot the server, then re-run the Platform Installer.

    Click Next if all prerequisites are met:

  7. On the End User License Agreement screen, read the agreement and accept the terms.

  8. Click Next.

  9. Configure admin login using either:

    Alternatively, do not use auto login on this server.

    The actual screens shown in this step depend on what you already have configured. The Do not auto login to this server option is not available if the server is already configured to use an admin login method.

  10. Click Next.

  11. On the Configuration > Search Configuration screen, you will see one of the following sets of options depending on which version of ENPS you are upgrading from:

    • Ensure that Override and configure SOLR Specific settings is ticked if you see this screen:

    • Enter a username and password for Solr and ensure that Override and configure SOLR specific settings is ticked if you see this screen:

      Do not forget the User Name and Password as they are required to connect with Solr.

  12. On the Configuration > IIS Settings screen, Webservice should be preselected with the correct Application Pool (NOMWebServicesAppPool).

  13. Click Next Step.

  14. Click Next.

    Click Run in any prompts that appear.

  15. Click Continue to start installation.

  16. Wait for installation to complete.

  17. Copy the G_SUPPORT files:

    If your Primary Server is NOT your Central Server, meaning you have a separate Central Server, provided that has been upgraded, then skip this step.

    This step is only necessary if your Primary Server is also your Central Server.

    1. Open File Explorer on your newly upgraded Buddy server.

    2. Copy the following files in the F:\Common\G_Support folder:

      G_Fielddef

      G_Langen

    3. Paste them to same folder on the Primay/Central Server.

  18. Click Install Details.

  19. Click Finish.

    If prompted to restart the server, select No.

  20. Click OK to close the installer.

    Do not start NOM Watcher.

Proceed to the Post-installation instructions.

Post-installation

Before Server Restart

After Installation is complete and before restarting the server:

  1. Open the backups folders created during Primary Server Preparation.

  2. Open the ENPS\v7\ENPSClient.exe.config file.

  3. Compare this file with the same file in F:\ENPS\v7 on the Primary Server, specifically:

    1. Check that the Primary and Secondary webservice settings are correct.

Continue with these steps:

  1. If this server ingests FTP wires, confirm if the FTP wire log files (.DC) are in the NWP folder.

    If not, restore them from the backup of the NWP folder created during Preparation.

  2. Edit the NomWebServiceAppPool application pool:

    1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

    2. In the Connections pane, expand the server name and select Application Pools.

    3. In the Application Pools pane on the right, right-click NomWebServiceAppPool and select Advanced Settings.

    4. Set the Idle Time-out (minutes) option to 0 in the Advanced Settings popup.

    5. Click OK.

    6. Right-click NomWebServiceAppPool again and ensure that it is started.

  3. Delete the contents of the F:\NOM\MOS\OUT folder if it exists.

Now restart the server.

After Server Restart

After restarting the server:

  1. Launch Watch.exe on the Buddy server.

  2. Wait for Solr to start if prompted.

    After a restart it can take several minutes for Solr to become fully functional. The NOM may indicate as such.

    You can proceed once this screen has disappeared and the NOM has fully launched.

  3. Open the NOM Buddy Process window on the Primary server and make sure it is emptying out to the Buddy Server.

    If not, try regenerating the schema on the Buddy Server by entering the following in a command prompt:

    F:\SearchServer\SOLRSchemaManager.exe /regenerate /reset:true

  4. Click Start, type Run and enter the following in the Run dialog to open the user startup folder:

    shell:startup

    This should be for the account that is set to auto-logon to start ENPS server.

  5. Copy the Watch shortcut from the desktop to the startup folder.

  6. Confirm that all wires are ingesting as expected.

    If any FTP wires are not ingesting, deactivate the wire, re-enter the password for the FTP server, and activate the wire again.

Set Up AP Media API

Set up your AP Media API wire natively on your server:

  1. Open News Wire Profiler.

  2. Select File > New Wire and select APMEDIAAPIFEEDS from the popup and click OK.

    A new wire window appears.

