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Hello,

I’m preparing to update our production Commvault instance from SP16 to 11.24. I’ve reviewed the prerequisites and planning documentations listed here https://documentation.commvault.com/11.24/expert/2621_planning_feature_release_installations_01.html, however I’m struggling to find information around the SQL Server requirements and upgrade procedures. I happened to stumble across another article stating that 11.24 requires SQL Server 2019. I’m glad I saw that before the upgrade was actually done as our Commserve DB is currently running on SQL Server 2014.

 

I had planned on installing the upgrade through the Commcell Console and pushing out to all relevant components in the specified order (Commserve, Media Agents, Clients). So my question now is, will the upgrade process through the Commcell Console also automatically update the SQL Server to 2019? If so, is this the preferred method? Are there any risks or drawbacks? I did manage to find this article listing steps to include the SQL server update when installing feature releases however I am not seeing the options outlined available to me. https://documentation.commvault.com/11.24/essential/114867_including_windows_os_and_sql_server_updates_when_installing_commvault_feature_and_maintenance_releases_01.html. Is there a way to enable this through the Commcell Console? Also, is there a way for me to confirm the SQL Server version the Commserve DB is on? The only reason I ask is because I’m seeing instances of SQL Server 2008, 2012 and 2014 all installed on the Commserve. Our Commserve is on a Windows Server 2016 VM.

 

Thanks!

Hey @eflores,

Very timely discussion and myself and @Mike Struening were just discussing this.

 

SQL will not automatically be upgraded unfortunately. We have found the reliability of automated SQL upgrades to be less than stellar, so we are cautious of doing that. The best way to upgrade SQL and install FR24 at the same time is using this procedure, which requires you to remove SQL before the re-install.

The inside scoop is that 2014 will still work fine for FR24, but we’re starting to actively encourage customers customers to upgrade SQL in preparation for a future release. There are new features in the latest version of SQL we’d like to take advantage of for performance and scalability, but it will break backwards compatibility with older versions.

 

Thanks for the response @Damian Andre. If I understand correctly, I could technically continue with the upgrade as planned and things will not break with SQL Server 2014? Assuming I do that and I want to update SQL Server later on, would I follow the same steps outlined in the article you linked?

 

As an alternative option, could I flip the order and upgrade SQL Server first (using the same steps outlined above) and then install Feature Release 11.24 at a later date? Would SP16 work with SQL Server 2019? Or is it best practice to do it all at once (upgrade SQL and install FR24)? I was only prepared to do the Feature Release update and that was what I communicated to my higher ups, so just want to be sure I provide all pertinent information and ensure I understand all the steps involved.

@eflores , you could install 2019 first, then install the CS software.  It will see the instance is already there and utilize it.

For your first question, you could use 2014 and things will work fine, though I would recommend going right to 11.24 (or higher) via the document @Damian Andre shared.

You’ll have a newer Long Term Support version AND have a solid SQL installation that will be supported for a long time:

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2012 is nearing the end of Extended Support on 12 July 2022
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2014 is nearing end of Extended Support on 9 July 2024

As Damian mentioned, we are talking about this very topic, so I have these details handy.  Microsoft’s Extended Support covers security updates, but not new features.  July 2022 is a few months away, and 2024 will be here before you know it.

Now, SQL server 2019 has Mainstream Support until 7 January 2025 and Extended Support until 8 January 2030!

Thank you both for the clarification!

Let us know how it goes!  If you run into issues, update this thread (and I’ll unmark the answer).

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