# System Update

> Manage system updates and software upgrades for the appliance.

***Spectra Analyze > Administration > Configuration & Update > System Update***

Under **System Update**, update the appliance in either of the following ways:

- **Select Update File**: apply an update from the local package provided by ReversingLabs.
- **Available Updates**: download an update from the remote ReversingLabs repository. This functionality is available only when the appliance is connected to Spectra Intelligence.

**Warning: Before updating the appliance, always create a snapshot or a backup of the appliance to allow reverting to the pre-update state in the event of critical failure.**


**Tip: Best practice**
It is not necessary to wait for the processing queues to clear, as the system keeps all uploaded files and resumes after the upgrade, but it is highly recommended to notify all appliance users of the impending update before it is performed.

**Tip: Redundant clusters**
If the appliance is part of a redundant cluster, the update process is slightly different. When the update starts on the primary node, the secondary node is automatically promoted to primary. Once the update completes, the original primary resumes its role and the temporary primary reverts to secondary. This ensures that the update process does not cause any downtime.

## Updating from a local package

When an update is available for the appliance, ReversingLabs provides an update package via email or other file transfer service. 

To apply the update, go to **Administration > Configuration & Update > System Update** and, under **Select Update File**, click **Choose File** to locate the package `.bin` file on the local filesystem. The `.bin` file must be valid and not corrupted in order to successfully update the appliance.

Administrators can enter additional information up to 250 characters long about the update into the comment field below. The comment is visible in the appliance logs and can be used for auditing purposes. The comment field is mandatory, but administrators can leave the default message *"Updating the appliance to a new version"*.

After selecting the update package and filling in the comment field, click **Update**. The update is applied, and the appliance web server and services are restarted. In some cases, the whole appliance system may reboot.

## Updating from a remote ReversingLabs repository

The **Available Updates** section displays one of the following states:

- No access to Spectra Intelligence.
- No available updates.
- Incorrectly configured Spectra Intelligence account.
- Appliance completely up-to-date based on the latest Spectra Intelligence data.
- Updates available for download.

When updates are available for download, this section indicates the current versions of the appliance and the Spectra Core engine. The recommended new version is also indicated. The Spectra Core version number is displayed next to each of the available updates, allowing administrators to quickly see which Spectra Core comes with which appliance version.

In the list of available updates, administrators can retrieve one or more supported updates by clicking **Download**. It is possible to download several updates simultaneously.

When the status column indicates that the download is complete, under **Selection**, select the desired version by clicking the radio button, and click **Update** to start the process. The update is applied, and the appliance web server and services are restarted. In some cases, the whole appliance system may reboot.

Unnecessary update packages are automatically removed to save storage space on the appliance. The last installed package is always preserved. For example, if the appliance is currently on 5.12.0, the 5.12.0 package is preserved. If the administrator has already downloaded packages that can be applied next in the update path, those are also preserved, for example, 5.12.1 and 5.12.4. However, all packages for versions prior to the current one are removed.

### New update notifications

If the appliance is connected to Spectra Intelligence, it can automatically check for new updates.

When an administrator logs into the appliance, the appliance performs a check for available updates and displays a notification when a new version is available. This check is not performed when regular users log into the appliance.

## Supported update paths

The appliance can be directly updated from any minor version to any other minor version of the next major version. Major/feature releases are indicated by the first two numbers of the version number, while the third number is reserved for minor/patch releases. For example, users who want to upgrade their Spectra Analyze 5.9.2 to Spectra Analyze 5.10.3 can do that without having to manually install the intermediate 5.9.3 or 5.10.1 versions.

However, major versions cannot be skipped. Updating directly from 5.8.X to 5.10.X is not possible without installing 5.9.X.

When updates are available for download, **Available Updates** always indicates the recommended version to install. If several new major versions are available, only one is displayed at a time. Upgrading to one major version unlocks the next major version and displays it in the list. For example, if the appliance is currently on 5.10.3, but both 5.11.0 and 5.12.0 are available in the remote repository, only the 5.11.0 is displayed in the list. When the appliance is updated to 5.11.0, the 5.12.0 is displayed in the list.
