---
title: "OS Upgrade"
canonical: "https://kb.uconn.edu/space/IKB/28305784833/OS%20Upgrade"
format: markdown
---
1. **Overview**

Please use the resources below to modernize the operating system for your Managed Server Virtual Machines.

**Upgrade Options**

- **In-place upgrade** – Update the existing server to a supported OS version. **[Server In-place Upgrade Request Form](http://s.uconn.edu/osupgrade)**
- **Migration to a new server** – Build a new system on a current OS and move workloads over. **[New Server Request Instruction and Form](https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/IKB/pages/27452538947)****.**

**Available Upgrade Paths**

For in-place upgrades, direct paths to **Windows Server 2025** are available from the following versions:

- Windows Server 2016
- Windows Server 2019
- Windows Server 2022

**Note:** The instructions below are for **In-place upgrades**.

**What You Need to Know:**

**Downtime:** Please plan for typical downtime, including a system reboot and a brief service interruption during the process.

**Pre-Upgrade Snapshot:** We take a full VM snapshot before the upgrade begins to ensure your data is protected.

**User Validation:** After the upgrade, it is your responsibility to verify that all applications are running as expected. If you encounter issues, you may choose to troubleshoot or request a **rollback** to the original version.

**Snapshot Retention:** Snapshots are stored for **7 days**.

:warning: If you require more than 7 days for testing, you **must** contact IT to request an extension before the snapshot expires.

**Log in to Jira to access the form shown in the screenshots below**:

![image-20260116-164214.png](media://2443c10d-368c-42de-a92a-199beea529d8)

![image-20260116-164412.png](media://a1956208-8e12-48f8-9f6b-ca0109fa78be)

![image-20260116-164506.png](media://445e493b-8712-416d-b5a4-841026013af5)


![image-20260116-164804.png](media://aec2968e-403e-4b74-aaf7-361b5f8eb630)

**Once logged in, you will be directed to the form screen shown below.**

![image-20260112-200015.png](media://407fa591-9c36-4a46-9aff-a3d176a3e1c7)


2. **When to use this form**

Use **Server Upgrade Request** **Form** if you need: *OS version upgrade, scheduling.*

3. **Prerequisites (Checklist)**

✅ Confirm the server is **Managed** by ITS

✅ Confirm **maintenance window** and stakeholder approval

✅ Confirm **backup / snapshot** expectations

✅ Validate **application compatibility** with the OS 

✅ Identify **point of contact** for testing after upgrade

4. **How the scheduling process works**

- **Ticket Creation:** Upon submission, an automated process will generate a **Jira Ticket** for your request.
- **Email Notifications:** You will receive two separate emails:
  - **Confirmation:** A notification that your Jira ticket has been created.
  - **Schedule Details:** An email containing your assigned server name and the scheduled date/time for the upgrade.
- **Modifications:** If you need to **reschedule or cancel** your upgrade, you may do so directly through the portal.

*     Please refer to ****Step 5**** for detailed instructions on managing your schedule.*

![image-20260112-204710.png](media://d9c93701-f8b6-4798-bfc6-bc46d61e54ba)

5. **Step-by-step: Filling out the form **

Please refer to **Figure 1** for each field.

**Raise this request on behalf of**  
When you open the form (shown in **Figure 1**), your name and email are auto-populated. If you are submitting the form for someone else(eg. on behalf of Business owner, they are notified when you are upgrade the OS. ), enter that person’s name. They will receive Jira ticket updates and the upgrade schedule confirmation.

**Action**  
 1. **Create a scheduled upgrade** - The default value is **Schedule**. 

2. **Cancel a scheduled upgrade**  
After submitting the form, you can cancel the schedule by opening the Jira ticket and selecting **Edit form** (see **Figure 4**). Under **Action**, open the dropdown and select **Cancel**, then click **Submit**.
3. **Reschedule an upgrade** - To reschedule, open the Jira ticket and select **Edit form** (see **Figure 4**). Update the date and time under **Select Upgrade Time**, then click **Submit**.

**Select Server**  
Choose the server you want to upgrade. The dropdown will only show servers where:

- you are an administrator of the server, and
- the operating system is eligible for upgrade.

**Select Upgrade Time** - Select the upgrade date and time (estimated, **Eastern Time**).  
After completing all fields, click **Send**. You will see the confirmation screen shown in **Figure 3**. The Jira ticket number appears at the top of the page.

![image-20260114-142554.png](media://c99893ad-ddce-47c2-9d9e-ecd33e335479)

![image-20260116-204320.png](media://a71b74c2-10e5-483b-ba42-9c4bdde5719d)

6. **During the upgrade**

🕰️ expected downtime - service is not available, server reboot.

7. **After the upgrade**

**Server Admin will verify (platform-level checks)**

Server is online and responding 

Core services are healthy (e.g., system services running, no critical errors on boot)

Network connectivity is working 

Monitoring/management tools are reporting normally (no new critical alerts)

Basic storage and file system health checks (capacity, mounts, no obvious errors)

**App owner should verify (application-level checks)**

Access the application (login, key pages/workflows)

Background processes are running as expected (scheduled jobs)

Integrations still work (database connections, SSO, file shares, third-party APIs)

Key dependencies are healthy (services, certificates, drivers/agents used by the app)

No new errors in the application logs and normal user transactions complete successfully


8. **FAQ**

     ** 1.  My server doesn’t appear in “Select Server.”**  
      The **Select Server** dropdown only lists servers that meet both of these conditions in **Jira Assets**:

You are listed as the **Server Admin**, and

**OS Upgrade Needed** is set to **True**.

If your server is missing, contact the server owner/admin to update the asset record, or reach out to **ITS Support** for assistance.

**        2. Can I request outside business hours?**

 Yes. You can request an upgrade **outside business hours**, such as in the evening or early morning when the system is least in use. This allows the upgrade to run during off-hours, and you can complete the post-upgrade validation during your normal work hours.

**        3. How long will it take?**

Most upgrades finish in 1–2 hours. For large servers or application-heavy systems, allow up to 4 hours—especially if CPU resources are limited.