Upgrading AuthAnvil Password Server from v2.0 or later to v2.8

Step 1 – Backup your existing data by creating a backup (.psb) file.

1. Open a command window on the AuthAnvil Password Server and navigate to the directory where you would like to save your backup file (e.g. cd D:\AuthAnvilBackups).
   NOTE: The upgrade will delete and overwrite files in the C:\Program Files\Scorpion Software\AuthAnvil Password Server\ directory so be certain that your backup is not saved in the Scorpion Software folder.
2. Back up the existing AAPS database.
   • To run the backup, run the command AAPSBackup.exe and it will automatically detect your SQL database.
     i.e. “C:\Program Files\Scorpion Software\AuthAnvil Password Server\Tools\BackupTool\AAPSBackup.exe”

3. Your .psb file is created and saved in the same directory from where you are running the command. If the backup is successful, the tool will display a success message. If you receive an error confirm the path to the web.config file, verify that the AuthAnvil Password Server database is accessible, and run an elevated command prompt (Right-Click -> Run as Administrator). Then try running the backup again.

   Remember to move this file to a safe location as it stores sensitive data from your server database. When the upgrade runs the existing AuthAnvil Password Server files and folders will be wiped and recreated.

Step 2 – Upgrade AuthAnvil Password Server to v2.8

Note: In AuthAnvil Password Server v2.8 the backup and restore tools will collect the greater between 90 days of logging or 10,000 logs. This is to trim unnecessary logging data from previous versions and it will occur upon upgrading to AuthAnvil PWS v2.8. It is recommended that you keep your backups if you wish to retain larger amounts of data for auditing purposes.

1. Download the latest AuthAnvil Password Server installer from the AuthAnvil Password Server Downloads page.
2. Run the installer (AuthAnvilPWS.exe).
3. Accept the Licensing Agreement and the installer will check for prerequisites.
4. Select “Upgrade” to launch the in-place upgrade tool. The upgrade will run an intermediate backup, uninstall the existing files, then deploy the latest ones.
5. Once the upgrade completes, the AuthAnvil Password Server login website will be launched.

Note: If the update tool fails when deploying the updated files, make sure that you have permission to write to the C:\Program Files\Scorpion Software folder tree and run the installer elevated (Right-Click -> Run as Administrator).

Step 3 – Test upgraded AuthAnvil Password Server

With all the previous configuration settings now restored, your installation should be back up and fully working. To test this, log in to AAPS using your existing email address and password / AuthAnvil passcode. The AuthAnvil Password Server should display version 2.8

Note: If you are unable to log in or the AAPS page displays the error “Failed to Load Organizations from Dropdown” properly you may need to update the service URLs. 

Step 4 – Upgrade your AuthAnvil Password Sync Agents to support Web Sync

In PWS v2.0 we released the capability for web password synchronization. This new feature requires the latest sync agent in order to perform web sync. It has been further improved in PWS v2.8 to handle different types of websites, so if you have any existing sync agents from previous versions (as far back as PWS v2.0) you will need to upgrade them to the latest installer from your PWS Sync Agents page.

Follow these steps to update your sync agent to the latest version:

1. Backup the Sync Agent configuration file – As a precaution, in the Sync Agent installation directory (%PROGRAMFILES%\Scorpion Software\AuthAnvil Password Sync Agent) back up the AuthAnvilPasswordSyncAgent.exe.config file to a safe location outside of this folder. This includes the configuration and connection certificates for the sync agent.
2. Get the latest Sync Agent package – Download the latest sync agent from the Sync Agents page.
3. Run the SyncAgentSetup.msi – The installer will remove the old files and update them with the new package.
4. Configure the Sync Agent – Once the installer finishes the configuration tool will launch, prompting for the service configuration. Confirm the steps and click “Save Settings” to restart the service.

The sync agent should now be checking in exactly the same as before, but it has been upgraded to be compatible with the latest web synchronization steps.