Compatibility and Upgrade Path from SiteMinder 12.8 SP8 to 12.9

Products

• SITEMINDER
• CA Single Sign-On

Issue/Introduction

When upgrading four SiteMinder Policy Servers from version 12.8 SP8 to 12.9, can the newly upgraded 12.9 Policy Servers continue to operate with an existing Policy Store containing 12.8 SP8 schema/data?

Environment

Product: Symantec SiteMinder (formerly CA Single Sign-On)
Policy Server: 12.8 SP8 upgrading to 12.9
Policy Store: 12.8 SP8

Resolution

Yes. SiteMinder 12.9 Policy Servers maintain backward compatibility with Policy Store data from version 12.8 SP8 (1)(2).

However, to ensure a successful upgrade and maintain environment stability, the following conditions must be met:

Schema Compatibility: While the 12.9 Policy Server can read the 12.8 SP8 store, upgrade the Policy Store data structure once all the Policy Server runs 12.9 version (3).

Data Integrity: Before initiating the upgrade, verify that the Policy Store data is healthy and consistent (4).

Backup: Perform a full export of the Policy Store (using XPSExport) and a database-level backup before starting the upgrade process.

Additional Information

1. Upgrading
   
   
2. In-place Upgrade
   
   
3. Upgrade Policy Store
   
   
4. Correct Integrity Errors of Policy Store