Key Considerations When Upgrading to CMS 10.5

Ingeniux CMS 10.5, released earlier this summer, introduces a number of performance enhancements, improvements to functionality, bug fixes, and most notably an upgrade of the content storage engine, RavenDB.

There are plenty of reasons to upgrade to the latest version of the CMS. But before you reach out to your Account Manager to schedule your upgrade, it’s always best to familiarize yourself with the release and understand key considerations around upgrading. This will help you and your team make an informed decision about upgrading and enter the process prepared.

The best way to learn more about the latest release is to read the CMS 10.5 Release Notes, available in the Documentation Section of the Ingeniux Support Portal.

Below, we’ve outlined some key changes that you'll find in CMS 10.5 and how they'll affect your experience in the CMS. 

RavenDB Changes

The CMS database instance upgrades from RavenDB 3.5 to RavenDB 4.2. In version 3.5, RavenDB ran under the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. The 10.5 upgrade features RavenDB as a Windows service, so it will no longer display in IIS. When upgrading from CMS 10.3, the system now creates a backup of the older RavenDB on disk and then imports the documents into the new RavenDB 4.2 instance.

Also, in previous versions, RavenDB automatically installed on the same server as the CMS. During CMS 10.5 installation, system administrators can choose to generate the RavenDB instance on the CMS instance server or on a separate server. If you choose to install RavenDB on a separate server, keep in mind that system administrators need to set up the RavenDB instance beforehand. The installation wizard requires the URI to the server that will contain the RavenDB instance and the path to the appropriate .pfx file.

Other changes include authentication requirements. In CMS 10.5, only users who attempt to access RavenDB from clients with authorized client certificates gain access to the database. The RavenDB 4.2 client uses server and client certificate authentication for validating user identities and providing ContentStore access. System administrators can use certificates generated by the upgrade wizard or provide one from their own certificate authority.

Asset Changes from Versions Earlier than CMS 10.0

If you are currently on a version of the CMS that is older than CMS 10.0, pages that contain image, media, and document elements become asset elements upon upgrade. Users can modify these elements with asset type filters in their respective schemas and then sync the elements to pages.

Asset filter changes include:

• Asset folders named Documents (i.e., the traditional Documents folder in versions below CMS 10.0) no longer filter document elements that convert to asset elements. Also, users can select any asset type after upgrade, as the system doesn’t restrict asset types.
  
  For example, CMS 10.x includes a default asset HTML type. All HTML files map to this type upon upgrade from CMS 9.x or CMS 10.x.
  
  
• Image|Binary asset types filter image elements that convert to asset elements after upgrading from CMS 9.x to CMS 10.5.
• Video|Audio|Binary asset types filter media elements that convert to asset elements after upgrading from CMS 9.x to CMS 10.5.

Also, keep in mind that the system treats assets commonly contained by the Prebuilt asset folder as unmanaged assets upon upgrade.

Default Form Builder XSLT File Changes in Assets

The Form Builder XSLT files from early CMS 10.x sites (i.e., CMS 10.0–10.2) become unmanaged assets. If system administrators use Form Builder pages in their early CMS site and choose to upgrade, then the system requires them to manage the default Form Builder XSLT files within Assets Manager.

DSS Implementation Changes Prior to CMS 10.x

For new CMS 10.x and DSS site configurations, the system no longer creates the Prebuilt virtual directory. After the upgrade, the system treats assets commonly contained by the Prebuilt asset folder as unmanaged assets.

If your DSS implementation requires the Prebuilt virtual directory, then you can reinstate the directory to your IIS site configuration for DSS Preview and the DSS.