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Upgrade to OPC Router 5

tip

We recommend performing every OPC Router update on a test system first and testing the corresponding project there.

This page describes the transition from OPC Router 4—and older versions—to OPC Router 5. Updates within the 5.x series follow a different flow and are covered in Update Process for Windows and Update Process for Docker, respectively.

There is no separate migration step.​

OPC Router 4 and OPC Router 5 store their project data in the same type of database. An SQL import or a dedicated migration tool is therefore neither necessary nor available: When OPC Router 5 encounters the database of an OPC Router 4 installation, it recognizes its current state and upgrades it to the latest data model.

The second method—and the one typically used when moving to a different computer—is export and import: You export the project from the old installation and import it into OPC Router 5.

The import process does not reject any project based on its age​

There is no minimum version below which the import will fail. If the export file comes from a version older or newer than the current one, the import will notify you and ask whether you still want to import it—the decision is up to you. The import is canceled only if the file itself is unreadable.

Embedded passwords are converted to secret references​

If an export file does not contain any secrets—which is the case for exports from OPC Router 4 and from OPC Router 5 versions prior to 5.4—the passwords are included in the configurations themselves. The import process detects this and converts these embedded passwords into references to the secrets store.

You do not need to extract the passwords beforehand or install an intermediate version. After the import, check the affected connections: From that point on, they will point to a secret key whose value you maintain centrally.

Source Versions​

If OPC Router 5 does not find a version entry in the existing database but recognizes the data structure of an OPC Router 4 installation, it classifies it as version 4.25 and applies the customizations stored for that version. 4.25 is also the oldest version for which such adjustments are stored.

If your current version is older, first update within the 4 series and only then switch to OPC Router 5. Even when upgrading from OPC Router 3—that is, from any version prior to 4.0—the first step is to upgrade to OPC Router 4. The OPC Router 4 manual describes the update flow within the 4.0 series.

note

Which OPC Router 4 versions are approved for an upgrade is a matter of product policy and cannot be determined by the software’s behavior. Please contact Support to inquire about the mandatory upgrade path for your current version.

Flow via Export and Import​

  1. Back up the project and the system; see “Update and Maintenance.”
  2. Export the entire OPC Router project from the old installation.
  3. Stop the OPC Router 4 service.
  4. Install OPC Router 5. It is not necessary to uninstall OPC Router 4.
  5. Import the project into OPC Router 5 and then check the connections whose passwords have been converted to secrets.
note

With your OPC Router 4 license and a valid maintenance contract, you can license OPC Router 5. If you want to continue using OPC Router 4, you will need an additional license.