Upgrading Opencast from 9.x to 10.x

This guide describes how to upgrade Opencast 9.x to 10.x. In case you need information about how to upgrade older versions of Opencast, please refer to older release notes.

  1. Stop your current Opencast instance
  2. Upgrade Java
  3. Replace Opencast with the new version
  4. Review the configuration changes and adjust your configuration accordingly
  5. Start Opencast

Upgrade Java

While Opencast 9 worked with both Java 8 and Java 11, Opencast 10 requires Java 11. Trying to start Opencast 10 with Java 8 will fail.

Either install both java versions and set Java 11 as default using something like:

update-alternatives --config java

Or replace the old Java version like this:

% dnf shell
> remove 'java-1.8.0*'
> install java-11-openjdk.x86_64
> run

Note that these commands can differ based on your distribution and your set-up. Make sure to adjust them accordingly.

Finally, check you have the correct version using:

% java --version
openjdk 11.0.11 2021-04-20
OpenJDK Runtime Environment 18.9 (build 11.0.11+9)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM 18.9 (build 11.0.11+9, mixed mode, sharing)

Configuration Changes

Note that this section will only highlight a few important changes. Please make sure to compare your configuration against the current configuration files.

LDAP

A new configuration option org.opencastproject.userdirectory.ldap.groupcheckprefix was added. The option affects the org.opencastproject.userdirectory.ldap.roleattributes and org.opencastproject.userdirectory.ldap.extra.roles configuration options and may need to be adjusted.

Static File Delivery

Opencast 9.2 came with a completely new system for securing static file content which is now active by default in Opencast 10. If you are deferring the file access authorization to another system using Opencast's security token mechanism, you need to deactivate this protection in:

etc/org.opencastproject.fsresources.StaticResourceServlet.cfg