SYSPRO Hotfixes

Exploring

A hotfix is the minimum software required to provide a solution for a specific problem experienced by one or more customers. These can also include any relevant dependencies.

SYSPRO provides hotfixes as a way of deploying software updates during the release of SYSPRO 8.

Types of hotfixes available include:

  • Mandatory Hotfix

  • Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix

  • Consolidated Hotfix

  • Diagnostic Hotfix

  • Restricted Hotfix

  • Withdrawn Hotfix

Hotfixes are available from the SYSPRO Installer application.

Occasionally, a Mandatory Hotfix is made available. This could be because of one of the following:

  • A serious error that we believe most customers will want corrected.
  • An architectural change to improve areas such as: security, performance, scalability, reliability, or the introduction of new foundation for several other hotfixes.
Who is notified?

Anyone who is using the current release of the software. Notification is via email.

If you install the software and previously-published Mandatory Hotfixes exist for that release, then they are automatically applied at the time of the install, without notification.
Who can install the hotfix?

All customers who are using the current release of the software and have not yet installed the mandatory hotfix.

Can the hotfix be uninstalled?

No, you cannot uninstall a mandatory hotfix.

Most hotfixes are optional. An Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix is targeted at a specific customer who has reported a bug and a specific hotfix exists to resolve the issue.

Other customers can also elect to install an Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix if they believe that the issue is relevant to them.

Who is notified?

The customer who reported the bug is notified when the Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix to resolve this is available. Notification is via email.

Who can install the hotfix?

The customer who raised the bug is notified about the hotfix availability. However, all customers may use the SYSPRO Installer app to select and install the hotfix, if deemed relevant.

Can the hotfix be uninstalled?

Yes, if required you can uninstall an Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix

Occasionally, the development team may produce a Consolidated Hotfix that contains a roll-up of all prior hotfixes.

The descriptive synopsis will explain the hotfixes that have been included and summarize how this roll-up and install works.

Please refer to the SYSPRO 8 Consolidated Hotfixes technical guide for more information.

Who is notified?

No notifications are sent out, however anyone using the current release of the software can view any available Consolidated Hotfix from the SYSPRO Installer application.

Who can install the hotfix?

Anyone using the current release of the software can install a Consolidated Hotfix.

Can the hotfix be uninstalled?

Yes, if required you can uninstall a Consolidated Hotfix. The software will then revert to just the previously installed hotfixes.

Occasionally, the development team may produce a Diagnostic Hotfix. These are aimed at specific customers to provide additional diagnostic output and/or other diagnostic features.

A Diagnostic Hotfix is only intended to be used for a limited period of time (while diagnosing any problems) and is typically uninstalled once the diagnostic phase has completed. Often this is followed by an Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix/Mandatory Hotfix to resolve the identified issue(s).

Who is notified?

No notifications are sent as the development and/or support team will contact the customer directly.

Who can install the hotfix?

Only the customer who has a problem requiring a Diagnostic Hotfix.

Can the hotfix be uninstalled?

Yes, upon completion of the diagnostic phase, the hotfix should be uninstalled.

Occasionally, the development team may issue a Restricted Hotfix that only a specific customer can install.

This could be of a very customer-specific nature, or may be a high-risk change where close customer support is required during hotfix implementation.

Who is notified?

The specific customer is notified. Notification is via email.

Who can install the hotfix?

Only the specific customer who requires the Restricted Hotfix.

Can the hotfix be uninstalled?

Yes, if required, you can uninstall a Restricted Hotfix.

Occasionally, a published hotfix may contain an error, in which case the hotfix will be flagged as withdrawn.

Who is notified?

All customers who have previously installed the Withdrawn Hotfix.

Who can uninstall the hotfix?

Only customers who had installed the Withdrawn Hotfix.

Can the hotfix be uninstalled?

The hotfix must be uninstalled, regardless of whether there is a subsequent replacement hotfix.

If required, a replacement hotfix is published and the list of customers who were notified about the Withdrawn Hotfix are notified about the replacement hotfix.

  • Hotfixes are available from the SYSPRO Installer application.

    If there is a Mandatory Hotfix or Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix available for your customer code then once you login, a notification is displayed against the applicable deployment group.

    Selecting the HOTFIXES button displays a list of all available hotfixes.

