licensing question

[RyanScaggs]

We are part of the way through deploying a new 8.x Auth. Mgr. virtual appliance but for compliance purposes we now want to upgrade an existing 7.x physical appliance in place before migrating to the new VM. Can we do that with the license that we have?

[JayGuillette]

two issues here I think;

1. the AM 7.1 license.xml file is 'different' technically from the AM 8.x license.xml, so you have to logon to the Link site and 'Upgrade' your license to 8.x and download an 8.x license.xml file.  Keep a copy of your old AM 7.1 license file just in case, because you probably cannot revert an upgraded 8.x license to 7.1 format on the RSA site.  Legally they are the same, so you can use both but technically you cannot use your 7.1 license file in deploying an AM 8.1 system.

Link Top Level search for "upgrade license 7.1" to find KB 27017

or click 

000027017 - How to upgrade Authentication Manager 7.1 license 

Also, the upgrade to the Dell AM 7.1 Appliance is a complete overwrite of the hard drive, different versions on Linux underneath so it's a forklift upgrade.  So be sure to get backups and run your migration utility before you upgrade all of your AM 7.1 Appliances.  One of the Docs your want for this part is the am_migration_guide_7.1_existing_appliance.pdf

Search Link for "Migration Guide existing Authentication Manager appliance"

or click here

RSA Authentication Manager 7.1 to 8.1 - Upgrading an Existing Hardware Appliance 3.0 

[EdwardDavis]

You cannot upgrade 7.x in place to 8.x

You can only create a migration package, completely blow away 7.x, install 8.1, and then import

the migration package to it.

So, if you already have 8.1 setup elsewhere, you can at least 'proof' this procedure before doing it

live on your 7.x server and erasing all it's 7.x information, which basically 'has no simple backout procedure'***

***the backout of blowing away 7.x...is making a PING backup first, and PING backup can restore

the HDD back to the 7.x version. Our migration guide for 7.1 to 8.1 existing appliance describes the PING

backup steps.

RSA Authentication Manager 7.1 to 8.1 - Upgrading an Existing Hardware Appliance 3.0