Perform a Downgrade after Upgrading Geo SCADA Expert

If you decide that you want to roll back an upgrade of Geo SCADA Expert software, you can downgrade back to the version of Geo SCADA Expert that your servers were running just before that upgrade. The downgrade process will be slightly easier if Database Emulation was enabled when the servers were upgraded and has continued to remain enabled on those servers. This is because the database files on the servers will have continued to have been saved in the same format as the earlier database version that was running on those servers just prior to the upgrade.

In this topic, we explain how to downgrade your Geo SCADA Expert servers using separate installers for:

Geo SCADA Expert
Extensions
DDK drivers
Third-party applications (that target Geo SCADA Expert).

Some publishers may repackage Geo SCADA Expert updates so that you can install all (or some) of the components (above) from a single installer.

This procedure assumes that an automatic backup of the database was generated when you upgraded your servers (see Automatic Database Backup on Upgrade).

The Order in Which Servers Should be Downgraded

When you downgrade from one version of Geo SCADA Expert software to another, all of the servers that are running on your system have to be running the same version of Geo SCADA Expert software. (You cannot run some servers with one version, and other servers with another version of Geo SCADA Expert software, during the downgrade process.)

If you have only upgraded your Standby server(s) when you decide to roll back the software, then you only need to downgrade the software on those particular servers. However, if you have upgraded all of your servers before deciding to roll back the software, you will need to decide which of two downgrade options you want to follow:

Option 1

This is the recommended option.

Stop a Standby server, downgrade the Geo SCADA Expert software on that server, then stop all of the other servers (including the Main server) before bringing the single downgraded server back on line. Then downgrade the other servers that you have stopped and then bring them back on line. The impact of this option is that you will lose any data that the Main server has processed while that first Standby server was being downgraded. Additionally, your system will only provide redundancy once you bring a second downgraded server back online.

Option 2

Stop all of the servers while you perform the downgrade. The impact of this option is the amount of downtime of your entire system while the downgrade is performed.

Downgrade a Server

To downgrade a Geo SCADA Expert server:

Obtain the installation files for the version of Geo SCADA Expert software that was running on your server just before the upgrade. You might still have these from the previous time that your servers were upgraded, but if not, you should be able to obtain them from your Schneider Electric representative.
To ascertain the version of Geo SCADA Expert software to which you need to downgrade, locate the latest set of database backup files that should have been generated automatically when the server was upgraded. The software version is included in the name of the backup folder (see Automatic Database Backup on Upgrade).
Also ensure that you have the installers for the previous version of software for any extensions, DDK drivers, and third-party applications that target Geo SCADA Expert.
If Database Emulation was enabled when the server was upgraded, leave this feature enabled, as it will provide a smoother downgrade path. This is due to the database files continuing to be saved in the same database format as the version of Geo SCADA Expert that was running on the server just prior to the upgrade.
Shut down the Geo SCADA Expert server. (The installation process requires the server to be shut down.) For information on shutting down a server, see Stop the Geo SCADA Expert Server in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to Server Administration.
Uninstall Geo SCADA Expert. You should perform a 'Complete' uninstall (see Uninstall Geo SCADA Expert - ‘Complete’ Uninstall).
Also uninstall any extensions, Virtual ViewX server software, DDK driver software, and any third-party applications that target Geo SCADA Expert.
Install the version of software that your server was running just before the upgrade. To do this, run the Setup.exe file that is included with the Geo SCADA Expert installation files for that version of the software. When you run Setup.exe, the installer will run and install the correct files for the server’s operating system.
Some publishers may re-package Geo SCADA Expert to be part of another package. With these packages, you can use the installer for that package to install Geo SCADA Expert and the other product together.
Install the software for any extensions. (Skip to step 6 if your system does not use extensions).
To install an extension, run the installer application supplied with the extension software.
If you do not downgrade all of the extensions, Geo SCADA Expert may not run correctly.
Install the software for any DDK drivers. (Skip to step 7 if your system does not use DDK drivers).
The Geo SCADA Expert installer includes the relevant version of drivers created by Schneider Electric. However, if your system has DDK drivers created by a third-party organization, you will need to install the appropriate software. This is because DDK drivers are associated with a specific version of Geo SCADA Expert—when you downgrade Geo SCADA Expert, the DDK drivers need to match the downgraded version of Geo SCADA Expert.
If you do not downgrade all of the DDK drivers, Geo SCADA Expert may not run correctly.
Install the software for any third-party applications that are associated with a specific version of Geo SCADA Expert. (Skip to step 8 if your system does not use any third-party applications with Geo SCADA Expert).
For information on any third-party applications that you use with Geo SCADA Expert, please contact the publisher of the application.
If the Virtual ViewX server is installed on the same machine, install the version of software that your Virtual ViewX server was running just before the upgrade. To do this, run the Virtual ViewX Server.exe file that is included with the Virtual ViewX installation files for that version of the software. When you run the file, the installer will run and install the correct files for the server's operating system.
If Database Emulation was enabled during the upgrade and has continued to remain enabled, ignore this step and go straight to step 10. This is because the database files will have continued to have been saved in the same format as the version of Geo SCADA Expert that the server was running just prior to the upgrade. As such, you can continue to work with your current database following the downgrade.
If Database Emulation was disabled during the upgrade, or has been disable since the upgrade, you have to revert the server's database back to support the downgraded version of Geo SCADA Expert software. This involves using the latest set of database backup files that is stored in the UpgradeDatabaseBackup folder. Perform the following:
1. Optionally make a copy of the folder that contains the upgraded Geo SCADA Expert database. By default, the files are stored in the Database folder (see File Locations (Default)).
2. Locate the latest set of database backup files that was generated automatically when you upgraded the server. By default, the files are stored in the UpgradeDatabaseBackup folder (see File Locations (Default)).
3. Expand the folder that contains the latest database backup, so that you can see the folders and files within it.
4. Copy the folders and files from within that latest database backup folder (in the UpgradeDatabaseBackup folder) over to the location where the Geo SCADA Expert database is stored (the Database folder).
  When prompted to do so, allow the files in the Database folder to be replaced by the folders and files copied from within the latest automatic backup folder in the UpgradeDatabaseBackup folder.
  (The automatically generated backup only includes files that contain versioning information. As such, it only includes a subset of the files that are stored in the Database folder. (The name of this folder might differ on your server - see Locations of the Database Folders.))
  NOTICE
  loss of database changes
  If you downgrade back to a previous version of Geo SCADA Expert and reinstate the automatically-generated backup of the database for that version of software, be aware that you will lose any configuration changes that were made after that database backup occurred. This might include new database items that were created following the backup, or the reinstatement of obsolete database items that were deleted after the backup occurred. Likewise, you will be unable to make use of any new features or functionality that are only available in the upgraded version of the Geo SCADA Expert software, once that software has been uninstalled and downgraded.
  Following these instructions can result in loss of database changes and functionality
Restart the server (see Start and Stop the System Server).
If the server is connected to clients that run an even older version of Geo SCADA Expert software, you should enable Server Emulation. This will enable the clients to continue to function as expected.
Repeat the above procedure for any other servers on which you need to downgrade the Geo SCADA Expert software.
If applicable, and installed on a separate machine to the Geo SCADA Expert server, downgrade your Virtual ViewX server.
Check the compatibility matrix for your version of Geo SCADA Expert software on the Geo SCADA Knowledge Base. If this advises you that there is no need to downgrade any ViewX clients, then these should continue to function correctly with the downgraded servers. However, the ViewX clients will only provide the functionality that is supported by the version of software to which the servers have been downgraded. The same applies to Virtual ViewX and Original WebX clients.