Bulletin ID A2E_194
Last Review 03/24/2020
Revision 10
Previous IDs None
Obsoletes None

Add2Exchange Short Upgrade Instructions for recent versions

Summary

Upgrading Add2Exchange does not remove or lose any settings. You must have valid software assurance or maintenance to get the upgrade for free and will be prompted during the upgrade. you can also open the Add2Exchange Console and review the Software Assurance dates in the title bar of each folder type.  If you are on or before that date, you can install the upgrade for free.  Also, During the installation, you will be prompted to accept, and told until when your free upgrade period is valid.

Upgrading Add2Exchange

NEW! Upgrade the entire system at one time using the new procedure!  NEW! Level 2 Upgrade Procedure to upgrade A2E, Windows and MSO
* If you don't have the new "Level 2 Upgrade" option, upgrade using the next option below and then you will have it moving forward.

To get the ability to do the Level 2 upgrade, you must first upgrade just Add2Exchange. Log in as the replication service account to the replication server, The sync service account is by default - Zadd2Exchange but yours may be different.

From the Desktop, right click and run the DidItBetter Support Menu.ps1 (as powershell) and select Upgrade Add2Exchange.   
If you do not have this option, you must revert to the Legacy instructions below

Important Release Notice

Thank you for using our Add2Exchange Enterprise Edition. Due to the recent frenetic pace of changes in Exchange and Office 365, it is very important to stay current with the release of Add2Exchange.  Plan to do an upgrade at least every 3 months and you can always do Critical Security patches.  The upgrade can take less than 15 minutes with no users affected.  If you are handling your upgrades of Windows by a patching tool, see this link: Maintenance Recommendations for RMM Tools Pre and Post Commands

The upgrade process applies to Add2Exchange Enterprise, and all versions, including "on prem", hosted or O365. If you are hosted with Diditbetter Software, we handle all updates for you.

Note: If Diditbetter Support Menu.ps1 file does not exist, you must have an older installation (before Feb 2019) and would follow the older practice below. Legacy Upgrade Instructions. Once upgraded after Feb 2019, you can follow this new normal and streamlined "Level 2" process above.

To start, please make sure the Add2Exchange Console is closed. The Add2Exchange service can be running or stopped as the upgrade will automatically stop the service. Select Upgrade Add2Exchange from the Upgrades section. Click on Add2Exchange upgrade. It will then present you a Software Assurance Screen which will tell you if you are trying to upgrade with valid software assurance in place.  If your software assurance is expired, or your Software Assurance date is later than the day you do it, a current version upgrade will be required.  

If Software Assurance is expired, reply for a quote on the upgrade options to reinstate your software assurance so you may continue to benefit from new build update releases. If you accidentally install the upgrade outside your software assurance term, you will need to purchase an upgrade license which includes reinstating the Software Assurance before it will sync again. 

If your software assurance is valid, press OK and it will automatically stop the Add2Exchange Service, it will automatically download and uninstall old version and install the new version. The Console should open at the end.  If it doesn’t, then open the Add2Exchange Console. Then Close the Console and it will prompt you to decide if you are to stay logged in or log out. Some systems require you to stay logged in. You will then are prompted to start the Add2Exchange Service.  If it starts, you are set up.  If it doesn’t start, you may have to enter the password in the Add2Exchange Service when the Services Control Manager opens automatically. You should reply to this email if the service password prompt comes up so we can connect and show you how to implement some newer technology for automatic upgrades and automatic permissions. There is no user impact, and the settings will all remain the same. Review the Add2Exchange Event logs in a few minutes to make sure there are no errors.  If there are errors, open the Add2Exchange Console, and close, selecting to stay logged in and start the service.  Review the logs again in a few minutes for no errors.  If no errors, lock the machine logged in as the service account.

If you have questions or need assistance or would prefer to use your Premier Support to recertify your Add2Exchange deployment on your replication machine/vm, and a bit of optimization and training, please create a support request for prompt scheduling. by opening a ticket online at https:///support.diditbetter.com/support-request.aspx.

Legacy Upgrade Description

Important: Verify your Software Assurance Subscription is active (not expired) before proceeding in order to get the upgrade for FREE.  The Software Assurance or Subscription dates are listed in the Add2Exchange Console next to your license key and also in your licensing email we sent to you.  A Copy of those emails are located in the subfolder of the inbox of the Add2Exchange Sync account

Don't worry, UPGRADING WILL NOT LOSE RELATIONSHIPS or SETTINGS!  

The new Menu does most of the upgrade for you, but if you do not have it, you will need to go to Downloads, log in, download the software, stop the service, uninstall and reinstall the extracted download.  Go to Downloads to start: and extract the download.  We usually have the downloads set to the c:\zlibrary directory.

If this process is being done manually, stop the Add2Exchange Service First to avoid a reboot.

Once installed, open the Add2Exchange Console and if any visible alert issues, like not licensed, submit a license request.  If relationships are in alert, you may have to right click and select to Confirm all Alerted Relationships with Folder update.   If you need help, please reach out to support.  If there are no visible issues, close the Add2Exchange Console and it may first ask to continue syncing where it left off [Yes], or start at the beginning [No], then to log off (usually no if syncing to O365)  – and yes to start the Add2Exchange Service.  If it can not start, it may be on disabled or the incorrect password.  The Services.MMC will open.

