Update your Wowza Streaming Engine installation

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for updating your licensed Wowza Streaming Engine™ media server software installation to a newer version. When you update Wowza Streaming Engine, your current installation is automatically backed up if you want to remove the update later.

Note:  You can't use Wowza Streaming Engine updaters to install a new Wowza Streaming Engine instance. For that, you must use an installer, which you can get on our Downloads webpage.

Contents


About Wowza Streaming Engine updates

Before you start

Applying an update

Removing an update

 

About Wowza Streaming Engine updates


Updates for Wowza Streaming Engine are packaged in a ZIP archive updater file using the naming convention WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version ].zip, where [version] is the update version.

You must have an active Maintenance and Support contract to receive updaters. The Maintenance and Support contract entitles you to free full upgrades, dot-release updates for Wowza Streaming Engine, and emails to technical support. If you have a valid license for Wowza Streaming Engine, you can create an account on Wowza.com and then sign in to your Account Management page to find available updaters on the Downloads tab.

Before you start


Depending on the version of your base installation of Wowza Streaming Engine and the version you want to update to, you may need to install a supported version of Java before you update.

Updating to Wowza Streaming Engine version 4.8.18 or later

You should complete the following tasks if you are updating to Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.18 from a base installation of Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.17 or earlier:

Note: Any custom user modules designed for previous Java versions may need to be modified to work in Java version 11.

Updating to Wowza Streaming Engine version 4.7.8 – 4.8.17

You should complete the following tasks if you are updating to Wowza Streaming Engine 4.7.8 – 4.8.17 from a base installation of Wowza Streaming Engine 4.7.7 or earlier:

With Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.5, we repackaged the version of OpenJDK Java SE JRE 9.0.4 installed with Wowza Streaming Engine. This custom-packaged version of OpenJDK Java SE JRE 9.0.4 is not installed with earlier versions of Wowza Streaming Engine, but it is recommended for Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.5 – 4.8.17.

Also, the java.scripting module included in the custom packaged version of OpenJDK Java SE JRE 9.0.4 is required for Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.8 – 4.8.17, but it is not added by the Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.8 updater. If you are updating to Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.5 – 4.8.17 from Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.0 or earlier, before you update, install the custom version of OpenJDK Java SE JRE 9.0.4 available from the Downloads tab of My Account. Then, instruct Wowza Streaming Engine to use that version of Java according to the instructions in Manually install and troubleshoot Java on Wowza Streaming Engine.

Note: If you are updating to Wowza Streaming Engine versions 4.7.8 through 4.8.5, the winstone.properties file, and any custom configurations specified in it for Wowza Streaming Engine Manager, will be overwritten with the new Apache Tomcat 9.0 file (tomcat.properties ). To continue using your custom configurations, you must manually re-add your settings to the tomcat.properties file. For more information, see Stopped using the Winstone servlet container in Wowza Streaming Engine Manager.

Applying an update


Notes:

  • Administrator/root privileges are required to apply an update.
  • You must stop Wowza Streaming Engine and Wowza Streaming Engine Manager before applying an update. See Start and stop Wowza Streaming Engine for more information about how to do this.
  • Applying an update to Wowza Streaming Engine overwrites the [install-dir]/manager/bin/startmgr.sh (macOS and Linux) or [install-dir]/manager/bin/startmgr.bat (Windows) file. If you've modified this file and wish to keep the modifications, you must update the new file accordingly.

Video tutorial: Apply an update on Windows

Note:  While some images may not be entirely up-to-date, this video describes the general process of applying a Wowza Streaming Engine update on Windows. For additional help, see:

Apply an update on Windows (step-by-step instructions)

You can use these step-by-step instructions to apply a Wowza Streaming Engine update on Windows.

  1. Extract the updater .zip file contents and then copy the included WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version] folder to your [install-dir]/updates directory, where [install-dir] is the install directory of Wowza Streaming Engine. See Confirm that the install directory is present for more details.
  2. Stop Wowza Streaming Engine and Wowza Streaming Engine Manager. For more information, see:
  3. Open an elevated command prompt:
    • Click Start, and then in the Search programs and files box type Command Prompt.
    • In the search results, right-click on the Command Line program, then click Run as administrator.
  4. Execute the following command to change the active directory to the location of update.bat:
    cd [install-dir]/updates/WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version]/windows
     

    Note:  Instead of typing out the file path, you can copy the directory from the Finder window and right-click in the Command Prompt window to paste the selection.

