On-Premises Upgrade Guide | Communifire Documentation

Welcome to the On-Premises Upgrade Guide! At Axero, we're committed to enhancing your digital workspace by continuously incorporating user feedback into our development process. This guide outlines our update types, the upgrade process, and support options to ensure you can fully utilize our latest innovations.

Update Types

To ensure your site benefits from the latest developments, we offer two types of updates:

• General Release: Our General Release is the most recent and stable version of Axero, perfect for on-premises installations. It integrates enhancements and fixes to ensure optimal platform performance. To upgrade to the latest General Release, please submit a support case to our team.
• Limited Release: Issued after the latest General Release, Limited Releases include features still being tested. While Limited Releases offer an early look at the newest features of the Axero platform, they are best suited for cloud-based deployments where we can closely monitor performance.

Follow our New Enhancements page to receive updates on the features included in each release.

Need Assistance?

For guidance on on-premises upgrades, including step-by-step support from our team, reach out to your Client Success Manager to discuss our Enhanced Support options.

Upgrade Process

1. Download the Update
   • Open a support case to request the latest update files:
     • Subject: [Your Site URL] Request for On-Premises Update Files
     • Description: Please provide the most recent update files available for on-premises customers. Below are our current site details.
       • Site URL: [Your Site URL]
       • Current Version: [Find in Control Panel > System > Communifire Version]
       • Confirmation (Yes/No): Do you have a Sandbox/Staging site configured for which you will deploy this first?
       • Please provide details on your goal for the update so we can give you the best information to meet your needs.
   • Download and unzip the newest version on your web server.
2. Backup Your Data
   • Stop the application pool in IIS.
     
   • Back up your site files (for example, Backup\Backup_01_09_2025).
   • Back up your SQL Database using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. Right-click the database, go to Tasks, and then click Back Up....
     
3. Stop Elasticsearch
   • If utilizing Elasticsearch locally, stop the service.
     
4. Prepare for Update
   • Delete the following folders and files from the unzipped installation files to avoid overwriting your files:

     Software\Assets\UploadedCMSFiles
     Software\Assets\UploadedPhotos
     Software\Assets\UploadedVideos
     Software\Assets\UploadedFiles
     Software\CFConnectionStrings.config
     Software\WindowsADSettings.config

   • Note Clear the bin folder in your target site to maintain security permissions.
5. Update Site Files
   • Copy and paste all content from the Software installation folder to your site folder.
6. Update SQL Database
   • Ensure database compatibility is set to 130. Do not have multiple SQL server services running in the same VM.
   • Double-click to open the correct upgrade script directly in SQL Server Management Studio; do not copy and paste the script:
   • If upgrading from version 7.0 to 8.0, run \DB_Scripts\CF_Database_Update_7.0-to-8.0.sql
   • If updating an 8.0 site to the latest 8.0 version, run \DB_Scripts\CF_Database_Update_8.0-to-Latest.sql
   • If the following popup appears when running these scripts, choose No.
     
   • Note Confirm scripts run to the end without any issues.
7. Update Elasticsearch (If Applicable)
   • If your site was last updated before January 2022, follow this documentation to update Elasticsearch to version 7.16.2.
8. Finalize the Update
   • If you stopped Elasticsearch in Step 3, turn Elasticsearch back on by selecting Start.
   • Restart the application pool in IIS.
9. Rebuild Index
   • Open the Control Panel and go to System > Advanced System Utilities
   • Click Rebuild Index.

Completion

Congratulations on successfully updating your Axero site! To ensure that you continue to benefit from a secure and efficient intranet environment, please follow Axero's On-Premises Management.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter an error when loading your site, switch on Custom Errors for detailed error messages:

1. Go to the web.config file in the website folder.
2. Set CustomErrors mode to Off:
   

   <customErrors mode="Off" defaultRedirect="Errors-CF/default.aspx" redirectMode="ResponseRewrite">