Versions and components

There are four components in a NOM implementation where the version of the component should be considered.

NOM server

This contains the server application, user interface and APIs for NOM. New versions of NOM are planned to be released every 8 weeks, and it is recommended to upgrade the server frequently to get bug fixes, enhancements and new functionality.

As the server and agent work together, it is advisable to plan to have them running on the same version where possible. The server could be upgraded either before or after the agent(s), but there may be some incompatibility issues with changes in the new release.

NOM Agent

The agent is a standalone executable, and is deployed on the host machine of each DBMS instance to be managed. A new version of the agent will be released with the server every 8 weeks, although not every release would contain changes to functionality. It is recommended to upgrade the agent frequently to get bug fixes, enhancements and new functionality.

As the server and agent work together, it is advisable to plan to have them running on the same version where possible. The agent(s) could be upgraded either before or after the server, but there may be some incompatibility issues with changes in the new release.

NOM Persistence database

NOM makes use of a Neo4j database for persisting the monitoring and management data. Ideally this is a dedicated single instance for NOM, but could also be a dedicated database on a licensed machine elsewhere in the enterprise, or even an Aura Professional or Enterprise instance.

NOM persistence should be deployed using Neo4j Enterprise Edition 4.4.x or later, although we would recommend using the latest version and keeping this upgraded where possible.

NOM-managed DBMS

The DBMS instances which are managed by NOM need to be licensed Enterprise Edition, and version 4.4.x or later.

Upgrade considerations

When planning to upgrade NOM to a later release, consider the following points:

  • Upgrading the server results in a temporary outage of NOM whilst the jar file is replaced. On starting the new version, any necessary changes in the persistence schema happens automatically.

  • Upgrading an agent results in a temporary outage of management of any instances registered with that agent.

  • When upgrading the persistence Neo4j, it is recommended to shut down the NOM server for the duration of the upgrade.

  • Given that NOM is a monitoring and administration system, it should require less planning and impact analysis to apply upgrades. Hence, frequent upgrades are recommended, especially as new features are added regularly during the initial versions.