  5. Execute the following command to apply the update:
    update.bat
  6. Follow the prompts on the command line. You'll see something similar to the following:
    update.bat
    Verifying running as administrative user
    Locating Wowza Streaming Engine installation directory
    Running Wowza Streaming Engine update installer
    Path:
    
    This will update your installation at : [install-dir]
    
    Currently installed version           : Wowza Streaming Engine <version> - Build <#>
    
    This will update your installation to : Wowza Streaming Engine <version> - Build <#>
    
    Are you sure you want to continue? (y/n)
    y
    Wowza Streaming Engine <version> Release Notes
    
            Version: Wowza Streaming Engine <new version>
    
    This document describes the detailed changes in Wowza Streaming Engine <new version>. For more information about the features and known issues in this version of the server, see the README.txt file in the files directory of this update.
    
    ========================================
    Changes in <new version> Build <#>
    
    ...
    
    Press enter/return to continue
    
    Detected operating system: windows
    Checking file versions.
    Backing up current files.
    Successfully created backup: [path-to-backup-file]
    Updating installation.
    The update process completed successfully.
  7. Restart the services from step 2. See Start and stop Wowza Streaming Engine for more information.

Important: Do not delete the WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version].zip file. You'll need it if you want to remove the update later. Only that version of the update tool will remove that version of the update. See Removing an update for more information about remove (rollback) updates.

Video tutorial: Apply an update on Linux and macOS

Note:  While some images may not be entirely up-to-date, this video describes the general process of applying a Wowza Streaming Engine update on Linux. For additional help, see:

Apply an update on Linux and macOS (step-by-step instructions)

You can use these step-by-step instructions to apply a Wowza Streaming Engine update on Linux or macOS.

  1. Extract the updater .zip file contents. In most cases, extracting the .zip file automatically creates a WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version] folder that contains the .zip file contents where [version] is the Wowza Streaming Engine version number. If not, create a folder with that naming convention and copy the extracted .zip file contents into it.
  2. Copy the WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version] folder to your [install-dir]/updates directory, where [install-dir] is the install directory of Wowza Streaming Engine. See Confirm that the install directory is present for more details.
  3. Stop Wowza Streaming Engine and Wowza Streaming Engine Manager. For more information, see:
  4. Open a Terminal window and execute the following command to change the active directory to the location of update.sh:

    Linux:
    cd [install-dir]/updates/WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version]/linux

    macOS:
    cd [install-dir]/updates/WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version]/osx
     

    Note:  Instead of typing out the file path, you can drag and drop the folder from Finder into the Terminal window to automatically enter the folder location.

  5. Change to root or use the sudo command if you have sudo privileges to perform the following commands:
     
    • If you must restore the execute permissions on the initial update scripts, execute the following command:
      sudo chmod +x *.sh
    • Execute the following command to apply the update:
      sudo ./update.sh
  6. Follow prompts on the command line. You'll see something similar to the following:
    ./update.sh
    Verifying running as administrative user
    Locating Wowza Streaming Engine installation directory
    Running Wowza Streaming Engine update installer
    Path: 
    
    This will update your installation at : [install-dir]
    
    Currently installed version           : Wowza Streaming Engine <version> - Build <#>
    
    This will update your installation to : Wowza Streaming Engine <version> - Build <#>
    
    Are you sure you want to continue? (y/n)
    y
    Wowza Streaming Engine <version> Release Notes
    
            Version: Wowza Streaming Engine <new version>
    
    This document describes the detailed changes in Wowza Streaming Engine <new version>. For more information about the features and known issues in this version of the Server, see the README.txt file in the files directory of this update.
    
    ========================================
    Changes in <new version> Build <#>
    
    ...
    
    Press enter/return to continue
    
    Detected operating system: [linux]|[osx]
    Checking file versions.
    Backing up current files.
    Successfully created backup: [path-to-backup-file]
    Updating installation.
    The update process completed successfully.
  7. Restart the services from step 2. See Start and stop Wowza Streaming Engine for more information.

