Why and How to Update the Cloud Connector

Why should you update?

Continuous Improvement of the Product

The Cloud Connector is continuously improved and extended. Besides bug fixes and improvements of existing features, we continuously add new features. Furthermore, the Cloud Connector sometimes needs to be adjusted due to breaking changes of systems that it can connect to.

The release notes which list the major changes in a published release can be found here: https://www.layer2solutions.com/support/release-notes-layer2-cloud-connector.

You can subscribe to them at the bottom of the page.

Supportability in Case of Issues

We officially do not support older versions as it’s impossible to analyze issues in several different code bases. Although we certainly try to support and help with older versions, it’s often the case that you will need to update to the current version in case you face issues. First of all in order to check, whether the issue has been fixed in the meantime and secondly to be able to reproduce and analyze the issue with the current codebase.

 

How do you update?

1. Download the new version
   You can download the newest version here: https://www.layer2solutions.com/downloads/Layer2.CloudConnector.zip
    

2. Install the new version
   Close the Connection Manager and stop the Layer2 Cloud Connector Service. 
   
   It’s an in-place update, so you only need to run the installer (setup.msi).

   
   
   IMPORTANT
   Your custom connections will not be touched, but if you are using sample connections productively, please rename those before the update or they will be lost. However, the logging level will be reset to "Warn" and the service accounts and settings will be reverted to their default state. Please update those to match your preferred settings once the upgrade is completed.
   If you have modified the nlog.config, please make a backup of the changes as that file will also be overwritten.
   Last but not least, please check your scheduling service settings as those will be reset too.
    

 

What to do in case of errors

The Cloud Connector does not start correctly

In some cases, an update causes issues like the MMC SnapIn is no longer loading, the services are not starting or error messages about files or assemblies that cannot be found are shown.

In almost all these cases a re-install fixes the issue.

If that does not help, please contact [e-mail] with a description and/or screenshot of the error.

A connection to a file server no longer finds any files

As mentioned above, the service settings are reset during the update. In case you specified the backend service account as a user with access to the file server (or file share), this will be reset to the SYSTEM account. This in turn will most likely lead to access issues and no files being found on the file server.
So in this case please make sure that you re-assign a user account with the required access rights to the backend service account.

A connection that ran successfully before, now shows errors

Please create a support package for the affected connection and send it to [e-mail]. A description of how to create such a package can be found here: How to create a support files package.

Additional Licensing Information

Depending on the license model you are using, certain requirements may apply before performing an update.

Subscription Licenses

If you are using a Subscription license, no updated license file is required when installing product updates, including major version updates. As long as your subscription is active, updates are included within your license.

Legacy Perpetual Licenses with Software Assurance (SA)

If you are using a legacy perpetual license with Software Assurance (SA), a new license file may be required when upgrading to a new major version. In this case, please contact [e-mail] before performing the update to receive the appropriate license file.

Version 7.7 or older

If you are currently running version 7.7. or older, please refer to the following FAQ and do NOT update before reading it. 

If you have questions regarding licensing or updates, please contact [e-mail].