Manual Migration Required for Windows Tile 10.4 Upgrade from Version 10.3 and Earlier

Products

• VMware Tanzu Platform Core

Issue/Introduction

• Upgrading the Elastic Application Runtime Microsoft Windows add-on from version 10.3 (or earlier) to 10.4 fails.
• In-place upgrades result in broken Windows applications.
• Applications fail to start or report compatibility errors after an attempted upgrade to the 10.4 tile.

Environment

VMware Tanzu Application Service for Windows  (Windows Tile 2019 v10.3 and earlier)

Cause

The upgrade to version 10.4 introduces a breaking change in the architecture of the Microsoft Windows add-on. Versions 10.3 and earlier utilized the Windows 2019 Tile, whereas version 10.4 requires a shift to the Windows 2022 Tile. This transition does not support an automated in-place upgrade path.

Resolution

To resolve this, you must perform a manual migration of your applications to the Windows 2022 Tile (10.4). Follow the steps outlined in the official documentation below:

1. Review Breaking Changes: Consult the Release Notes and Breaking Changes to understand the impact on your specific environment.
2. Migrate Applications: Follow the instructions for Migrating apps to Elastic Application Runtime Microsoft Windows add-on. This involves deploying the new tile and moving application workloads manually.
3. Perform the Upgrade: Complete the process by following the guide for Upgrading Elastic Application Runtime Windows add-on.

Important: Do not attempt an in-place upgrade on the existing Windows 2019 Tile to reach version 10.4, as this will result in application failure.