Upgrade to the Xanadu release

Xanadu Release Notes

Release

xanadu

ft:locale

en-US

ft:publication_title

Xanadu Release Notes

ft:clusterId

bundleId

Upgrade to the Xanadu release

Release version: Xanadu

Updated August 1, 2024

2 minutes to read

Summarize

Summarized using AI

Summary of Upgrade to the Xanadu release

Upgrading your ServiceNow instance to the Xanadu release involves careful planning, testing, and validation to ensure a smooth transition. This process requires reading release notes, creating upgrade plans, and conducting upgrades initially on non-production instances before applying changes to your production environment.

Show full answer Show less

Upgrade Process Phases

Phase 1 - Read the release notes and plan your upgrade: Review the release notes for the Xanadu version to understand necessary upgrade and migration tasks. This information is critical for planning a safe upgrade.
Phase 2 - Prepare for the development instance upgrade: Request a full clone of your production instance on a non-production environment to estimate upgrade duration and confirm current and target release versions.
Phase 3 - Verify configurations and schedule the development upgrade: Check the scheduled job “Check distribution for possible upgrade” to understand its timing and frequency. Schedule the upgrade through Now Support accordingly.
Phase 4 - Upgrade and validate the development instance: Use the Upgrade Monitor to track upgrade progress, process skipped records, identify update sets, and perform functional testing on the development instance.
Phase 5 - Upgrade and validate other non-production instances: After refining your development instance, upgrade other non-production environments like test instances. Apply post-upgrade changes such as activating plugins, updating applications, and applying update sets immediately after upgrade completion.
Phase 6 - Prepare to upgrade the production instance: Ensure your test environment accurately reflects your production environment and finalize preparations for the production upgrade.
Phase 7 - Upgrade the production instance: Perform the production upgrade last, validate its completion, apply update sets and fix scripts, and conduct post-upgrade user acceptance testing (UAT).

Key Outcomes

A well-planned and tested upgrade process that minimizes risks and downtime.
Validated upgrade workflows in non-production environments before production deployment.
Comprehensive post-upgrade validation including activation of plugins and functional testing to ensure system stability and readiness.
Efficient use of ServiceNow tools like Upgrade Monitor and Now Support to streamline scheduling and tracking of upgrades.

Upgrading and patching your instance requires planning, testing, and validation. To ensure a safe and effective upgrade, read the release notes, create upgrade plans, and test your upgrade on non-production instances before upgrading your production instance.

Important:

These topics contain in-depth explanations about upgrades. For a step-by-step reference of upgrade steps, refer to the Upgrade planning checklist.


	Phase 1 - Read the release notes and plan your upgrade Before you begin the upgrade process, it is essential to read the release notes for your target version so you understand the required upgrade and migration tasks. This information helps you plan a safe and effective upgrade.
	Phase 2 - Prepare for the development instance upgrade For a better understanding of your production upgrade duration, request a full clone of your production instance (including large tables and attachments) onto a non-production instance. Confirm your current and target release versions, because you will later use this information when scheduling your upgrade in Now Support.
	Phase 3 - Verify your upgrade configurations and schedule the development instance upgrade in Now Support Check the configuration of the Check distribution for possible upgrade scheduled job to view how often and when it runs. Review information about timing your upgrade in coordination with the Check distribution for possible upgrade scheduled job. Then, schedule your upgrade in Now Support.
	Phase 4 - Upgrade and validate the development instance Track the progress of your upgrades with the Upgrade Monitor. For your first non-production instance upgrade (your development instance), use the Upgrade Monitor to process the skipped list of records that were not addressed in the upgrade. Then identify your update sets and perform functional testing.
	Phase 5 - If applicable: Upgrade and validate your other non-production instances, such as your test instance After you've configured and refined your development instance, request to upgrade any other non-production instances you have, such as a test instance. Immediately after the upgrade is complete, apply the post-upgrade changes made to your development instance, including activating optional plugins, installing and upgrading applications, and applying update sets.
	Phase 6 - Prepare to upgrade the production instance After you have configured and refined your test environment to be a good representation of your production environment, prepare to upgrade your production instance.
	Phase 7 - Upgrade the production instance After you have upgraded your development, non-production, and test instances, upgrade your production instance last. Then validate that the upgrade was complete, apply update sets and fix scripts, and perform post-upgrade user acceptance testing (UAT).