Moving from NLINK 6x to NLINK 7x

Owned by Darcy Curtin
Last updated: May 18, 2022 by Rakesh
3 min read

Installation

The NLINK Server 7.x is now a 64-bit application. The primary difference you will notice if moving up from NLINK 6x is that the default folder locations are different:

  • The default installation folder for NLINK 7x is Program Files rather than Program Files (x86).
  • The Config, DataStore and Logs folders for NLINK 7x will be created in ProgramData\Junot Systems rather than under the installation folder.


We recommend using Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019 with NLINK 7x, so you may wish to set up a new environment for your upgrade.

If you are going to upgrade on an existing NLINK, you will need to first uninstall the existing NLINK 6x application, so there are a few preliminary steps you should take:

  • Locate your license file (in the installation folder) and make a safe copy of it, as you will need to put it in a different location after the upgrade
  • Locate your sapnwrfc.ini and NLINK Configuration.xml files (in the Config folder under the installation directory) and make safe copies of them, as you will need to put them in a different location after the upgrade
  • If your meta-database is in the Config folder, you will also need to put it in a different location after the upgrade
  • If you are using the ADC CoNNector, as with any upgrade you should also take a backup copy of the web.config and NLINKCustom.css files
  • If you are using SQL CoNNector, make sure ODBC DSN can connect to required databases using both 32 bit and 64 bit drivers. Set up both 32 bit and 64 bit ODBC DSN with same name.

After installing NLINK 7x, relocate your previous files as follows:

  • Place the license file in the new installation folder (e.g., in Program Files\Junot Systems)
  • Place the sapnwrfc.ini and NLINK Configuration.xml files in the new Config folder (e.g., in ProgramData\Junot Systems\Config) (you can overwrite the default files in the new installation)
  • If you want to keep your meta-database in the Config folder, copy it there as well

If you are using the ADC CoNNector:

  • Update the location of your website in IIS to point to the new ADC5 location, NLINK Server\CoNNectors\ADC5 under the installation folder
  • Copy your NLINKCustom.css file to the new Content location, NLINK Server\CoNNectors\ADC5\Content under the installation folder
  • Open the new web.config file and set values as necessary in the <applicationSettings> node to coincide with your old file. Do not simply replace the new file with your old file.

Meta-Database

You will be able to migrate your meta-database yourself if all of the following apply:

  • Your current version of the NLINK Server is at least 6.0.0.160
  • You have purchased the NLINK Configuration Module
  • You are not using the ADC CoNNector

If any of the previous requirements are not met, you will need to schedule time with Junot Systems Support to migrate your meta-database for you.

Components

The NLINK Management Module (NMM) and the NLINK Configuration Module (NCM) are cosmetically similar to NLINK 6x. However, the NLINK Server Logging System and subsequently the NLINK Debug Module (NDM), have received a complete overhaul.

 Video: NLINK Debug Module Overview (7x)

Perpetual Logging

The NLINK Server Logging System now creates its internal trace files differently, with the intent that you can leave verbose logging turned on indefinitely. Each time the NLINK Server starts, it will create a new folder in the Logs directory. Then it writes its internal trace files inside that folder. The single NLINK.trc file is no more.

This new folder/file structure may mean that you need to adjust your log file clean-up routines. As before, you can safely discard any "old" files in the Logs folder (and its subfolders) according your own criteria.

If you use the NLINK Debug Module, it will handle the new folder/file structure automatically. Please see the video linked above for more information.

If you need to send files to NLINK Support, the Gather Logs dialog in the NLINK Management Module will automatically include the latest folder in the zip file. If you need to include logs from a previous run instead, you will need to zip those folder(s) by hand.

(info) Gather Logs with NMM in NLINK 7x