Octopus TFS extension - upgrading from TFS 2015 update 3 to TFS 2017

We are looking to upgrade form TFS 2015 update 3 to TFS 2017. Currently we are using the octopus TFS extension. Would like to know if after the upgrade the extension will continue to work or will we need to re-install the TFS 2017 octopus extension from the marketplace. And if we have to re-install, would we need to update all our build definitions again?

Hi Sohail,

The TFS version of the extension should continue to work in TFS 2017, however if you want to upgrade to the newer version, you’ll probably need to uninstall it and install the new one.

The build tasks themselves have the same ID, so they’ll appear as unavailable when you’re between versions, but they should reappear when you install the new version.

That said, depending on which version of the extension you’re coming from and going to, you may need to change some settings in your build definitions anyway. The connection to Octopus changed a few versions ago (to a specific Octopus connection rather than a Generic one).

If you can tell me what version of the extension you’re currently using, I can give you a bit more info. You should be able to find it at the bottom of any of the build tasks.

Thanks,
Damian

Thanks Damian for the quick reply the version we are using is 1.2.28

Hi Sohail,

Ah, then yes, you’ll definitely have to redo your build steps. The current version is 2.0.63. When we moved from version 1 to version 2, there was a breaking change with the way we connected to Octopus.

If you’re lucky, you may be able to upgrade the extension and keep the tasks - they’ll just be marked as version 1. If that’s the case, they’ll still work, and you can upgrade them at your own pace.

Different customers have had different experiences depending on the version of TFS they’re moving from and to however. If you’re going to upgrade, I’d be prepared for the steps to stop working.

Sorry it’s not better news!

Damian

Hello Damian

If we don’t upgrade the extension that we currently use when we go to TFS 2017 we should be good, correct? And when we do decide to upgrade the extension is when we might have to redo the build definitions. Just want to clarify this.

Thanks and appreciate your quick response.

Hi Sohail,

Sorry for the delay in replying, I was running a few tests. :slight_smile:

I’ve added some documentation to explain the upgrades and compatibility. In short, TFS 2017 will work with version 1.2.28 of the extension. Also, assuming you’re upgrading to TFS 2017 Update 1, you can upgrade the extension and the builds will still use the old version until you’re ready.

I hope that helps!

Damian

Thanks you so much Damian this really helps, much appreciated.

I’m working on a TFS migration project, moving our existing TFS application server (and all the build control and agents) to another datacenter.

With this move the servers will have new IPs names etc, would this mean I’ll need to update the build definitions too?

Many thanks,

Hi Mick,

Thanks for getting in touch.

From an Octopus point of view, if your TFS project has a build definition that uses OctoPack (such as the walkthrough here), as long as your new TFS server can communicate with the same Octopus server, then that should all continue to work after migrating to a new datacenter.

Cheers
Mark