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Upgrade the Application

info

This section is only relevant to on-premises deployments. Forward SaaS is automatically upgraded whenever a new version is released.

tip

It is highly recommended to take a database backup before upgrading the application.

warning

Downgrades Require Forward Support

Restoring a backup to an earlier software version (downgrading) is not a supported self-service operation. Downgrades can lead to data incompatibility and system instability.

Before attempting any downgrade, contact Forward Networks Support for guidance.

Upgrade Forward Enterprise Application​

  1. Obtain the new application package from Forward Software Central:

    • Go to the Deployments tab
    • Click View upgrade steps for the corresponding deployment (add a new deployment if one is not already created)
    • From the base version dropdown, select the version of the cluster you intend to upgrade
    • Select the Forward Enterprise application version to download

  2. Upload the package to the appliance:

    • SSH into a primary node
    • Select Forward Enterprise > Install/Upgrade from the TUI, then choose Upload
    • Choose one of the three transfer methods:
      • HTTPS (Browser) — opens a temporary upload service at https://<node-ip>:30000 where you can upload the package through your browser
      • SSH (SFTP) — opens a temporary SFTP service on port 30000 for transferring the package via SCP/SFTP: 
        scp -P 30000 forward-app-yy.mm.x-bb.package forward@<Primary_Node_IP>:~/
      • Download from URL — paste the package URL (for example, a signed link from Forward Software Central) and let the TUI download the file directly to the node. The node must have outbound HTTPS access to the URL host.

    TUI Upload

  3. Install the package via the TUI:

    • Select Forward Enterprise > Install/Upgrade from the TUI main menu
    • Select the uploaded package to install

    TUI Install

  4. The TUI automatically retains only the two most recent application packages on each node. Older packages are removed after a successful upgrade, so manual cleanup is no longer required.