Important: Do not delete the WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version].zip file. You'll need it if you want to remove the update later. Only that version of the update tool will remove that version of the update. See Removing an update for more information about remove (rollback) updates.

Removing an update


Notes:
  • Administrator/root privileges are required to remove an update.
  • You must stop Wowza Streaming Engine before removing an update. See Start and stop Wowza Streaming Engine for more information.
  • Because Wowza Streaming Engine 4.7.8 – 4.8.17 are built on Java 9 and Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.18 and later are built on Java 11, if you're removing an update to Wowza Streaming Engine 4.8.18 or later and reverting to Wowza Streaming Engine 4.7.8 – 4.8.17, you need to manually change your Java version back to Java 9. For more information, see Manually install and troubleshoot Java on Wowza Streaming Engine.

 

Remove an update on Windows (step-by-step instructions)

You can use these instructions to remove an update of Wowza Streaming Engine on Windows.

  1. Extract the updater .zip file contents. Then copy the included WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version] folder to your [install-dir]/updates directory if you don't already have it there from applying the update.
  2. Open an elevated command prompt:
    1. Click Start, and then in the Search programs and files box type Command Prompt.
    2. In the search results, right-click on the Command Line program, then click Run as administrator.
  3. Execute the following command to change the active directory to the location of update.bat:
    cd [install-dir]/updates/WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version]/windows
     

    Note:  Instead of typing out the file path, you can copy the directory from the Windows Explorer window and right click in the Command Prompt window to paste the selection.

  4. Execute the following command to remove the update:
    update.bat -u
  5. Follow the prompts on the command line. You'll see something similar to the following:
    update.bat -u
    Verifying running as administrative user
    Locating Wowza Streaming Engine installation directory
    Running Wowza Streaming Engine update installer
    Path:
    
    This will uninstall Wowza Streaming Engine <update version> - Build <#> from your system.
    
    This will be removed from your installation at : [install-dir]
    
    Detected operating system: windows
    Found backupfile.  [backup-file-name]
    Restoring from detected backup: [path-to-backup-file]
    Restoring to version: Wowza Streaming Engine <old version> - Build <#>
    Are you sure you want to continue? (y/n)
    y
    Restoring from [path-to-backup-file]
    Restoration complete.
  6. Restart the server. See Start and stop Wowza Streaming Engine for more information.

Remove an update on Linux and macOS (step-by-step instructions)

You can use these instructions to remove an update of Wowza Streaming Engine on Linux or macOS.

  1. Extract the updater .zip file contents. Then copy the included WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version] folder to your [install-dir]/updates directory if you don't already have it there from applying the update.
  2. Open a Terminal window and execute the following command to change the active directory to the location of update.sh:

    Linux:
    cd [install-dir]/updates/WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version]/linux

    macOS:
    cd [install-dir]/updates/WowzaStreamingEngine-Update-[version]/osx
     
    Note:  Instead of typing out the file path, you can drag and drop the folder from Finder into the Terminal window to automatically enter the folder location.
  3. Change to root or use the sudo command if you have sudo privileges to perform the following commands:
     
    1. If you must restore the execute permissions on the initial update scripts, execute the following command:
      sudo chmod +x *.sh
    2. Execute the following command:
      sudo ./update.sh -u
  4. Follow the prompts on the command line. You'll see something similar to the following:
    update.sh -u
    Verifying running as administrative user
    Locating Wowza Streaming Engine installation directory
    Running Wowza Streaming Engine update installer
    
    This will uninstall Wowza Streaming Engine <version> - Build <#> from your system.
    
    This will be removed from your installation at: [install-dir]
    
    Detected operating system: [linux]|[osx]
    Found backup file:  [backup-file-name]
    Restoring from backup:[install-dir]/updates/backup/[backup-file-name]
    Restoring to version: Wowza Streaming Engine <old version> - Build <#>
    Are you sure you want to continue? (y/n)
    y
    Restoring from backup: [install-dir]/updates/backup/[backup-file-name]
    Restoration complete.
  5. Restart the server. See Start and stop Wowza Streaming Engine for more information.