This process document has been developed based on Thycotic SS Upgrade process post:

  • https://blog.51sec.org/2021/09/thycotic-secret-server-upgrade-methods.html
It might give you an idea what the TSS upgrading looks like. But based on your environment, current version, new version, servers, DR, and down time requirement, the whole process will be completely different.

Backup

  1. Backup application folder manually through TSS Web Gui. Application backup folder :D:\backup\secretserver

On main site TSS server and DR site TSS server

Completed

  1. Take DBs Database Backup

 

On both main site and DR site DBs

  1. Take Snapshot of all servers

 

On all servers listing in the scope

  1. Application folder backup to ’s VDI machine

On all TSS servers

Completed

.Net Framework 4.5 Upgrade to 4.8

  1. Download .Net and save it to local folder on SS’s temp folder c:\temp\upgrade

On all servers except DB servers

Completed

  1. Install .Net Framework 4.8 and related security patches

On all servers except DB servers

  1. Restart Servers

On all servers except DB servers


Version and Configuration Verification


  1. TSS Version verification

All three servers verified. Version is “10.8.000000 – Platinum Edition

Completed

  1. DE Version verification

All DE server verified. Version is: 10.8.000000

Completed

  1. Database version verification

On both sites’ DB: 14.0.3281.6 

Completed

  1. Check Collation value: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CL_AS 

On both sites’ DB servers

Completed

  1. For Secret Server folder permission, add “Everyone” and provide full control for the folder. Modify permission from full control to just modified after upgrade activity.

On all TSS servers 

Optional until issue happened

  1. ASP.net🡪.NET trust level should be full in both levels (Server and Secret Server)

On all TSS servers

Optional until issue happened

  1. IIS🡪Request Filtering (Server and SecretServer), check the first three options at both levels (Server and SecretServer)

On all TSS servers

Optional until issue happened

  1. Minimum requirement check: https://docs.thycotic.com/ss/11.0.0/secret-server-setup/system-requirements/index.md

On All TSS servers

Completed

  1. No Microsoft Monitor Agent

On All TSS related servers.

Completed


Others


  1. Thycotic Support Availability

Brian from Thycotic will support us on Sep 15 from 7pm

Completed

  1. CAB 

  1. Copy your own admin password from Thycotic Secret Server which will be used later during upgrading.

, , , , 

  1. Turn off alerts from monitoring system

Main Site Manual Upgrade Process Steps – Primary Thycotic Secret Server

  1. Confirm all pre-requisites completed

  1. Download latest 11.0.000007 version Application files (Not Installation EXE File) 

Completed

  1. Stop SS Application Pool in IIS

  1. DBA run Upgrade script which was provided by Thycotic. Please see DB upgrade process steps.

  1. Extract downloaded zip application file to a temporary location C:\temp

  1. Extract the ss_update.zip file

  1. Create a zip file of existing SS application folder and send it to the desktop. (Another backup)

  1. Ctrl+a select all files in step 6. Copy and paste the contents contained in the newly extracted ss_update folder to SS’s application folder over the top of the existing application files. Replace all files with the same name.

  1. Once completed, start the SS application pool

  1. Open an administrative command prompt and perform an “iisreset” command



Main Site DB Upgrade Process

  1. Open SQL Management Studio and connect to the SQL Server database engine that hosts the Secret Server database

  1. Expand Databases on the right

  1. Right-click on the Secret Server database and select New Query. Paste the script.

  1. Confirm there is no error on the query. If so, uncomment “COMMIT TRAN”.

  1. Click the Execute button, Ctrl+E, or hit F5

  1. Close SSMS


Secondary Thycotic Secret Server

  1. Confirm Primary SS Server upgraded and works. 

  1. Download latest 11.0.000007 version Application files (Not Installation EXE File) 

Completed

  1. Stop SS Application Pool in IIS

  1. Extract downloaded zip application file to a temporary location C:\temp

  1. Extract the ss_update.zip file

  1. Create a zip file of existing SS application folder and send it to the desktop. (Another backup)

  1. Ctrl+a select all files in step 6. Copy and paste the contents contained in the newly extracted ss_update folder to SS’s application folder over the top of the existing application files. Replace all files with the same name.

  1. Once completed, start the SS application pool

  1. Open an administrative command prompt and perform an iisreset command

DR Site Manual Upgrade Process Steps – DR Thycotic Secret Server

  1. Confirm all pre-requisites completed

  1. Download latest 11.0.000007 version Application files (Not Installation EXE File) 

Completed

  1. Stop SS Application Pool in IIS

  1. DBA run Upgrade script which was provided by Thycotic. Please see DB upgrade process steps.

 

(Optional, decided by )

  1. Extract downloaded zip application file to a temporary location C:\temp

  1. Extract the ss_update.zip file

  1. Create a zip file of existing SS application folder and send it to the desktop. (Another backup)

  1. Ctrl+a select all files in step 6. Copy and paste the contents contained in the newly extracted ss_update folder to SS’s application folder over the top of the existing application files. Replace all files with the same name.

  1. Once completed, start the SS application pool

  1. Open an administrative command prompt and perform an iisreset command

DR DB Upgrade Process (Optional)

If DR DB will be synchronized automatically from Main site since all of them are in AlwaysOn group, this step can be omitted. 

  1. Confirm main SS upgrade works

  1. Stop DR SS application pool in IIS

  1. Copy Web application folder from primary SS in main site to DR SS server, without database.config and encryption.config. Replace the content of the existing web application folder with the new. 

  1. Confirm there is no error on the query. If so, uncomment “COMMIT TRAN”.

  1. Once completed, start the SS application pool

  1. Do verification

Test and verification

For each upgrade, please do following testing and verification. 

  1. Log into Secret Server. Check the version of Secret Server in the application files by visiting https://<server host name>/SecreteServer

  1. Check the database 

  1. Check system and DE health

  1. Test RDP/SSH from SS web browser protocol handler

/  /  / 

  1. Testing customized launcher

  1. Test Connection Manager

/  /  / 

  1. Check system logs

  1. Check DR Server

  1. Check DE version

  1. Check Recording 

  1. Privilege Manager Authentication Testing

Post Upgrade

There are e pending tasks which will need to be resolved later after upgrade, not same day as upgrading day. 

  1. Web Password handler upgrade. Current configuration disabled auto-upgrade.

TBD

  1. Remove VM Snapshots

  1. DE Upgrade
  1. Protocol handler upgrade

By Jon

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