DEI periodically updates each software product to add features, improve performance, and fix bugs.  This technical note explains the best practices for updating your DEI software.  The latest release version for each DEI end-user software package is shown below:

ExpeDat 1.22B

SyncDat 1.9B

Tunnel 1.2B

MTP SDK 4.5.1

This note applies to software purchased directly from DEI.  If you are an AWS Marketplace subscriber, see CloudDat's Updating to a New Version instructions.  If you are using DEI software embedded in another company's product, contact them for update instructions.

Step-by-Step

The following steps summarize the update process.  Continue reading for details.

1. Determine whether you need to update.
   New features, bug fixes, expiring trial, capacity upgrade, configuration change, etc.
2. Download the software from DEI.
   Licensed customers must download from ssl.DataExpedition.com.  Extended trial users must follow the latest unexpired trial link provided by DEI.  If you are an end-user, contact your server administrator for updates.  Never download DEI software from shareware, download, or "warez" sites.
3. Install new servers first.
   New servers are backwards compatible with older clients, but new clients may encounter errors with older servers.
4. Distribute clients to end-users.
   It is not necessary to update all clients at once.

If you encounter any problems, check the details below (especially the Troubleshooting section) and do not hesitate to contact Technical Support.

When to Update

Although DEI recommends that you use the latest release available, if the version you have is working well then you may wish to stay with it.  However, you must update your software under any of the following conditions:

You were running a trial that has expired.

Once trial software expires, you must download new client and server executables from DEI.

You are having problems and wish to receive technical assistance.

A newer version may already address your issue.  Technical assistance is only available for the latest release.

Your license configuration or binding has changed.

Changes to the configuration of your purchased software, such as changing the binding of a server license, require that you download a new copy from your customer download site.

You wish to take advantage of new features.

Features available in new versions of the software generally require that you update both the client and server software.

Newer servers are generally backward compatible with older clients.  So if you update your server software, older clients should continue to operate as before.

Newer clients may not be compatible with older servers.  You should update your servers first, before distributing new clients.

What has Changed

Each release includes a ChangeLog file explaining what has been updated.  You can find the ChangeLog in the download package, on the product trial download page, or in the links below:

ExpeDat ChangeLog

SyncDat ChangeLog

You can also assess the nature of an update by comparing the version numbers of current and previous releases.  See Tech Note 0001 for instructions on finding version numbers and the Revision Codes chapter of the documentation for how to interpret them.  Remember that the Package version is not the same as the Component versions of the individual executables.

In some cases, a release may only contain changes to some components and not others.  For example, a release may update just the installer scripts and not the executable applications.  Some updates may also apply only to certain platforms and not others.  The ChangeLog for each product will explain these distinctions.

The online documentation available via DataExpedition.com always applies to the latest release of the software.  If you are using an earlier version, you must refer to the documentation that was packaged with that version for accurate instructions.  Note that the search function always takes you to the online version.

What to Update

DEI generally recommends that all installations of a product be updated with each new release.  However, this may not be practical for large deployments.  Check the ChangeLog to see which components have been updated to assess how you should distribute new updates.  For example, if only the server component of a product has been updated, there may be no need to distribute new clients.

Since newer servers are generally backward compatible to older clients (see above), existing client users can take their time in updating their software.  Older clients may not have access to all the latest features, but they should continue to work with newer servers.  Just make sure they are updated prior to seeking technical assistance for them.

Where to Get an Update

If you are the administrator for a DEI software license, be sure to that you have downloaded the latest version directly from DEI.

If you are an end-user or client of a licensed customer, follow your system administrator's instructions for obtaining client software.  Your administrator may have custom configured clients, so do not use other clients without checking with them first.

Several websites offering "shareware", "downloads", or "warez" claim to provide access to DEI software.  Such sites are not authorized to distribute DEI software.  DEI does not provide information or software to any such sites and any files downloaded from them should not be trusted.

The following links will allow you to download the most recent update for each product.  Open trials can be downloaded by anyone.  Extended trials require a username and password, which you can obtain from our sales department.  Licensed customers are assigned a username and password at the time of purchase which provides access to a secure download site for all purchases.

Open Trials	ExpeDat 5 day	SyncDat 5 day
Extended Trials	ExpeDat 21 day	SyncDat 21 day
Licensed Customers	Customer Login

Most DEI software is distributed as both time-limited trials and purchased licenses.  Trial and test packages end with a 'T', purchased production packages end with a 'P'.  If you are a licensed customer installing software in a production environment, make sure the package you install ends with a 'P'.

How to Update

If you are a licensed customer, verify that your technical support contract is up to date.  If your support period has lapsed, then the latest version available at your download site may not be the latest release or your download site may be disabled.

Update servers first, then clients.  Remember that trial clients also expire, just like trial servers.  Download the appropriate package for each platform from your customer site or trial download link.  To avoid mixing components, DEI strongly recommends that you save and extract the downloaded package into an otherwise empty folder.

When updating an existing installation, the installer may ask you which components to update.  If your license configuration has changed, you must enter a new license code.  Otherwise, if asked whether you want to enter a new code, you can answer 'n' to retain the existing one.  If you previously made changes to any of the configuration files, you will probably want to answer 'n' when prompted to overwrite them.  If you answer 'y', they will be replaced with the copies in the installation folder.

For major or feature updates (increments to the first or second version number), you may wish to compare your existing configuration files to the new example files as new features may change how you want to configure the software.

Troubleshooting

The most common problem encountered in the updating process is accidentally installing or running an older version of the software.  The following steps can help you avoid problems:

Verify the Package

Make sure you have obtained the correct package for your platform from the correct source.  See Where to Get an Update above for details and links.  In some cases, you may obtain your packages from a reseller or your network administrator.  Remember that package names ending in 'T' are trials which will expire.  Packages with names ending in 'P' are licensed for production use.

Save to an Empty Folder

Always download and extract new packages into an empty folder, not your desktop.  If you are using Windows, make sure you Extract all files from the archive: do not just browse the contents.

Do Not Remove Components

Use the included installation scripts or copy individual files to their destination, as instructed in the product documentation.  Do not drag or move installation scripts out of the extraction folder as this will break their links to the components they are trying to install.

Verify License Codes

Free trials do not require license codes.  Purchased clients may require a license code.  Purchased servers always require a license code when they are first installed.  If you get startup errors about expiration or invalid license codes, or are repeatedly prompted to enter a license code, make sure that you are using the correct software and the correct code for that software.  If you have made changes to your purchased license configuration, your codes may have changed and you will need to download a new list.  See Tech Note 0027 for a list of license code registration errors and what to do about each.

Verify New Versions

After installation check the server logs to verify that the new version is running.  Check server and client binaries to make sure they are the correct version.  See Tech Note 0001 for instructions on finding version numbers.

Verify User Paths

On multiuser systems, check that end-users are actually running the same version as you.  By default, unix clients are installed into /usr/local/bin.  But if a user does not have that component in their path or if they have installed binaries in other locations, then they may end up running an outdated version.  Search the hard-drive for out-dated copies.

Review Setup Instructions

Review the Setup chapter of the product manual.  Pay particular attention to the Connectivity and License sections, as these are the most likely to be affected by an update.

If you encounter problems, please contact DEI Technical Support for assistance.