Upgrading VMS 7.3-2 to 8.3

[robert70]

I am about to start an upgrade of our uat server (DS20E VMS 7.3-2) to v8.3

Is there any specifics I should be aware of?
non problems difficulties that other people have encountered?

thanks

[Bill Hall · Accepted solution]

The following is a url to the "OpenVMS V8.3 Upgrade Checklist". It's a nice starting point that you can add your site and application specific upgrade notes to. It contains the highlights from the "Upgrade and Installation Manual".

http://www11.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docLocale=en&docId=emr_na-c01591433

Also remember you have three years worth of ECOs that have been released for V8.3. Download and add the install of at least all of the current level 1 ECOs to your plan. Review the level 2 and 3 that may apply to your environment and consider installing those as part of the upgrade also.

Bill

[Hoff]

Read the release notes and read the new features manuals for the releases.

Review the ECO lists for V8.3.

Review the product version requirements for what products you use.

Have a BACKUP /IMAGE made off-line, and a recovery strategy should the upgrade or the hardware fail.

If there were endemic problems with a release, they'd tend to be configuration-specific and thus not easy to identify in general, or they'd tend to be documented, or the problems would have been fixed; this particularly given that OpenVMS Alpha V8.3 is around three years old.