> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.openiam.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.openiam.com/installation/rpm/rpm-upgrade.md). # Upgrading OpenIAM Decide whether you are doing a minor or a major upgrade, then take the checks that apply to both before you start. An RPM deployment is upgraded in one of two ways, and which one you are doing is the first thing to establish — they differ in who runs them, what they touch and how long they take. ## Which upgrade are you doing? The question is not how far apart the version numbers look. It is **whether you are staying on your current release line or crossing to a different one.** | | [Minor upgrade](/installation/rpm/rpm-upgrade/minor-upgrade.md) | [Major upgrade](/installation/rpm/rpm-upgrade/major-upgrade.md) | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it is** | A point upgrade inside the line you are already on — 4.2.1.12 → 4.2.1.15, or 2026.6.2 → 2026.8.2 | A move onto a different release line — any 4.2.1.x → any 2026.x | | **How it runs** | Set two variables in `env.conf`, then `openiam-cli upgrade` | An upgrade script, a database migration script, then `openiam-cli upgrade` | | **Support case** | Not required | **Required.** OpenIAM supplies the database migration script for your database type | | **Databases** | Unchanged | New databases are added, and each must exist before you start | | **Infrastructure** | Unchanged | Components are replaced — see the major upgrade page for which | | **Planning** | A maintenance window | A planned change: firewall review, disk headroom, possible audit-log export | | **What you get** | Fixes on the line you are on | Everything shipped since the lines diverged | {% hint style="warning" %} **The 4.2.1 and 2026 lines run in parallel.** 4.2.1 releases are still cut after 2026 releases exist, so a higher 4.2.1 number does not mean newer than a 2026 release. Staying on 4.2.1 is a maintenance decision; moving to 2026 is a feature decision. {% endhint %} ## Two pages apply to both * [**Release-specific steps**](/installation/rpm/rpm-upgrade/release-specific-steps.md) — a few 2026 releases add a database and a service, which no upgrade can create for you. Check this against every release you pass through, not only the one you stop at. * [**After a major upgrade**](/installation/rpm/rpm-upgrade/after-a-major-upgrade.md) — what to put right once a major upgrade completes. None of it prevents the platform starting, which is why it is easy to miss. ## Check which version you are on Both paths are keyed to your **current** version, so confirm it before you choose: * **In the Webconsole** — see [System configuration](/administration-guide/platform/system-configuration.md). * **From the database** — each release records itself in the `openiam` database: {% code overflow="wrap" %} ```sql SELECT * FROM OPENIAM_VERSION; ``` {% endcode %} ## Before any upgrade These apply whichever kind you are doing. * **Take a full backup.** Snapshot every OpenIAM host, and back up **every database your release uses** — not only `openiam` and `activiti`. Newer releases add `groovy`, `auditlog`, `batchtasks`, `certification`, `pbac` and `privacy`. This is your rollback position if the upgrade fails. * **Check free disk space.** Allow roughly **50 GB**, verified against current utilisation of the partition OpenIAM is installed under — not against the disk as a whole. * **Confirm network and firewall rules** between cluster nodes and services. For a three-node cluster the full list is in [Ports](/installation/rpm/rpm-ha/ports.md). * **Have admin credentials ready** for every node and for the external database instance. {% hint style="danger" %} **A backup that covers only `openiam` and `activiti` is not a rollback position.** The upgrade migrates every database independently, so restoring two of them leaves the rest on the post-upgrade schema and the deployment in a state no version expects. {% endhint %} ## Related * [Upgrading OpenIAM — Kubernetes](/installation/kubernetes/kubernetes-upgrade.md) — the same decision, on a cluster * [RPM — single node](/installation/rpm/rpm-single-node.md) — the deployment these upgrades run against * [RPM — three nodes](/installation/rpm/rpm-ha.md) — the clustered shape, and its port list * [Commands](/installation/commands.md) — `openiam-cli` in full *Last reviewed 9 September 2026.* --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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