This is good read for How Add2Exchange Works

Note: If the Add2Exchange Enterprise Console is open, even if the Add2Exchange Service is started, it will not sync.  Close the Add2Exchange Console and start the A2E Service to begin sync. Then monitor the Add2Exchange event logs from the Didtbetter.MMC on the Desktop to get the classic visual colored events, or use the traditional Event Viewer.

Remember, if Outlook is installed, it is only using the online Outlook profile for fault tolerance and auto discover, and does not need and probably shouldn't have Outlook open to sync.  However, due to MS O365 tokens and MFA, Add2Exchange needs to be logged in as this account and locked for it to sync correctly and the Add2Exchange service needs to be running.  Nothing has to be running except the Add2Exchange Service.

When leaving, lock the session with the Add2Exchange Service account logged in. 

NOTE: If you have the Recovery & Migration Manager (RMM) tool installed, please uninstall this program.  You should never need to run the RMM tool since the functions have been integrated into the Add2Exchange Console.  

Cautionary TIP: If you are migrating from Add2Exchange Standard to Add2Exchange Enterprise, you would use the same procedure, but download the "Upgrade"  of Enterprise, instead of the Standard.  The Add2Exchange Standard edition has been retired and is no longer supported, so contact us for your licensing options for Add2Exchange Enterprise/365. We suggest letting our Certified Engineers upgrade from Standard to Enterprise edition.  To make sure this goes smoothly, open a support ticket online.  Do not uninstall or delete the app or machine so we can keep control of the synced information. Caution:  There is a upgrade path from Standard to Enterprise/365 but there is no downgrade path to Standard from Enterprise/365. Make sure you have purchased a license before crossgrading. After the Upgrade to Enterprise/365 from Standard, you will need to also submit a new license registration request from the Add2Exchange Console and place the key in the appropriate module to continue syncing.

The latest version of Add2Exchange is available at: http://support.diditbetter.com/downloads.aspx

Legacy Upgrade Procedure

Upgrading Add2Exchange is a relatively easy process which should only take a few minutes. Make sure you have a valid, non-expired software subscription before downloading the upgrading and installing the upgrade. Below we have listed a simple step by step guide on the legacy upgrade process. You can also reference the upgrade section of our on-line Add2Exchange Guide for legacy installs so no relationships are lost or changed during the upgrade. Crossgrading from Standard should be pretty straightforward, but we suggest allowing us to do it under Premier Support so it goes smoothly.  For those with Premier Support in place, there is no additional cost other than the crossgrade license. Contact us for a quote.

Make sure the Add2Exchange Service is stopped before performing this upgrade.  There should be no Add2Exchange or A2EAgent or A2E*.*  processes in memory.  Note our processes do not stop immediately when the service is stopped.  Wait for them to stop and if they don't stop after 2 minutes, kill the processes to continue.

Verify that you have valid software subscription before proceeding. The Subscription dates are listed next to your license key in the Add2Exchange Console and your licensing email sent to you.

Visit the DidItBetter Download Center, to retrieve the necessary upgrade.

If you do not know your user name, submit a password reset.  If unable to, contact us to look it up for you or create a new account.

Choose the link for the DESIRED version of Add2Exchange you wish to have installed, in most cases, the Add2Exchange Enterprise or 365 edition.

From Add and Remove Programs in the Control Panel, remove the existing Add2Exchange from your system (this will not remove your relationships or items that have synchronized).  Remove the Recovery and Migration Manager Tool.

Do not remove Microsoft SQL Server Express

Expand and Extract the self-extracting exe you downloaded by double-clicking it.

From the extracted subdirectory, double-click Add2Exchange_Upgrade.msi

Go through the installer - it may or may not prompt you for accounts and passwords.   If and when prompted, the first prompt could be for the existing sync account online Outlook profile name, if there is one, select the one already listed in bottom right, and then it will prompt you to add the password for that account.  This first prompt is for the Sync Service account (pick the Outlook profile name) and the pw for that account.   

Open the Add2Exchange Console to verify your relationships and licensing. If out of licensing, submit a license request from the top drop down Licensing.  See this tip for licensing - https://www.diditbetter.com/product-activation --- if your software assurance is expired for Add2Exchange Enterprise or Add2Exchange 365, contact us for licensing options to upgrade.

If still licensed, close the Add2Exchange Console and start the Add2Exchange Service. If the service fails to start, go to the Services.msc and put in the correct password.

Monitor the Add2Exchange Event log after an hour. 

If you have other questions and need assistance, open a ticket here: Open a Ticket for DidItBetter Software Support 

Use this link if you wish to search for an error: From there you can search forum postings, consult the knowledgebase and troubleshooter guide.

TIP:  If you have a valid software assurance subscription, most upgrades are FREE for the licensed edition. If expired or a crossgrade to one of our other DidItBetter sync apps is needed, you will need a new license subscription - contact us for a quote. If outside the subscription date, (open the Console and read the expiration), and contact us by calling +1 (813) 977-5739 or send an email to info[at]diditbetter.com for a license quote on the current version upgrade/crossgrade.

Applies To

  • Add2Exchange Enterprise
  • Add2Exchange 365 Enterprise
  • Add2Exchange Standard, Enterprise, RMM Enterprise and RMM Standard
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Keywords: Add2Exchange Standard, Add2Exchange Enterprise, Add2Exchange 365, Upgrade, Upgrade Instructions, Install Updates, Install Upgrade