Topics

SYSPRO Avanti Installation

SYSPRO Installer

SYSPRO 8 - Supported Platforms

SYSPRO 8 - Technology Requirements

SYSPRO 8 Readiness Check

Pre-installation: Upgrade

Pre-installation: New

Data Conversion

Post Installation

Archiving Migration

Installation-related FAQs

SYSPRO Self-healing

Programs

Hotfix Notification Maintenance

Available Hotfix Query

Setup programs

Hotfix Notification Maintenance

PDF and Video Resources

Install Guides

Video Highlights

Starting

When installing hotfixes, the app will stop the following SYSPRO Services in order to prevent any possible problems arising:

  • SYSPRO 8 e.net Communications Load Balancer

    This includes any additional SYSPRO 8 e.net Communications Load Balancer services installed.

  • SYSPRO 8 Communications Service
  • SYSPRO 8 Avanti Initialization Service

Once the hotfixes are installed, the app will try to start the services again.

  • Hotfixes are only displayed when running the SYSPRO Installer Application on the server to which the SYSPRO 8 Server component has been installed.

  • A maximum of 127 hotfixes can be installed per release (Microsoft limitation). Therefore, ensure that you only install hotfixes that you require. Alternatively, install a consolidated hotfix.

Solving

This error is displayed when your selection of hotfixes to install exceeds the Microsoft limit.

A maximum of 127 hotfixes can be installed per release (Microsoft limitation).

Either deselect hotfixes which you may not need, or alternatively select to install a consolidated hotfix which only counts as 1 hotfix but includes a roll-up of previously released hotfixes.

If you select to install a consolidated hotfix, the previously installed hotfixes are uninstalled and your number of hotfixes installed then decreases accordingly.

Within the Hotfix Selection screen of the SYSPRO Installer, you can search for a specific hotfix by any of the following:

  • Enter the full KB number (e.g. KB8000006)
  • Enter the last digits (e.g. 06) into the search box
  • Enter any full text related to the hotfix (e.g. Ledger Query)

This displays the Mandatory Hotfixes and Optional/Customer-specific Hotfixes.

There could be a large number of hotfixes available - many of which are not relevant to your site or how you use the software. Therefore, only use this function if you have received an Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix to install, or if you suspect a problem with your current SYSPRO software and want to establish whether an applicable hotfix is available.

A hotfix KB article contains information about the software included in the hotfix, as well as a summary of the problems addressed.

You can access these by selecting the More button against the hotfix on the Hotfix selection screen of the SYSPRO Installer application.

If there is no Mandatory Hotfix/Optional/Customer-specific Hotfix available for your customer code, but the HOTFIXES button is still displayed on the deployment group home page, then the application has detected that there are additional Optional/Customer-specific Hotfixes available for you to view and optionally select.

Although the hotfix notification button is visible to all users, it is only enabled for operators belonging to a group with system administrator privileges.

This button shows the Mandatory Hotfixes or Optional/Customer-specific Hotfixes recorded against your customer code, which have not yet been installed.

This button only provides visibility. You cannot install a hotfix from inside SYSPRO.

To install hotfixes, you must run the SYSPRO Installer application.

If you need to update software or deploy hotfixes, but have multiple application servers for the same site, you have to run the SYSPRO Installer on each machine that has the Application Server installed. This is because hotfixes must be applied directly to the Application Server.

A maximum of 127 hotfixes can be installed per release (Microsoft limitation). Therefore, ensure that you only install hotfixes that you require. Alternatively, install a consolidated hotfix.

When using the SYSPRO Installer application, a Consolidated Hotfix is clearly indicated with the following phrase appended to its name: ** Consolidated **.

The synopsis will explain the hotfixes that have been included and summarizes how this roll-up and install works.

When adding or editing a deployment group in the SYSPRO Installer application, the Install all Hotfixes by default option is enabled by default.

This ensures that all available hotfixes are installed when installing SYSPRO 8 for the first time, or when upgrading to a new release.

Disable the Install all Hotfixes by default option if you don't want to install all hotfixes by default. However, if you disable this option, Mandatory Hotfixes are still installed when installing SYSPRO 8 for the first time, or when updating to a new release.

Yes, in the unlikely event that a deployed hotfix contains a flaw that may result in more damage than it was trying to repair, you can uninstall the hotfix.

The system is able to revert affected programs to a state prior to the deployment of the faulty hotfix.

You cannot uninstall a Mandatory Hotfix.

One of the best things about the hotfix technology in SYSPRO 8 is that if, for any reason, you wish to uninstall a hotfix, the software is restored back to what it was prior to the hotfix being installed.

The same happens if you were to uninstall a Consolidated Hotfix. The software will revert to just the previously installed hotfixes.

Using

Ensure to run the SYSPRO Installer Application on the SYSPRO application server before attempting to install hotfixes.