  3. Click More to expand the window to show settings for the new wire.

  4. Configure the wire as follows:

    Use the API key found in the earlier Find AP Media API Key section.

    Field Description

    Get Member Content

    Not used.

    Server URL

    Set to https://api.ap.org

    API Key

    API credentials provided by AP, for example on AP Newsroom.

    Provider

    Set to AP or other custom setting as needed.

    Although multiple products can be added to each Media API wire, each wire may only have one Provider code. To use multiple Provider codes, create a separate Media API wire for each code.

    Cat Map

    Set to NAA or other custom setting as needed.
    Story Format

    Select MediaAPI_v3.0_Story and MediaAPI_v3.0_Storybody respectively in the two dropdown menus.

  5. Click Click to Refresh to update the Available Products list.

    To add an available product to the Products to Display list, click on the product and then click ADD ->.

  6. Tick the Active checkbox to activate the wire.

  7. If you've previously been ingesting your AP Media API wires on a separate box then that box can now be powered down.

See Wires via AP Media API for more information on this wire.

Set Up Search

Follow these steps to ensure that search works properly after upgrading from ENPS version 8:

  1. Open F:\SearchServer\SearchCrawler.exe.config.

  2. Ensure that the value for the solrUri key contains either your current server name or the localhost.

    <add key="solrUri" value="http://<CURRENTSERVERNAME>:8080/solr/enps" />

    For example, if using localhost then the line would look like this:

    <add key="solrUri" value="http://localhost:8080/solr/enps" />

  3. Open F:\SearchServer\SOLRSchemaManager.exe.config.

  4. Ensure that the following line appears:

    <add key="solrUrl" value="http://localhost:8080/solr/enps" />

    The Platform Installer should have automatically added that line.

  5. Run the following from a Command Prompt to regenerate the SOLR Schema:

    F:\SearchServer\SOLRSchemaManager.exe /regenerate /reset:true

    There are spaces after .exe and after regenerate.

  6. Copy the F:\SearchServer\SearchCrawler.exe.config file and paste it to the desktop of the server, creating a backup of the file.

    You'll need this backup file later in these steps.

  7. Speed up the process for crawls:

    1. Open F:\SearchServer\SearchCrawler.exe.config.

    2. Find the <databases> section, which contains keys and values for NWS, your Primary server and your Buddy server.

      For example, if your Primary server is WDCENPS-RG1 and your Buddy server is WDCENPS-RG2, then you would currently see this:

    3. Edit the <databases> section as follows:

      1. Remove the NWS entry.

      2. Change the Primary server value to point at your main news folder.

      Continuing the example, if your Primary server is WDCENPS-RG1, your Buddy server is WDCENPS-RG2 and your main news folder is P_RGNEWS then your <databases> section would now look like this:

      Keep in mind that your <databases> section must have your server names and main news folder name instead of the example names above.

    4. Save the F:\SearchServer\SearchCrawler.exe.config file.

  8. Run the following from a Command Prompt to repair any duplicate GUIDs and remove duplicate stories from WIP data:

    F:\SearchServer\Searchcrawler.exe /repairguids /removeduplicatestories

    There are spaces after .exe and after repairguids.

  9. Wait for the crawl to finish.

  10. Repeat from Step 7 above if, in addition to your main news folder (P_RGNEWS in the example above), your site has other groups to run the repair and remove duplicates crawl on.

    For example, look in your Primary Server name folder for different P_ groups. You may have a desk group (e.g. P_RGDESK) that you also want to repair and remove duplicates from.

  11. Replace the changed F:\SearchServer\SearchCrawler.exe.config file with the backup file you pasted to the desktop in an earlier step.

  12. Recrawl the data:

    1. Open a Command Prompt as an administrator.

    2. Run the following command:

      F:\SearchServer\Searchcrawler.exe

At this stage the server can be used by users. However, not all data cannot be searched for until the crawl is complete.

Next Steps

You have now upgraded the Buddy Server!

Proceed to Upgrade Primary Server (pre-9.0.0.230).