Evotiva DNNUpgrade 1.7 Released! Upgrade easily (following the right steps) to DNN9

Learn more: http://www.evotiva.com/Products/DNNUp...

DNNUpgrade provides a set of tools that helps DNN users to accelerate and automate DNN sites upgrades.

DNNUpgrade is the perfect companion of DNNBackup enabling guided, safe and fast DNN Installations upgrades.

This is Important

You do not simply upgrade the production site, even having a fresh full backup.

You should first test the upgrade in a clone/staging site. DNNBackup can help you to create (or update) a clone site.
Testing whether an upgrade process was successful or not, is more than executing the DNN upgrade process and seeing it finishing without throwing any errors. You should run the upgraded site, and verify each extension - including modules and skins - currently in use. The Inventory (Tools > DNN Installation Inventory) can be a good starting point for this task (This is a FREE feature!).
In addition, you should validate the site's 'Host', 'Admin' features, regular users functionality, and look for unexpected Event Log entries.

This is especially true when performing a major version upgrade (e.g. from version X to version Y), or a minor version upgrade (e.g. from X.A to X.B).
Upgrading from X.Y.A to X.Y.B (revision upgrade) is usually not that critical. However, the time you decide to upgrade directly from X.Y.A to X.Y.B is when it fails, and you'll notice it days later.

Bottom line: ALWAYS test the upgrade in a staging site before upgrading your production site.

Major highlights

• Ideal solution for DNN or Evoq upgrading.
• it is the perfect companion for DNNBackup
• Given your current DNN version, it shows you the ideal upgrade path to the latest version currently available.
• It can work with or without DNNBackup.
• You don't need to worry about hunting for the DNN upgrade packages (is it in CodePlex or GitHub? In which Url?). DNNUpgrade will show you all the available releases (in GitHub and CodePlex) in a simple and consistent way.
• It can download for you the upgrade packages available in GitHub and CodePlex. The downloaded packages can be kept in the configured 'Upgrade' folder or they can be automatically deleted after they have been applied.
• Nothing happens 'behind scenes'. The upgrade actions happen exactly the same as if you were manually performing them, but faster.
• You can upload and apply your own upgrade packages.
• Along with the packages available in GitGub and CodePlex, it will allow you to choose from the locally available packages, which can be in a folder outside the web site's root or it could also be a network share.
• All versions of DNN and Evoq are supported (via manually uploaded upgrade packages).
• It does work on Windows Azure
• The Inventory is a very useful free tool for testing an upgraded site.
• It types for you: The way it operates is the same as you would manually do, but faster and efficiently.
• By default, just 'Host' users can use this module, but it can be configured to allow 'Administrators' too.
• Locked Settings: You can define a set of fixed settings (e.g. pointing to a shared folder where customized upgrade packages are) that the users will not be able to update unless they have direct (i.e. FTP) access to the server, even being a 'host' or 'Administrator' user. See the module's "Mandatory Settings" setting.
• The license key can be auto-installed. if a “/portals/_default/Evotiva.DNNUpgrade.LicenseKey.resources” file is found or a “/desktopmodules/Evotiva-DNNUpgrade/Evotiva.DNNUpgrade.LicenseKey.resources” is found, it will be automatically installed.
• The available GitHub and CodePlex releases will be automatically hidden on DNN paid versions.
• You can configure if local upgrade packages can be utilized, uploaded or deleted.
• Thanks to the "Mandatory Settings" feature, you can let users (Hosts and optionally also Admins) upgrade their sites when they want (from the package configured for them). This is, assuming the upgrade was already applied and verified in a clone site.
• The "Upgrade Packages Folder Browser" feature allows you to see, download and delete local packages (if these options are enabled in the module's settings page), and "Installation Inventory" reports.
• Unattended upgrades by calling directly the 'upgrade progress' Url.
• Can be configured to only download upgrade packages from GitHub and CodePlex.
• It can notify you by email if there is a new stable DNN version available.

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