When installing hotfixes, the app will stop the following SYSPRO Services in order to prevent any possible problems arising:

  • SYSPRO 8 e.net Communications Load Balancer

    This includes any additional SYSPRO 8 e.net Communications Load Balancer services installed.

  • SYSPRO 8 Communications Service
  • SYSPRO 8 Avanti Initialization Service

Once the hotfixes are installed, the app will try to start the services again.

Once a connection is made to the SYSPRO Deployment Service, you need to login using your InfoZone credentials.

A valid InfoZone account is required to continue.

Enable the Save Customer Details checkbox option if you want the app to save your Customer Code and Customer PIN when logging in.

If you are not listed as a customer on the InfoZone (i.e. you are a Partner or Super-user) an additional screen is displayed for you to enter the relevant customer code for the customer you want to install.

Partners and Super-users

Ensure that you enter the Customer ID for the customer being installed.

The Customer ID defaults to the customer code defined within your InfoZone profile, therefore you must ensure that it matches the SYSPRO account that you are installing.

The Customer PIN is the 6-digit code included in the email you received that contained your SYSPRO 8 license.

You can verify your customer ID and PIN against the CustomerId and CustomerPin elements of the license XML file.

From the SYSPRO Installer home screen, select the SYSPRO ERP Software option.

You can navigate back to this home page from any point in the app by selecting the home icon from the toolbar at the top of each screen.

From the Deployment Groups page, establish whether any hotfixes are available for your deployment group.

Select the Hotfixes button against the relevant deployment group.

You can also refresh the Deployment Groups screen by pressing F5 inside the application.

From the Hotfix Selection screen you can select the hotfixes that you want to deploy.

Use the More button to view additional information on each hotfix before selecting it for installation.

Additional options available:

  • Use the Show Consolidated Hotfixes button to filter the list to only display consolidated hotfixes.

    If there are no consolidated hotfixes available, then this button is not available.

    When selecting to filter on consolidated hotfixes, the Search box is disabled. If you wish to return to the complete hotfix list, simply select the Show All Hotfixes button.

  • Use the Show Installed Hotfixes button to view all hotfixes installed for the deployment group.

Once you have indicated the hotfixes that you require deployed, select the Continue button.

Once you have confirmed your hotfix selection, the Hotfixes Ready to Install screen is displayed.

Select Continue to deploy the chosen hotfixes.

When uninstalling hotfixes, you can either do this through the SYSPRO Installer Application, or Windows.

If you uninstall a Consolidated Hotfix, ensure that you immediately install any outstanding Mandatory Hotfixes to avoid possible problems in SYSPRO.

Ensure to run the SYSPRO Installer Application on the SYSPRO application server before attempting to uninstall a hotfix.

Once a connection is made to the SYSPRO Deployment Service, you need to login using your InfoZone credentials.

A valid InfoZone account is required to continue.

Enable the Save Customer Details checkbox option if you want the app to save your Customer Code and Customer PIN when logging in.

If you are not listed as a customer on the InfoZone (i.e. you are a Partner or Super-user) an additional screen is displayed for you to enter the relevant customer code for the customer you want to install.

Partners and Super-users

Ensure that you enter the Customer ID for the customer being installed.

The Customer ID defaults to the customer code defined within your InfoZone profile, therefore you must ensure that it matches the SYSPRO account that you are installing.

The Customer PIN is the 6-digit code included in the email you received that contained your SYSPRO 8 license.

You can verify your customer ID and PIN against the CustomerId and CustomerPin elements of the license XML file.

From the SYSPRO Installer home screen, select the SYSPRO ERP Software option.

You can navigate back to this home page from any point in the app by selecting the home icon from the toolbar at the top of each screen.

From the Deployment Groups page, select the Hotfixes button against the relevant deployment group.

You can also refresh the Deployment Groups screen by pressing F5 inside the application.

From the Hotfix Selection screen, select the Show Installed Hotfixes button to view all hotfixes installed for the deployment group.

The Installed Hotfixes screen displays a list of all hotfixes installed for the deployment group. Alternatively use the Search box to search for a specific hotfix.

To find out more information about each hotfix that is installed, read the synopsis or select the More button to view additional information.

Identify which hotfix you want to uninstall and select the checkbox next to that hotfix.

Once you have indicated the hotfixes that you want to uninstall, select the Continue button.

You cannot uninstall a Mandatory Hotfix.

Once you have confirmed your hotfix selection, the Hotfixes Ready to Uninstall screen is displayed.

Select the Begin Uninstall option to uninstall the selected hotfixes.

Once the hotfixes have uninstalled successfully, the Hotfix Uninstall Complete screen is displayed.