Dell has changed the name of its acquired AppAssure to Dell Data Protection Rapid Recovery. AppAssure (latest version is 5.4.3) is no longer being maintained, so upgrading to Rapid Recovery (latest version 6.0.2 at the time of writing) is a requirement for continued support. Fortunately, performing the upgrading is not really difficult, and can be done without too much downtime for your backup.

Additional information, including a compatibility and upgrade matrix can be found here:

• How to Upgrade AppAssure 5.4 to Rapid Recovery 6.X (181997)
• Dell Support Policy (compatibility matrix for Core and Agent versions)

At the time of writing, the compatibility matrix shows that Agent version 5.4.3 can connect to Core version 6.0.2. As such, if you can upgrade the Core before upgrading any Agents, backup will continue to work after the upgrade of the Core, if the Agent's version is the latest (version 5.4.3). However, it is strongly recommended to upgrade the Agent as soon as possible. It is not possible to upgrade the Agent prior to upgrading the Core.

If you use replication between different Core servers, the target Core must run the same or a higher version than the source Core. For a seamless upgrade, upgrade the target Core before upgrading the source Core, although it is highly recommended to upgrade all Cores as soon as possible.

Version 5.4.3 required for hassle-free upgrade

Before beginning the upgrade, it is required to have at least version 5.4.3 running of both Core and Agent version. If you do not have this version running, you first must upgrade to version 5.4.3 of AppAssure before you can continue with the upgrade to Rapid Recovery.

Quick upgrade path

Perform these steps in order to avoid loss of connectivity of your Agents to the Core(s).

Review How to Upgrade AppAssure 5.4 to Rapid Recovery 6.X (181997) for detailed steps.

1. If Core/Agent not on version 5.4.3:
   1. Upgrade all Cores to version 5.4.3.
   2. Upgrade all Agents to version 5.4.3.
2. Before the upgrade to 6.X, check the prerequisites.
   .NET Framework 4.5.2 should be installed on all Core servers prior to installing version 6.X. It is recommended to have all Windows Updates installed, including updates for .NET Framework.
3. Upgrade all Cores from version 5.4.3 to version 6.X.
   When replication is used, upgrade the target Core before upgrading the source Core, if possible. If this is not possible (e.g. bidirectional replication), all Cores need to be upgraded at once.
   Upgrading a Core server does not require a reboot if no Agent is installed.
4. Upgrade all Agents from version 5.4.3 to version 6.X.
   In order to complete the upgrade, you need to reboot the machine as soon as possible after installation.