Does upgrading create downtime?
How do I upgrade?
What do I do if my operating system is no longer supported?
Will I lose my fixed license key if I upgrade?
Will I lose important information?
Will I lose important features?
My current version (though out of date) works fine. Why should I upgrade?
The employee who set up Access Server is no longer with us. What do we do?
Our IT Admin isn’t sure how to perform regular maintenance. How do we upgrade?
Will I break my Access Server?
What if I need to downgrade to an older version?

Does upgrading create downtime?

Yes — an upgrade requires restarting the Access Server service, but this will only take a few minutes. After the upgrade, it is expected that VPN clients reconnect automatically.

The best time to upgrade your server is during quiet hours (like nights or weekends).

Alternatively, you can set up a new server next to your old one, migrate the configuration from the old one to the new one, and then test it before doing a switch — minimizing downtime to just a few minutes.

How do I upgrade?

You can follow this step-by-step guide on how to keep your Access Server up-to-date.

Alternatively you can set up a new server and migrate your configuration there.

If you run into issues, create a ticket in our support ticket system.

What do I do if my operating system is no longer supported?

For older operating systems, we recommend setting up a new server with a supported operating system and migrating your configuration to that new server. When we drop support for an operating system it’s normally because the maintainers of that operating system dropped support for it themselves. And that means new security issues will not be resolved.

Migrating the settings to a new server keeps all of your current VPN client configuration intact. You’ll be able to swap out the old server with a new one and continue business as usual.

We have a guide for you on how to migrate your Access Server configuration.

Will I lose my fixed license key if I upgrade?

No — fixed license keys are retained when you upgrade on the licensed server itself.

If your upgrade process involves setting up a new server and you are using a fixed license key, contact us to get your license key reissued. This process is free and can be done via our support ticket system.

With our subscription plan, you don’t need to request a reissue. Subscriptions can be activated at will on as many servers as you like.

Will I lose important information?

No — you will not lose important information. The upgrade retains configuration information so VPN clients can reconnect and retain their settings.

Will I lose important features?

You can review the Access Server release notes for any items that have been deprecated. It is uncommon for us to drop features.

To be sure that the upgrade won’t cause an issue we recommend setting up a new server alongside the old one for testing prior to upgrading or replacing the old server.

My current version (though out of date) works fine. Why should I upgrade?

It’s important to keep your Access Server up-to-date to ensure that it remains completely secure and runs smoothly.

Security technology changes constantly. If you don’t keep up with updates, you run risks that can be avoided. Security is an area where you really don’t want to run behind on updates.

The employee who set up Access Server is no longer with us. What do we do?

We recommend you find the resources to upgrade your Access Server, whether that’s a new employee or an IT networking specialist.

Another option is to switch to our CloudConnexa solution for connecting resources securely and doesn’t require a server that you must maintain.

The entryway to your trusted network should be kept up-to-date to remain entirely safe. Although Access Server is very safe, not updating it ever, means you run security risks.

Our IT Admin isn’t sure how to perform regular maintenance. How do we upgrade?

We have an upgrade guide available that takes you through the process. If your current IT admin can’t perform these tasks, consider training to maintain Linux systems, or look into our CloudConnexa offering which allows you to connect systems securely without requiring to manage your own VPN server.

Will I break my Access Server?

This is highly unlikely but it has occurred in some rare cases. In the field of security many things change and if your last upgrade was a very long time ago, it’s possible something might have become incompatible.

We have the ability to rollback to a previous version because our software repository retains versions going back to 2.7.5, and allows installing any of those versions from there.

The best way to be absolutely sure is to set up a new server next to the old one, and migrate your data from the old server to the new one, so you can test while the old server is still online and functioning. Once you are satisfied that everything works well, you can then do the actual upgrade, or swap the old server with the new one.

What if I need to downgrade to an older version?

We don't recommend downgrading Access Server to an earlier version unless you have a pressing need to do so. We encourage you to use the latest version containing the latest bug and vulnerability fixes. If you have a case where it's necessary to revert to an older version of Access Server, refer to our OpenVPN Access Server Downgrade Guide.

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